Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy

What can I say that has not already been said about Robert F. Thompson's Flash of the Spirit? He does an excellent job reporting on the African retentions that exist in the Americas. I really enjoyed this book for several reasons, but the main reason we I continued to use this book as reference point is because it has done what none other book has done, which is investigate the African retentions that exist in North America. This was important to me because I had heard growing up that African Americans being the farthest from Africa practically lost all of their cultural ties to Africa. Thompson reveals that this is not the case at all and provides numerous examples indicating that the one of the strongest cultural influences that contributed to African American culture are the people from the Kongo Angolan region. This put a new twists on things, but made me look at life from a different perspective, as the author discuss the origin of the term funky and jazz. As well as elaborate on various African American cultural expressions like the ones demonstrated in the Supremes' movements "Stop" and "Talk to the hand" that all seem to come from this region. This book was a real treat and a true classic, that you will enjoy for years to come.

A very good resource on African religious practices that continued in the Americas when Africans were brought to the Americas and the Carribean Islands during slavery. I had this book since the late 1980's and just got the chance to read it this year via Kindle. Yes, I still have the book (paperback) I purchased over 20 years ago. Anyhow, many of the practices mentioned in this book, I remember seeing as a kid when my parents would go to South Carolina or North Carolina for vacations or funerals. The biopic movie on Ray Charles (named Ray) shows a little of it when Ray is beginning to go blind. I now understand better the religious connection we Africans in the diaspora have with Africa despite slavery. I think anyone denying their African connection should read this book to better understand their religious connection to Africa. I love the exhibit that was once shown at the Smithsonian up until 2004. The name of the exhibit was "Fear Not" and it is a masterpiece. I did not see the masterpiece but seeing pictures of It online at the Smithsonian made me think of the Christian Bible and its creative African roots.

Great informative read

A wealth of information in this book, complete with sketches of ideograms from different cultures. I was enraptured by this book; it is as if given the inside secrets to understanding multiple cultures at once and their influence in the Americas, especially Brazil, Haiti, and the U.S. Wow. Simply amazing. I had no idea what a bottle tree was, even though I knew I'd seen them before in my life. So much makes sense now.

Robert Farris Thompson, who died recently, was an art historian of Africa who wrote several books on the art of Africa. Flash of the Spirit focuses on the visual art, including sculpture, textiles, and architecture, of several groups of people in West Africa whose art and ideas influenced their descendants in the Caribbean, South America and the U.S. On that level, this is an amazing book: Thompson writes in a respectful, admiring way that is very refreshing. However, there's a certain stilted quality in the writing that explains why Thompson's work is not well known to the general public.

The condition of the book was a described.

I rated "Flash of the Spirit" five star because the author's research flys in the face of the conventional wisdom that black minds went blank during four hundred years of enslavement and it serves to explicate the quality and quantity of African American visual art. African spirit writing, conjuring and sign reading can be easily linked with contemporary and post modernism in art and what European call modernity in art. Robert Farris Tompson adds a great deal to the definition and what it means to be a black artist at a time when black visual artists with overt black subject matter are marginalized as too political or militant..

Glad I purchased this book for my collection. Great information. Knowledge is power.

Splendid overview of African influence in popular art and culture in the Americas. Not only music, but crafts, graphic arts, dance. Really an excellent introduction.

C'est un des livres préférés de Basquiat. Ce que je comprends.... Un livre qui mériterait d'être traduit en plusieurs langues !

Sim, é um livro muito rico em detalhes e informações. E de fácil compreensão. Um ótimo livro para fonte de pesquisa.

Amazing book. This book reveals how five distinct African civilizations have shaped the specific cultures of their New World descendants. a MUST read!

fascinating book!