Indian Art (Oxford History of Art)

Rating:
Summary: Hackneyed Presentation
Review: Although Partha Mitter has written a much better book "Much Maligned Monsters", this book is a total flop. It is hackneyed and bending backwards to be politically correct. For example, a major portion of the book is devoted to Islamic Art (712-1757), but the Islamic kings did not even get properly established in India for 400 years after the putative beginning of this period. Mitter's understanding of the earliest art is less then exemplary and his choices from the most recent period are idiosyncratic. I was greatly disappointed in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Incisive portrait of a fascinating subject
Review: This is a necessary corrective to previous, stale surveys of Indian art. It gives full attention to the whole range of art and architecture and also stresses the strong contribution of Islamic, tribal, and women's art. This is the standard volume at this time.