Overview

Australia and California have shared aesthetic ideas through imported popular imagery for nearly two hundred years. From gold rush photography to Spanish-style houses, Images of the Pacific Rim tells the fascinating story of aesthetic exchange between two 'cultures on the periphery'. The absorption of images into the everyday life of these 'new' Western societies, made possible by the development of mechanical processes of production, constructed distinctive cultural iconographies and helped to create a sense of place based upon a shared ocean and climate. Through photography, graphic art, architecture, and the ubiquitous eucalyptus, Erika Esau's book reveals the source elements of what became a 'Pacific Rim' aesthetic.

Full Product Details

9780909952396

Table of Contents

Reviews

Longstanding injustices such as these [negative assessments of the west coast influence on Australian architecture] have now been redressed in an impressive and exhaustively researched book . . . This wonderful book is highly recommended. -- Architecture Bulletin , Roy Lumby, January/February 2011

Erika Esau's book reveals the source elements of what became a 'Pacific Rim' aesthetic. -California Historical Society , March 2012

It is a book which opens fresh perspectives as one muses on the impact of Hollywood on Australian cinema and, later, on the effect on Australian culture of the flood of American pop culture from California...--Sasha Grishin The Canberra Times (01/01/2011)

A lucid picture of how much Australia and California have interacted with and influenced each other over the last 150 years. --Houses It is a book which opens fresh perspectives as one muses on the impact of Hollywood on Australian cinema and, later, on the effect on Australian culture of the flood of American pop culture from California. -- (01/01/2011) Comparisons between historical and cultural developments in Australia and the American West/California are frequently made, but this is the first significant study to examine the eclectic and symbiotic nature of the aesthetic exchange between the two evolving frontier regions. Summing up: Recommended. -- (01/01/2011) Impeccable scholarship and beautiful illustrations convincingly equates the material culture of commercial promotion that encouraged the settlement of the antipodes and the Golden State. An intriguing and novel topic made accessible and compelling. This lovely volume will appeal to readers on many levels. -- (01/01/2011)

Comparisons between historical and cultural developments in Australia and the American West/California are frequently made, but this is the first significant study to examine the eclectic and symbiotic nature of the aesthetic exchange between the two evolving frontier regions. Summing up: Recommended. --P.D. Thomas, Choice , July 2011

Erika Esau's book reveals the source elements of what became a 'Pacific Rim' aesthetic. -California Historical Society, March 2012

Author Information

Erika Esau is a native Californian who spent more than a decade teaching art history--including the history of Australian art--at the Australian National University, Canberra. Her writings on Australian art and culture include the Blue Guide Australia (with George Boeck) and E.O. Hoppé's Australia (with Graham Howe). Images of the Pacific Rim is part of the four-book series Australian Studies in Art and Art Theory and is published with the assistance of the Getty Foundation and the Nelson Meers Foundation.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available