by:
Price, B. Byron
Lyon, Christopher

Publisher:
Abbeville Press
Published:September 1, 2004
ISBN:0789206595
Format:Hardcover
Pages:276

Description: From Publishers Weekly
The silver saddle on the cover announces that this book will be unapologetic in presenting "Stock Saddles and Gun Leather," "Artistry with Hide and Hair" and "Boots and Hats" as works of artandmdash;and, it turns out, rightly so. Price is the director of the University of Oklahoma's Russell Center for the Study of Art of the American West, and he is even-voiced and convincing in relating the "specialized gear" of American cowboys to the armor and saddlery of horse and herding cultures throughout the ages, showing their detail and artistry to be as distinct of that of any other medium. Of 270 or so illustrations, 235 are in full color, and many are crisp and exquisite, with holsters that radiate color, power and speed; a four-color coil of rope that will move several sorts of fetishists; and saddles with tooling delicate enough to rival the most intricate rugs or fabrics. Price's explanations of modes and forgotten styles ("[e]xcept for their hair coverings, woolies did not differ much in construction from other chaps") will be more essential for some readers than others. His careful attention to the economics of the work and its Spanish-American origins gives the book real depth and makes for a fully satisfying account of an undersung set of arts that, Price shows, continue to flourish.
Copyright # Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description:
This landmark study delves into the traditional arts and crafts fo the wild American West and their lasting effects on contemporary design.

Visually breathtaking, Fine Art of the West brings together the most artistically significant objects created by master craftsmen from the mid-nineteenth century to today. B. Byron Price, a leading expert of Western American art, explores the fascinating origins of these objects in the Old West, as the legacy of Spanish-American craftsmen and the workaday equipment of cowboys. The story continues as he traces their influence upon innovative designers employing them as a basis for a new, vigorous tradition in decorative art.

Working saddles and their offspring: the trophy, parade, and presentation saddles are discussed in depth and appear in stunning full-page reproductions, complemented by a definitive selection of chaps, cuffs, gauntlets, and gun leather. Price also focuses on quirts and other objects that illustrate artistry with hide and hair, as well as fine metalwork, including buckles, bits, spurs, and jewelry. Hats and boots, workaday and fancy, conclude the survey. Contemporary craftsmen who carry on these traditions today are represented alongside illustrations of their work. A glossary and bibliography complete this first comprehensive look at one of America's most fascinating forms of artistic expression.

Other Details: 200 color and 75 bandw photographs