Indian Art

The indian subcontinent offers an extraordinary visual feast. considering indian art within a chronological framework, vidya dehejia analyses the great cities of the indus civilization, the serene buddha image, the intriguing art of cave sites, the sophisticated temple-building traditions, the luxurious art of the mughal court, the palaces and pavilions of rajasthan, the churches of portuguese goa, the various forms of art in the british raj and the issues related to taking indian art into the twenty-first century. amazon.com review this book is a worthy addition to phaidon's excellent art and ideas series, which provides overviews of the major art traditions of the world. india is vast (the size of europe); the birthplace of great religions, including hinduism, buddhism, and jainism; and the home of sophisticated civilizations dating back more than 4,000 years. these factors combine to give india one of the longest and most complex art traditions of the world</br>and one of the hardest to make accessible to the general reader. vidya dehejia, curator of indian art at the smithsonian institution, is up to the task. she sets the scene with an invaluable chapter explaining ancient indian theories of art and aesthetics, including the responsibilities of the viewer. most important is the realization that "the consistent fabric of indian life was never rent by the western dichotomy between religious belief and worldly practice"</br>hence the easy coexistence in india of extreme religious asceticism and the overt eroticism that pervades temples like khajuraho and patan. the book proceeds in a grand sweep, from the ancient cities of the indus valley, the development of buddhist art (which by the 12th century had faded away in the land of its birth), the glorious paintings of ajanta, the luxury of mughal art and architecture, art of the british raj, to today's artistic ferment. clear and well-written, with nearly 300 well-chosen color illustrations, this is an extremely useful introduction to india's vast artistic wealth. </br>john stevenson review "this is certainly the best book covering the full history of indian art. it is accessible but at the same time raises important issues and has the distinct advantage of comprehensive coverage..."―frederick asher, department of art history, university of minnesota"a compact volume that is beautifully illustrated, delightfully written and well suited to those approaching indian art for the first time."―the times higher education supplement on the art & ideas series"art & ideas has broken new ground in making accessible authoritative views on periods, movements and concepts in art. as a series it represents a real advance in publishing."―sir nicholas serota, director, tate london"the format is wonderful and offers what had long been missing in academic studies: usable manuals for specific themes or periods... i am definitely not alone in welcoming art & ideas as a precious set of teaching tools."―joachim pissarro, yale university"phaidon's series may prove to be the pick of the crop. it boasts expert but undogmatic texts and a wealth of illustrations."―the sunday telegraph vidya dehejia is associate director and chief curator at the arthur m sackler gallery and freer gallery of art at the smithsonian institution, washington, dc. her publications includediscourse in early buddhist art,visual narratives of india andslaves of the lord: the path of the tamil saints.