Illuminating the abstract art of the Inka, what it conveys about Inka values, and its relationship to those who view it. Inka visual culture is unusual in its tendency toward abstraction. Public stonework, vessels used at state feasts, garments worn by the imperial elite-these objects announcing status and power are adorned with geometric designs that refuse figuration. After searching in vain for hidden referents, many scholars have resigned themselves to the unsatisfying conclusion that the designs are merely decorative. Inside Abstraction develops a novel interpretation. Eminent art historian Carolyn Dean proposes that Inka geometries are neither ornamental nor coded depictions of other objects. Rather, Dean shows that in the Andean world, the designs were functionally self-aware, possessing perspectives of their own, quite literally looking back at and addressing viewers directly. Further, Dean contends that these agent-abstractions were teachers, conveying particular messages concerning social hierarchy: the relations among geometries and colors instructed viewers as to their own proper social relations. Inka designs thereby served imperial aims by wordlessly communicating the state's values and demands for submission. Extensively illustrated and rigorously argued, Inside Abstraction is a dramatic step forward in our understanding of Inka art and political order.
Industry Reviews
"This brilliant new work by Dr. Carolyn Dean, now firmly established as the premier voice in art-based Inka visual culture studies, confidently and persuasively replaces outdated and highly ethnocentric (thoughtlessly outsider and colonial) notions of this famous ancient South American empire's art. Acknowledging the fascinating worldview of Autonomous Andeans (those flourishing before the distorting European points of view intervened), she shows a deft understanding of the Andean philosophical and linguistic heritages. In short, Dean enlightens us as to the many levels of deep meaning embedded in non-image-based aesthetics, a topic of central importance. Travelers, students at all levels, those fascinated with the ancient Andes, and scholars in many fields will surely applaud Dean's consummate scholarship as well as her bold and novel juxtaposition of the Inka with other world cultures in which the relational power of 'abstract' designs holds sway." - Rebecca R. Stone, Professor and Curator Emeritus, Emory University "Most Inka art appears 'abstract' in that it is not figurative or iconographic. Drawing on Andean ethnography, Dean argues that understanding this choice requires us to change our perspective. It is inappropriate to search for hidden messages or symbolic meanings. For a close analysis of Inka artifacts, Dean draws on wider art theory and anthropology, particularly recent approaches to Andean perspectivism, to argue the need for a radically different approach. The skillful creation of Inka designs involved the artisan collaborating with materials to create forms and patterns that aimed to express and demonstrate concepts and ideals at a more fundamental level than that of imagery. Viewers of Inka architecture, textiles, and pottery appreciate the artisans' abilities to work with materials to create order, with the absence of any fixed meaning or singular narrative making the creations all the more powerful. This book requires the reader to fundamentally rethink 'art,' to go beyond a superficial view of surfaces, to think through and inside design." - Bill Sillar, University College London, author of Shaping Culture: Making Pots and Constructing Households
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