Art: OCEANIC ART: MASKS OF BEAUTY

PAINTER Paul Gauguin set in motion one of the main art trends of the 20th century when he decided that "the Greek [style] is the great error, beautiful though it is," and plunged off to Tahiti to capture the expressive power of primitive art. In the hands of such moderns as Painters Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani and Sculptors Brancusi, Henry Moore and Alberto Giacometti, this source of inspiration has not only produced new art; it has also caused primitive art itself to be reassessed. The rise of primitive works from artifact to art is...

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