Few among the thousands of vacationers who recreate on and around Lake Almanor each summer realize that beneath its waters lie the remains of a vanished way of life. This tiny Atlantis; Big Meadows; was a microcosm of the cultural forces and conflicts that racked the West in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Rich in natural resources; the Meadows sustained the lives of the native Maidu and the hundreds of encroaching whites who followed on the heels of the Lassen Trail immigrant parties. White men came seeking to exploit those precious resources for gold mining; stock raising; dairying; tourism; timber; and later; hydroelectric power. In the tumult of cultural and industrial change; a pastoral way of life was lost and a native culture vanquished.
#3735524 in eBooks 2014-09-29 2014-09-29File Name: B00O1FLSWE
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Say No to Hagiography! Say Yes to Situating a Great Inventor in Temporal Conditions!By Elizabeth L. Seaton FrankfortBerger considers the effects of what it may have meant to have grown up as a child prodigy; what effect the turn-of-the-century Spanish milieu the young Picasso brought with him when he encountered and assimilated to Paris; and Picassos brief period of connection and collaboration with other avant-garde artists; while Cubism was being developed. But what was most helpful to me was Bergers discussion around how Picasso can be understood as a usually isolated artist who had a style; or even; who had several; without having a topic -- how Picasso might be seen; by and large; as an artist in search of subject matter. This problem rang a lot of bells ... Reading Berger has always helped me (and many others of course!) see things in new ways (I suppose this is what John Bergers famous for). This book was not received well when it was published during the sixties; but perhaps now we are less star-struck and past the hero-worship; ready to evaluate both Picassos short-falls; together with his contributions. Beautifully written ...13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Good read; unusual points of viewBy piverbaJohn Berger is not your mainstream art critic. He is an independent thinker and is nobodys fool. You may find his Marxist rhetoric somewhat dated and his references to bourgeois class even silly; but his style is strong; hes informed intellectual with whom you may disagree but will respect and; if you opened; will learn few things.Berger attributes Picasso failure (assuming you know where Picasso had succeeded) to his selection of inferior subject matter. Being of Marxists creed; Berger would prefer for Picasso to select his subjects from a set of social problems which will connect him to a working class; a nation; or a movement; rather than be confined to a personal expressions. Hes OK with his blue-pink period of being a social outcast and considers his cubist period as his best. He also finds the merit in his work of post-war years and sees his work in decline starting from fifties. His accusations are not completely groundless but are disputable. His astute criticism of cubism; its connection with natural sciences; quantum mechanics; its simultaneity of multiple views as a way or organizing information; these are the most interesting passages I enjoyed.I like Bergers dissenting views as a stimuli for discussion. He will not bow to the overwhelming Picasso admiration and is not afraid to provides critique that alone drives our knowledge forward. I found his book interesting and useful.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy William F. Pillow; Jr.Great book; great shape!
