The Life of Form in Indian Sculpture

From the Jacket:

Recently, ancient Indian sculpture has entered into the mainstream of world art scholarship and has been approached from many different perspectives. However, little has concretely been said about the creative processes and the universal will to form structures as it is manifested in the great body of ancient and medieval stone sculpture. In fact, the mental and psychic world of the ancient chief architect and the artists working under his direction and their artistic and aesthetic challenges and solutions have received only scant attention, even though all other considerations become more or less irrelevant if the artist's prime role is neglected or overlooked.

The present study outlines definite criteria for recognizing intrinsic qualities underlying and immanent in all styles and in works of sculpture of major significance, with focus on the interrelationships amongst artist, statue, temple and devotee.

About the Author:

A sculpture and photographer, Carmel Berkson's ormer publications include studies o the Elephanta. Aurangabad and Ellora cave temples and a recent analysis o the Mahisamardini myth.

From the back of the book:

The true artist is primarily concerned with instilling life into from. The ancient Indian sculptor was deeply involved with nature. He created symbolic entities, reflecting the processes of organic form evolution

Countering contemporary fragmentations, the study of the entire corpus encourages the students to approach Indian sculptures in their true light as single events in a grand holistic system.

About Ellora, Concept and Style

"Art historical studies have for too long been equated with mere historical and cultural placements of art specimens in a chronological framework. Professional evaluation of the art style has been a rare phenomenon….Carmel Berkson's professional skills give her exceptional credentials for delving into the intrinsic and functional insights of rock-cut temple art in India."

K.V. Soundara Rajan
Indian Review of Books

"This remarkable and individual book….sets out to explore the aesthetic nuances of the sculptural tableaux for which Ellora is justly famous….The stylistic analysis of these carved compositions is the most systematic to date."

George Michell
Journal of the London
School of Oriental Studies

CONTENTS

Introduction				11
Chapter	I	:	The Artist Seeks Solutions of Aesthetic Significance	21
Chapter	II	:	The Life of Form	29
Chapter	III	:	The Basic Geometrical Shapes	65
Chapter	IV	:	Initiation of Mobility	111
Chapter	V	:	Relationships	149
Chapter	VI	:	The Rupture of the Surface Panjara	193
Chapter	VII	:	Fields of Force	283
Chapter	VIII	:	Abstract/Organic Equations	419
Chapter	IX	:	The Temple Wall	443
Glossary				481
Suggested Reading				485
List of Illustrations				487
Index				517