Hindu art and architecture /
George Michell
- London : Thames & Hudson, 2000
- 224 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 21 cm.
- World of art .
Preface. - Ch. 1. Introduction: Hinduism and its visual expression. - Ch. 2. Beginnings: second century BC to second century AD. - Ch. 3. Early Maturity: fifth to ninth centuries. - Ch. 4. Culmination: tenth to thirteenth centuries. - Ch. 5. Revival: fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. - Ch. 6. Lesser Traditions: from the nineteenth century to the present. - Map of India. - Bibliography - Acknowledgments for Illustrations. - Glossary-Index.
The art of Hinduism constitutes one of the world's great traditions, as alive today as when the first images of Hindu gods were fashioned out of stone more than two thousand years ago. Looking at the entire period, and covering both shrines consecrated to Hindu cults and works of art portraying Hindu divinities, semo-divine personalities and mythological narratives, George Michell's new survey is both unique and invaluable. After introducing Hinduism, its gods, the symbolic basis for its architecture, and the system of royal patronage that led to the creation of so many temples and their attendant works of art, the book adopts a broad chronological sweep, which demonstrates artistic continuities down to the oresent day in the different regions of the Indian subcontinent. From Khajuraho and other great temples, through profound and beautiful works of sculpture such as Shiva dancing the eternal dance of creation and destruction, to exquisite paintings of the loves of Krishna and poetic musical modes, George Michell's study confirms the vibrancy of the visual world of Hinduism. - Back cover.