Return to Art History of India CatalogueExploring India's Sacred Art : Selected Writings of Stella Kramrisch/edited and with a biographical essay by Barbara Stoler Miller. 1994, xxii, 356 p., 150 ill, $40.
Contents: Foreword/Kapila Vatsyayan. Preface/Barbara Stoler Miller. Stella Kramrisch: a biographical essay/Barbara Stoler Miller. A bibliography of the writings of Stella Kramrisch (1919-1981), compiled by Joseph M. Dye III. I. Patron and practice: 1. Artist, patron and public in India (1956). 2. Traditions of the Indian craftsman (1958). II. Unknown India: 3. Indian Terracottas (1939). 4. Unknown India: ritual art in tribe and village (1968). III. The subtle body: 5. The representation of nature in early Buddhist sculpture (Bharhut-Sanchi) (1921). 6. Emblems of the universal being (1935). 7. The image of Mahadeva in the cave-temple on Elephanta island (1946). 8. An image of Aditi-Uttanapad (1956). 9. Pusan (1961). IV. Image and temple: 10. Figural sculpture of the Gupta period (1931). 11. Pala and sena sculpture (1929). 12. Candella sculpture: Khajuraho (1933). 13. The four-cornered citadel of the gods (1955). 14. Wall and image in Indian art (1958). V. Theory and practice of painting: 15. Introduction to the Visnudharmottara (1928). 16. Ajanta (1937). List of abbreviations. Notes. Index.
"Stella Kramrisch was a pioneering interpreter of Indian art and its religious contexts. During her entire career as a creative scholar, teacher, museum curator and editor, she was a dominant force in shaping European, American, and Asian notions of Indian culture. Exploring India's Sacred Art presents a selection of her influential essays, along with a biographical essay.
"The writings collected here emphasize the cultural and symbolic values of Indian art. The first section discusses the social and religious contexts of art. This is followed by essays on various forms of ritual art. The section entitled "The Subtle Body" is derived from her term for the form that underlies concrete shapes; it includes studies of literary and visual symbolism. Further essays concentrate on formal and technical aspects of temple structure and painting in the context of their symbolic meaning. Over 150 illustrations, many of them prepared especially for this volume, provide a vital visual dimension to her writings. Also included is Joseph Dye's comprehensive bibliography of her works.
"Exploring India's Sacred Art testifies to the life and work of one of this century's greatest art scholars and provides an unparalleled source of insight into Indian art and culture.
"Stella Kramrisch passed away in 1993." (jacket)
[Barbara Stoler Miller was Professor of Oriental Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. She also wrote Love Song of the Dark Lord : Jayadeva's Gitagovinda. She passed away in 1993.]