Title: Northwest Coast art - Wikipedia
Headings: Northwest Coast art
Northwest Coast art
Contents
Distinguishing characteristics
History
Cultural appropriateness
Notable artists
Notable art historians and thinkers
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

Content: Northwest Coast art - Wikipedia
Northwest Coast art
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Totem Poles, a type of Northwest Coast art
Northwest Coast art is the term commonly applied to a style of art created primarily by artists from Tlingit, Haida, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and other First Nations and Native American tribes of the Northwest Coast of North America, from pre-European-contact times up to the present. Contents
1 Distinguishing characteristics
2 History
3 Cultural appropriateness
4 Notable artists
5 Notable art historians and thinkers
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Distinguishing characteristics
Namgis, Thunderbird Transformation Mask, 19th century. The Thunderbird is believed to be an Ancestral Sky Being of the Namgis clan of the Kwakwaka'wakw, who say that when this bird ruffles its feathers, it causes thunder and when it blinks its eyes, lightning flashes. Brooklyn Museum
Two-dimensional Northwest Coast art is distinguished by the use of formlines, and the use of characteristic shapes referred to as ovoids, U forms and S forms. Before European contact, the most common media were wood (often Western red cedar ), stone, and copper; since European contact, paper, canvas, glass, and precious metals have also been used. If paint is used, the most common colours are red and black, but yellow is also often used, particularly among Kwakwaka'wakw artists. Chilkat weaving applies formline designs to textiles. Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian have traditionally produced Chilkat woven regalia, from wool and yellow cedar bark, that is important for civic and ceremonial events, including potlatches. The patterns depicted include natural forms such as bears, ravens, eagles, orcas, and humans;