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Kathasarit sagara, the title of a voluminous work of Indian classical literature, signifies “ocean fed by the river of story and legend”. In the same way, Indian folk art might be likened to an ocean which, since earliest times, has been fed by the rivers of popular artistic creativity-rivers that have flowed into it from all parts of the subcontinent. This merely by way of a warning to the interested reader that, given the oceanic dimensions of Indian representational art and its many, diverse and ebullient tributaries, our text and illustrations can offer little more than a brief excursion along the banks of one small rivulet to the shores fringing the ocean of contemporary Indian folk art.
The choice of plates has been confined almost exclusively to those works found in Indian museums and private collections, or such as have been temporarily displayed at exhibitions where, however, provenance and date of origin have, alas, all to often been inadequately indicated. In the course of many journeys, a well-known photographer, Subodh Chandra of Bombay, has documented that folk art and discovered, besides works that are already known, other interesting material, some of it new and as yet unpublished, and some that is by no means readily accessible. At this point the author would like to express his gratitude, not only to Subodh Chandra, but also to the many institutions and collectors who have placed their art objects at his disposal.
Again, the plates are to be regarded as a more or less independent entity, whose subject is art from India and art in India. Indian government institutions and Indian collectors and art lovers have provided in valuable assistance, while an Indian photographer has served as the interpreter of his country’s folk art. That the whole is governed by the rubric “with and for India”, is something which cannot be too strongly emphasized, for ever since his youth the author has felt himself bound up with and indebted to that country as to a second home. This also explains why recourse has not been had to valuable stocks of Indian folk art in other countries. The very few exceptions to this consist mainly of illustrations to the test . In the case of Indian terms, diacritical signs have been omitted as largely irrelevant in the present context. Unless otherwise stated, the objects depicted in the plates are of twentieth century origin. A chronology of the art of rock painting is to be found in Figs. 47 and 48.
The publications ( up to the year 1981 ) included in the bibliography cover a wider field than does the text, since the some what narrow limits imposed upon the latter permit little more than an incidental discussion of aspects of folk art and crafts such as individual techniques, materials and local peculiarities, and precludes wide-ranging comparisons.
No absolute claims are made in respect of our method of presentation which, together with the definitions it involves, differs in many respects from that employed in earlier works on Indian folk art. All too few of the latter have treated folk art as true art, nor have they attempted to see it in historical perspective. But the richness of popular artistic production is such that it behoves us to recall our opening metaphor. Yet it would be presumptuous to take in, as it were, at a single glance and endeavour to define in terms of figures and facts, the full depth and extent of an entire ocean, or to assess its true proportions. We can only wait and hope that others will feel inspired to follow up our observations and to think, as we do, “with and for India”.
With 68 colour
and 122 black-and-white photographs
and 206 illustrations in the text
Condition of the book: Usable; but the pages and cover look old
Chhavi - 2 Rai Krishnadasa Felicitation Volume
Author: Anand Krishna
Our Price: $1,100.00
The Ritual Art of Teyyam And Bhutaradhane
Author: Sita K. Nambiar
Our Price: $139.00
Coins of Southern India
Author: Sir Walter Elli
Our Price: $49.00
Art of Nepal
Author: Amita Ray
Our Price: $39.00
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