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"Paula Bradstreet Richter organized this wide-ranging exhibition of art inspired by marriage--from the first frissons of attraction through remembrances of decades--long unions that stood the test of time. Ms. Richter gathered works by
Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Claes Oldenburg, Winslow Homer and many others, known and anonymous, from 30 countries and cultures around the world." —Northeast Antiques
This lavishly illustrated book is the first to explore the wedding’s global terrain as a source of artistic inspiration, both historically and today
Weddings are among the most universal social ceremonies, and Wedded Bliss: The Marriage of Art and Ceremony explores the aesthetic expressions related to weddings—paintings, sculptures, photographs, decorative objects, textiles, and even cakes—from a selection of international cultures since the eighteenth century. Comparisons among the Euro-American “white wedding” tradition and vibrant marriage ceremonies in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific region are among the book’s many special features.
Five authors bring their perspectives as art historians, artists, cultural historians, and sociologists to essays that explore diverse aesthetic and cultural themes—the dynamics of identity; tradition and changing social values; ritual and ceremony as performing arts; spirituality and religion; and displays of status and prestige. These thoughtful discussions of weddings as the impetus for creativity provide fresh insights into a familiar subject and probe a complex, often highly charged, human experience.
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Paula Bradstreet Richter, curator of the companion exhibition, is Curator of Textiles and Costumes at the Peabody Essex Museum. Photographers and writers Tiziana and Gianni Baldizonne have published Wedding Ceremonies: Ethnic Symbols, Costume and Rituals (2001). Sociologist Chrys Ingraham is the author of White Weddings: Romancing Heterosexuality in Popular Culture (2008). Donald Clay Johnson is the editor and contributing author to Wedding Dress Across Cultures (2003).
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