Appreciation of Indian Art : Ideals and Images

Contents: Preface. 1. Appreciation of Indian art : theoretical perspective/G.C. Pande. 1. Appreciation of terracotta art/Gourisankar De. 2. Psycho-analytical and iconographical perceptions of mother and child/Krishna Kumari Myneni. 3. Proper appellation for genuine appreciation/Arvind Mahajan. 4. Some landmarks of Anugraha images of Siva with special reference to Ravananugraha image/Shanti Swaroop Sinha. 5. Some reflections of the contemporary culture and interactions in the sculptures of Ellora/Anand Prakash Srivastava. 6. Ideals of some Saiva images/C.P. Sinha. 7. Moving perspective in Ajanta Murals/Kalachand Chowdhury. 8. Landmarks of early-medieval Indian sculptures/Maruti Nandan Tiwari. 9. Beauty in Indian art/B.L. Malla. 10. Mahesvari Trimurti : a study with special reference to Hingalajagarh sculpture/Manjusri Rao. 11. Virabhadra temples and sculptures under the Vijayanagara Empire/S.N. Shivarudraswamy. 12. Art and architecture of Muvaraivendran rock-cut cave temple: a study/M. Venkatesan and K. Ravikumar. 13. The eighteen-step Karuppasamy at Alzharkoil in Tamil Nadu/D. Gangadaran. 14. The concept of Kamatopasarga as seen in the Humcha region/Sarvamangala G. and D.S. Somashekhar. 15. Manuscript painting of Mahapurusa Srimanta Sankardeva (AD 1449-1550)/Bharti Barua. 16. Images of sixty-four Yoginis in Orissa : in appreciation of their artistic excellence/H.C. Das. 17. In appreciation of Indian art ideals and images of Narakasur Hoard, Kahilipara/Indrani Choudhury. 18. A rare sculptural blend of Bhagavata and folk elements in the Amritesvara temple at Amritapura, Karnataka/D.S. Somashekhar and Sarvamangala G. 19. Kimastimalam Kim Kousthambhamva!?/Kolluru Suryanarayana. 20. Appreciating the spiritual : aesthetic truth of Indian temple architecture with special reference to Khajuraho group of temples/Pushpa Tiwari. 21. The imagery of female messengers in Indian art: an appraisal/Choodamani Nandagopal. 22. The Durga temple at Aihole and its sculptures : style, context and appreciation/Shrinivas V. Padigar. Late Prof. K.D. Bajpai Memorial Lecture Indian Art : some issues/Kapila Vatsyayan.

"Art in India, as in other countries of the world, was principally devoted to the service of religion. It reflects the intimate relationship of ideas and life. Mythology, symbolism and iconography are just vehicles or aids to understand the essence and spirit of Indian art as each symbol or every icon has a specific meaning and is expressed with a specific purpose. To appreciate and enjoy art in its proper perspective, it is imperative to understand the inner meaning and the philosophy behind the creation of the art piece. The enjoyment, which art gives is of unique kind (vilaksnasvada) and is quite different from other kinds of enjoyment in life (alaukika).

The Present volume aims at documenting and analysing different aspects of Indian art focussing primarily on appreciation and aesthetics. Fresh evidences in the subject are marshalled and new aspects have been outlined. The theme is thus viewed from a refreshingly original angle. The lucid exposition of the delicate theme is sure to facilitate a deeper comprehension and evoke stimulating response from art lovers and scholars." (jacket)