Myth & Magic: Symbols of Tradition - Part I

by Thomas Cole

Throughout the long history of textile production in ancient Inner and Central Asia, certain visual themes recur, themes which reflect wide spread, common beliefs that transcend political borders as well as ethnic groupings. Such pervasive images, seen in early rugs and textiles more than 2000 years old, have continued to appear over the intervening centuries in areas stretching from the Altai Mountains in the north, across the steppe lands of Central Asia, and westward to Anatolia. The author explains and illustrates the mythology and belief systems which are the source of patterns recurring throughout the history of mankind in many artistic mediums including the textile art of the tribal people of the Asian continent. 37 pages, 72 carpet/textiles & rare historical photographs

52 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2020

About the author

Thomas Cole was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for his romantic landscape and history paintings. Influenced by European painters, but with a strong American sensibility, he was prolific throughout his career and worked primarily with oil on canvas. His paintings are typically allegoric and often depict small figures or structures set against moody and evocative natural landscapes. They are usually escapist, framing the New World as a natural eden contrasting with the smog-filled cityscapes of Industrial Revolution-era Britain, in which he grew up. His works, often seen as conservative, criticize the contemporary trends of industrialism, urbanism, and westward expansion.