Ellora--Concept and style/Carmel Berkson. 1992, 392 p., 270 halftone illus., glossary, bibliography, size: 8.5" X 10.5", $79.
Contents: Part I: Introduction: 1. Buddhism and Hinduism. 2. Coordinating conditions. Part II: Evolution of styles at Ellora: 3. The classic style. 4. The late classic style. 5. The pre-medieval style and mannerism. 6. The archaic style. Conclusion. Appendix : The procedures of work. Afterword: homage to Vishvakarma Mulk Raj Anand. Glossary. Bibliography. Index
"This is the first definitive coordinative treatment of the world-famous rock-cut caves at Ellora. Its purpose is to introduce a methodology for the study of Indian art and to direct attention to its great contributions to the general history of art.
"The literature on Ellora is surprisingly sparse, limited to fragmented descriptions of particular aspects of the site. Therefore, a fundamental approach to the life of form and the organic totality at the Ellora caves is offered here.
"The text discusses the relationship between the environment and the temples and examines the architectural and compositional features which unify the caves. A new and original approach organizes the sculptures into a developmental system generally applicable to the history of Indian sculpture and draws attention to the great and startling innovations in the life of form, especially in regard to four panels in Dashavatara, Cave 15, of the pre-medieval period.
"While many photographs of Ellora have been published, this volume is an intensive study, including about 270 photographs and an illustrated glossary, seen through the eyes of a sculptor, with emphasis on aesthetics and multi-faceted views. As the text is interspersed with photographs, this indepth study will fill the vacuum for the thousands of visitors to Ellora; it will also introduce the caves to people all over the world." (jacket)
[Carmel Berkson is a sculptor and photographer. She also wrote The Caves at Aurangabad and Co-author of Elephanta, the Cave of Shiva.]