Postures : body language in art / Desmond Morris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morris, Desmond, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Body language in art--History.

Body language in art.

Body language in art--Social aspects.

Art and society.

Social aspects.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

319 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York, New York : Thames & Hudson, 2019.

Summary:

Examining the body language displayed in works of art is a whole new way of looking at art. The gestures portrayed can reflect the mores of a particular period in history, the customs of a certain culture or a fashion in artistic styles. Exploring these with masterful subtlety, celebrated artist and anthropologist Desmond Morris uncovers fascinating insights about changing social attitudes and conventions through history and around the world, finding surprising similarities as well as now rarely used gestures. Morris selects a number of key gestures, such as the handshake, the pointed foot, or the glove-slap, and groups them by the message they are intended to convey, such as Greetings, Status and Threats. He discusses the previously unconsidered symbolism behind these. What is understood as a gang sign today may have borne a more enigmatic meaning for Botticelli. And what did Napoleon's hidden hand really mean? 'Postures: Body Language in Art' uniquely combines the author's expertise in both art and social science, so that even the most familiar paintings are suddenly seen in a new light.

Contents:

Greetings

Blessings

Status

Insults

Threats

Distress

Self-protection

The erotic

At rest.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (page 308) and index.

ISBN:

9780500022610

0500022615

OCLC:

1112379391