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Robert Farris Thompson
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The four moments of the sun: Kongo art in two worlds Paperback – January 1, 1981

by Robert Farris Thompson (Author), Joseph Cornet (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    24 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    National Gallery of Art
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1981
  5. ISBN-10
    089468003X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0894680038
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ National Gallery of Art (January 1, 1981)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 24 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 089468003X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0894680038
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

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Robert Farris Thompson

Robert Farris Thompson

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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Allen F. Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Over many years now, Robert Farris Thompson has presented ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
Over many years now, Robert Farris Thompson has presented African systems of thought, expression, and being in the most compelling of ways. In this classic study of Kongo and related peoples of Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thompson's insights are matched by his singular ability as a wordsmith: No one engages language as does he, and readers will find themselves jotting down phrases for their own uses, even as they contemplate what it takes to study and understand profound complexities of African ways of being in the world as has the author. After enjoying Four Moments of the Sun, it will not surprise to readers that Thompson was once described in The Village Voice as a "guerilla scholar" for his willingness to defy platitudes.
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Lavada B. Nahon
5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased!
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021
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The seller was great and the book in very good condition. Thrilled!
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Brian O'Malley
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificently detailed insights into Congolese culture
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2000
This work details the religious, political and cultural heritage of the Congolese people of Central Africa and how that heritage is evident in art throughout the Americas, including the American South. Ornamentation, like personal affects and shards of broken glass, in Southern graveyards reflect Congolese religious heritage; baton-twirling, by Cuban dancers and Southern cheerleaders, and jug bands in Louisiana reflect Congolese musical heritage. Other aspects of African-American and American Southern culture reflect not only Congolese religious and artistic heritage, but Congolese religio-political thought and practice. Some rightly advise caution in considering the consistency of a culture over several centuries. This work, however, is not only composed magnificently, but argued well and substantiated convincingly.
For works on the same region, see books by Wyatt MacGaffey, Jan Vansina, John M. Janzen and John Kelly Thornton, in addition to other works by Robert Farris Thompson. For similar themes of African culture in America, with a stronger caveat against thinking a culture does not change over time, see works by Mechal Sobel, Michael Angelo Gomez and Melville Herskovits. For studies of people from different African regions brought to different American regions, see Philip D. Curtin, The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census; David Eltis, et al., Routes to Slavery; and Daniel C. Littlefield, Rice and Slaves.
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