Indian Art

Rating:
Summary: Dehejia's book disappointing
Review: I cannot agree with the previous reviewers. The illustrations may be wonderful, but the text is vague and uninformative. There are some puzzling omissions. Dehjejia wrote a book some years ago on Orissan architecture, but there is only the briefest coverage of this topic (and she does not even list her book in the bibliography. Speaking of bibliography, there are so many important omissions that it would be difficult to list them all. For the general reader, or for use as anintroductory textbook, it would be better to use Craven's by now classic Concise History of Indian Art.

Rating:
Summary: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Review: This is a significant improvement over Roy Craven's colonialist take on Indian art. This book is much more sensitive to the culture of India and its rich amalgamation of Vedic thought, the religion and philosophy of Buddhism, what we now term as Hinduism, and of course, later Islamic influence. Especially significant is the explanation of the narrative sculptural relief panels at Sanchi and Amaravati. Dehejia explains their rich narratives clearly - and what at first appears confusing becomes instead a rich tapestry of imagination. Her explanations also merge style with context; in effect, we understand these panels as they were understood at the time of their historical inception. She rightly de-emphasizes the dynastic and stylistically rigid categorizations that are so predominant in Western scholarship. A worthy and timely text. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Sumptuous - pleasing to both the eye and the mind
Review: Vidya's book is a delight not just for the scope and content of the written material and references, but also for visual pleasures it provides to the users. Indian art is nothing if not immensely varied and rich, and Vidya brings this to the fore. I was delighted to see the way the Madurai Meenakhsi temple was treated, to see its Gopurams teeming with mythological figures and dieties of all kinds : an apt symbol of the diversity and richness of this civilization and of life that it celebrates, for in many ways Indian art is like life : beautiful and confusing at the same time, a buzz of forms , shapes, and materials, all with their own rationale for existence and appeal. Vidya's book tries to a give a very good idea of this, from the earthy Khajuraho to the elegant Elephanta, from the ancient Indo-Greek Gandharan Buddhas to the naturalistic Nayaka. A book to please both scholars and lay readers alike.

Rating:
Summary: balanced and illuminating
Review: While no expert in Indian art and architecture, I have been studying in this area off and on for about fifteen years. I have not encountered an introductory survey that was more balanced and illuminating. It is also well written and beautifully illustrated. The eccentric reviewer who accorded this book merely one star is obviously carping--perhaps because his or her own work was omitted from the necessarily selective bibliography. The other reviews have all been favorable up to this point, and for a good reason.