The Art of India: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

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Description

From the austere dignity of a Jain Thirthankara sculpture to the rich colours of Rajput paintings, the Indian collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts represents the scope of Indian art at its most expressive. The publication of The Arts of India makes these works of art available to national and international audiences. Many beautiful and historically important objects are published here for the first time, along with newly discovered information about specific works. Opening essays introduce India and its people, with special emphasis on the development of major religions and the dominant role of religion in art and life. Also included is a summary of the signs, symbols, and images developed to express religious concepts. Each of the four major areas of the cataloguesculpture, painting, decorative arts, and textilesbegins with an introductory essay. Individual catalogue entries provide an analysis of the historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance of each object together with documentation of its provenance, exhibition, and publication history. Texts and inscriptions appearing on works of art are translated in the entries; transliterations and scientific and technical studies of selected works appear in appendices. Written in clear, evocative prose, this comprehensive catalogue offers a vivid picture of Indian art and culture that will engage both scholars and general readers.

Reviews

This is among the best catalogues of an Indian collection that I know and will serve as an important research tool internationally. -- Milo C. Beach, Director, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
I congratulate [Dr Dye], not only on a very clear and thoughtfully produced text but also on the acquisitions policy that has made the Virginia collections so firm a basis for what I am sure will be a highly valued book. -- Robert Skelton, former Keeper of Indian Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Author Bio

Dr Joseph M. Dye was the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Studying under Dr Stella Kramrisch, one of the pioneering scholars in the field of Indian art, he received his doctorate in the history of Indian and Southeast Asian art at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. The Arts of India is the culmination of years of curatorial research, travel, and commitment to the study and presentation of Indian art.