1. By Ben Coley and Hannah Cook

2.  Buddhist Art
 Iconography of Tantric Bodhisattva—practices of
Tantric Buddhism include techniques for visualizing
deities;
 bodhisattvas are beings who are well advanced on
the path to enlightenment
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara—gilt-bronze sculpture;
distinguished by princely garments, third eye, wheel on
his palm; combination of details and textures creates
decorative effect

3.  Jain Art-Jain religion traces its roots to a leader
called Mahavira
A Manuscript Leaf From the Kalpa Sutra
Kalpa Sutra-explicates the lives of the pathfinders; first
Jain manuscript on paper rather than palm leaf
Detail of a Leaf with The Birth of Mahavira-depicts
birth of Mahavira; vibrant colors and crisp outlines
which brings an energy that suggests an entrance of
divinity into the world; linked to Sanskrit calligraphy

4.  Hindu Art-Hinduism becomes dominant
religion; ornamented individual temples;
Vijayanager is mightiest Hindu kingdom
 Temple at Madurai-dedicated to the goddess
Minakshi and Sundareshvara; center of Madurai life;
thousand pillar halls, ritual-bathing pools, entrance
hallways called gopuras
 Gopuras-tower above temple site and surrounding
city; has roots in the vimana, or pyramidal tower
characteristic in earlier temples

5.  Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand
 Burma
 Numerous monuments built to follow the Theravada
Buddhism scriptures
 Port city of Rangoon-A center of Theravada devotion
amid symbolic ornamentation
 Thailand
 Sukhotai kingdom-embraced Theravada Buddhism
 Buddha calling the Earth to Witness-highest
expression of Theravada Buddhism

6.  Vietnamese Ceramics
 Hoi an ―hoard‖-variety of ceramic forms made by
Vietnamese potters; painted in under glaze cobalt
blue and embellished with over glaze enamels
 Indonesian Traditions-Hindu revival that led to
the maintaining of Hindu epics, especially the
Ramayana
 Ramayana Scene-Javanese version of Ramayana
epic; rhythmic surface ornamentation—wayang style

7.  Mughal Period—Mughal Dynasty made the
most inspired and lasting contributions to the
art of India
 Mughal Architecture
 Introduction of two fundamental Islamic structures—the
mosque and tomb
 Synthesized Indian, Persian, and Central Asian elements for
forts, palaces, mosques, tombs, and cenotaphs-monument to
someone who is buried elsewhere
 Buland Darvasa (The Lofty Gate)-gateway is dignified in
proportions but monumental in scale

8.  Mughal Architecture (Cont’d)
 The Taj Mahal-Most famous of all Indian Islamic
structures
Tomb rises before spacious garden; the tomb is raised
rather than on own marble platform; at each corner of
the platform, a minaret or slender tower, defines the
surrounding space
Tomb is basically square but its chamfered, or sliced-
off
Surfaces of the Taj Mahal are embellished with the
utmost subtlety.

9.  Mughal Painting-imperial atelier (workshop of
painters); Persian styles become more
vigorous, and naturalistic
 Painting in the Court of Akbar
Akbar Inspecting The Construction of Fatehpur Sikri-
documents Akbar’s inspection of the stone masons and
other craftsmen, and an ambitious rendering of the
Buland Darwaza (The Lofty Gate)
Hamza’s Spies Scale The Fortress- From Hamzanama,
Persian classic about the adventures of Hamza,
Muhammad’s Uncle; this particular illustration shows
Hamza’s spies scaling a fortress wall and surprising
some men while they sleep

10.  Painting in the Court of Jahangir- Unlike Akbar,
Jahangir preferred courtly life instead of an
adventurous one
 Jahangir in Darbar-shows emperor Jahangir holding an
audience, or darbar at court. Jahangir is depicted on a balcony
under a canopy.
 Rajput Painting-more abstract and poetic than Mughal
style
 Krishna and the Gopis-Illustration is from a manuscript of the
Gita Govinda; blue god Krishna sits with a group of cowherd
women; Radha peers through the trees, appearing jealous.
 Hour of Cowdust-shows influence of Mughal naturalism on the
later schools of Indian painting. Krishna is depicted returning
to the village with his fellow cowherds and their cattle; the
scene embodies the sublime purity and grace of the divine

11.  Late 1700s- India’s regional princes regained
their control, causing Mughal Empire to shrink
 Mughal Empire only encompasses small area
around Delhi after it shrinks in size
 17th and 18th centuries- British take mercantile
interests in the British East India Company
 19th century- British take control of India

12.  Political concerns of British Empire extend to
art, especially architecture
 Major Indian cities such as Calcutta, Bombay,
and Madras took on European styles of
architecture

13.  1911-British Empire moves India’s capital from
Calcutta to the westernized city of New Delhi
 India Gate constructed in New Delhi as war
memorial
 Within the building of the India Gate, Lutyens
combined Classical and Indian art to create a
―Delhi Order‖

14.  1905- artist Abanindranath Tagore rejected
Western style by creating ―Mother India‖ –she
became nationalistic icon

15.  1947- Brithish Empire relinquished it’s ―Jewel
in the Crown‖ which was partitioned to form
the countries of India and Pakistan

16.  Following Indian independence, a modern,
internationalist approach to art took place.
 This style combines art from several different
periods of Indian history
 This art is stylistically abstract, creating pieces
that are free of specific religious associations
 Example: Gandhi Bhavan

17.  Modern Indian artists tend to focus on
traditional Indian culture, regional art, as well
as folk art