Himalayas : an aesthetic adventure / Pratapaditya Pal ; with contributions by Amy Heller, Oskar von Hinüber, and Gautama V. Vajracharya.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pal, Pratapaditya.

Contributor:

Heller, Amy, 1951-

Hinüber, Oskar von.

Vajrācārya, Gautamavajra.

Art Institute of Chicago.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (Smithsonian Institution)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Buddhist art--Himalaya Mountains Region--Exhibitions.

Buddhist art.

Hindu art--Himalaya Mountains Region--Exhibitions.

Hindu art.

Himalaya Mountains Region.

Genre:

Exhibition catalogs.

Physical Description:

308 pages : color illustrations ; 31 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Ill. : Art Institute of Chicago ; Berkeley : University of California Press ; Ahmedabad, India : Mapin Pub., [2003]

Summary:

Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure accompanies a landmark exhibition of the same name, the first to include objects from all major regions of the Himalayas. This generously illustrated volume, which includes nearly two hundred of the finest works of art created between the sixth and nineteenth centuries in Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Tibet, and Bhutan, explores the particular beauty that evolved from the spiritual traditions unique to the Himalayas. An important contribution to Western appreciation of Himalayan art, this book surveys the artistic achievements of various Himalayan cultures -- primarily within the framework of the aesthetic and theological requirements of the two great Asian religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, that prevail in the region to this day -- and conveys the spiritual aspirations of those who defied the physical hardships of an arduous mountain terrain to express their soaring creative spirit.

Essays and catalogue entries investigate the cultural milieu in which the works of art -- objects of devotion and ritual implements -- were created. All works featured in the exhibition, about seventy percent of which have never been published or publicly exhibited, are illustrated in full color. Currently held in private and public collections in North America, Europe, and Asia, these works include temple sculptures of stone, wood, and terracotta; cast bronzes with inlaid semiprecious stones, gilding, and pigment; colorful paintings on cloth, palm leaf, paper, and wood; and ritual objects in various media. An appendix provides translations and interpretations of important Nepali, Kashmiri, and Tibetan inscriptions. This lavishly illustrated book is the catalogue for a major exhibition held at The Art Institute of Chicago from April 5 to August 17, 2003, and at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., from October 18, 2003, to January 11, 2004.

Contents:

Catalogue of the Exhibition / Pratapaditya Pal

I. Nepal 21

II. Jammu and Kashmir, Western Himalayas, and West Tibet 91

III. Central and Eastern Tibet, and Bhutan 163

I. The Nepali Inscriptions / Gautama V. Vajracharya 278

II. The Kashmiri Inscriptions / Oskar von Hinuber 285

III. The Tibetan Inscriptions: Dedications, History, and Prayers / Amy Heller 286.

Notes:

Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Art Institute of Chicago, Apr. 5-Aug. 17, 2003 and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Oct. 18, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 298-301) and index.

ISBN:

0520239016

0520239008

8188204218

OCLC:

51223583