The Traditional Arts of South Asia: Past Practice, Living Traditions
- Details
- Parent Category: Saffron Catalogue
- Category: Forthcoming
The Traditional Arts of South Asia: Past Practice, Living Traditions, edited by Crispin Branfoot, examines the challenges of modernity to the development, understanding and practice of the traditional architecture, sculpture, textiles and paintings of South Asia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
South Asia is well known for its vibrant visual culture, with a rich artistic tradition that stretches back over two millennia. The Traditional Arts of South Asia: Past Practice, Living Traditions examines the challenges of modernity to the development, understanding and practice of the traditional architecture, sculpture, textiles and paintings of South Asia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Included are studies of nineteenth century traditional arts in India and Sri Lanka in the context of the British Arts & Crafts Movement; the production and consumption of block-printed cloth and other textiles in western India; the impact of modern technology on the mass reproduction of Hindu imagery; tradition and innovation in the practice of bronze-casting and temple painting in south India; and the patronage and design of religious architecture, both Hindu and Islamic, in modern South Asia. The papers included are by a distinguished group of eleven scholars and practitioners of traditional arts from India, Pakistan, Britain and the United States.
About the Editor
Crispin Branfoot is Lecturer in South Asian art & archaeology at SOAS, University of London. He is the author and editor of two previous books. Gods on the Move: architecture and ritual in the south Indian temple (London 2007) is a detailed study of the temple architecture and sculpture of the Tamil region of southern India in the 16th and 17th centuries. Pilgrimage: The Sacred Journey (edited with Ruth Barnes, Oxford 2006) explores the role of pilgrimage in Christianity, Islam, Judaism and South Asian religions. His research interests include the art and architecture of early modern South Asia, especially the sacred architecture of southern India and Sri Lanka between 1300 and 1900.
