For at least 20,000 years, masking has been a mark of cultural evolution and an indication of magical-religious sophistication in society. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon--a means by which human groupings attempted to communicate their dignity and sense of purpose, as well as establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. It addresses the distinctive environments within which masks flourished, and analyzes the mask as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology.

A cultural history of the face in Western art, ranging from portraiture in painting and photography to film, theater, and mass media This fascinating book presents the first cultural history and anthropology of the face across centuries, continents, and media. Ranging from funerary masks and masks in drama to the figural work of contemporary artists including Cindy Sherman and Nam June Paik, renowned art historian Hans Belting emphasizes that while the face plays a critical role in human communication, it defies attempts at visual representation. Belting divides his book into three parts: faces as masks of the self, portraiture as a constantly evolving mask in Western culture, and the fate of the face in the age of mass media. Referencing a vast array of sources, Belting's insights draw on art history, philosophy, theories of visual culture, and cognitive science. He demonstrates that Western efforts to portray the face have repeatedly failed, even with the developments of new media such as photography and film, which promise ever-greater degrees of verisimilitude. In spite of sitting at the heart of human expression, the face resists possession, and creative endeavors to capture it inevitably result in masks—hollow signifiers of the humanity they're meant to embody. From creations by Van Eyck and August Sander to works by Francis Bacon, Ingmar Bergman, and Chuck Close, Face and Mask takes a remarkable look at how, through the centuries, the physical visage has inspired and evaded artistic interpretation.

Step-by-step techniques for modeling the portrait in clay, firing meethods and mold making.

Put a new face on fun! No matter what your experience level, you can turn everyday faces into sweet, funny or frightening works of art that move, laugh, grow and always make people smile! The first half of this book features fun, friendly transitions, such as birds and butterflies, puppies and princesses, knights and night skies. Part Two crosses over to the dark side with strikingly horrible, downright unnerving personas, including vampires, zombies, gargoyles and other foul, freakish creeps. • Easy-to-follow instruction from two award-winning artists • 50 step-by-step projects ranging from simple to more advanced • Designs include popular kid and adult themes for parties, performances, Halloween and other occasions • Expert techniques for painting remarkably realistic textures, making human features virtually disappear, creating the look of age and other surprising, fool-the-eye effects Full of friendly instruction for beginners and fresh inspiration for seasoned painters, this book will help you make art as original as the face that is painted!

Have you ever tried something that didn't work? Did you give up, or did you give it another try? When things don't work, we can choose to learn and grow by Trying Again! It's all part of understanding My Feelings, My Choices.

Being Zen(ish) is what we call it - and it's the ish that we endorse! Teresa Palmer and Sarah Wright Olsen, two moms from opposite sides of the world, are doing their best to raise happy, empathetic children while working, traveling, and maintaining their sanity. With seven kids between them, the founders of the much-loved Your Zen Mama blog know as well as anyone that motherhood doesn't exist in the highlight reel of life, and that finding even a fleeting semblance of calm among the epic ebbs and flows of parenting is usually all you can hope for. Forget perfection and prepare to get real, vulnerable, and dirty (mostly from guacamole) with Sarah and Teresa as they share knowledge they've collected over the years, from the Your Zen Mama community and expert mentors, as well as being in the trenches of parenthood themselves. In The Zen Mama Guide to Finding Your Rhythm in Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond, you'll find: Important questions to ask and decisions to make before and during pregnancy Essential guidance from a woman's point of view for conception, pregnancy, and childbirth Nutritional and dietary advice to support the complete health of both mother and baby Practical education about the mother's body before, after, and during pregnancy Science-based methods to promote a mother's healthy body and mind Expert advice from medical professionals, chiropractors, and pediatricians Engaging, accessible advice for every step of the newborn's journey Suggestions and tips for creating a birthing plan Comforting language to address fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, and complicated labor Access to the Your Zen Mama resource guide Whether it's dealing with fertility challenges or pregnancy loss, riding out a long and complicated labor, or juggling multiple kids (and work), these mamas have been through it - and have written this book to help you find your own glimpses of Zen along the way.

Born out of the popular blog Kale & Caramel, this sumptuously photographed and beautifully written cookbook presents eighty recipes for delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes featuring herbs and flowers, as well as luxurious do-it-yourself beauty products. Plant-whisperer, writer, and photographer Lily Diamond believes that herbs and flowers have the power to nourish inside and out. “Lily’s deep connection to nature is beautifully woven throughout this personal collection of recipes,” says award-winning vegetarian chef Amy Chaplin. Each chapter celebrates an aromatic herb or flower, including basil, cilantro, fennel, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, jasmine, rose, and orange blossom. Mollie Katzen, author of the beloved Moosewood Cookbook, calls the book “a gift, articulated through a poetic voice, original and bold.” The recipes tell a coming-of-age story through Lily’s kinship with plants, from a sun-drenched Maui childhood to healing from heartbreak and her mother’s death. With bright flavors, gorgeous scents, evocative stories, and more than one hundred photographs, Kale & Caramel creates a lush garden of experience open to harvest year round.

"Father Berard Haile (d. 1955) spent a lifetime studying and recording Navajo ceremonial practices. His ethnographic work was held in wide regard by contemporary anthropologists, and he is still commonly cited by present-day students of Navajo ceremonialism." "Originally issued in a limited edition in 1947, Head and Face Masks in Navaho Ceremonialism presents information on masks and their uses, most of it obtained in 1908 from one family of singers and supplemented over the following forty years. It offers a detailed account of the necessary attributes of Navajo masks and their construction. At the heart of the book is a day-by-day account of the nine-day Nightway healing practice, now the primary ceremony in which masks are used. There is also a discussion of two masks Haile attributes to the Upward Reaching Way, no longer practiced. An addendum by Robert Young updates Haile's Navajo orthography." "In this work, Haile reports what he was told with a minimum of interpretation, assumption, or opinion. The result is a Navajo account of the origin of the ye'ii or Holy People whom the masks and associated sand paintings personify."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved