Masks and Masking

by Gary Edson

"Placing the mask in the context of humanity's evolution, this book argues that the mask should not be assessed in the service of any single function. Instead, the chapters provide a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon - a means by which individual communities communicate their dignity and sense of purpose as they establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. Augmented with more than 100 detailed drawings, the book addresses the distinctive environments within which masks have flourished, and the mask is analyzed as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology."--Jacket.