Oceanic Cultural art and architecture: Information Tourism

Oceanic Cultural art and architecture. Information Tourism. A Book on Oceania. The history of Oceanic art falls into two major phases, corresponding to the periods before and after Western contact. This is due not so much to the changes ensuing from contact decisive as they have been as to the preservation of otherwise ephemeral material by Western collectors and researchers. The total loss of early works and the paucity of archaeological discoveries renders the comprehension of ancient Oceanic art fitful and incomplete. In fact, there is not enough known about early Micronesian art to warrant discussion here. Nevertheless, what has survived elsewhere hints at the antiquity of art traditions in Oceania and sometimes illuminates the origins of more recent styles.