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Olivier Sultan, LIFE IN STONE: Zimbabwean Sculpture, Birth of a Contemporary Art Form (Harare: Baobab Books, 1992), photographs by Peter Fernandes, pp. x + 86; with 34 pictures and plates, and 87 figures, pb. $38.00.
To begin with, the title of this book, Life in Stone, is intentionally attractive, but, may be misleading. The book is more about the "extraordinary influence of Frank McEwen" (p. 1) and his contributions to the emergence and development of Zimbabwean stone sculpture than it is of the expression of life, artistic or otherwise, in stone. Although it is divided into two parts, Life in Stone is essentially a three-part book. The first part provides a general social, historical, and political background. The second section covers the artistic life of 15 sculptors with particular emphasis on their artistic training, social status, and felt influences. Immediately following this biographical segment is the third part which mainly contains full-page plates of sculptures.
Beginning readers who are interested in Zimbabwean art may find this book to be a useful point of departure for what it says about Zimbabwean stone sculpture. However, the book does not cover related material on the artistic life and traditions in Zimbabwe. Scholars who may be attracted to this book because of is striking resemblance to an earlier book entitled African Sculpture will be disappointed--Life in Stone is a very sketchy historical overview of Zimbabwe stone sculpture and sculptors. Perhaps it would have been more useful...