Shifting Stones, Shaping the Past: Sculpture from the Buddhist Stupas of Andhra Pradesh
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.22 (836 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0199359407 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-11-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"There is much to learn in this fine study focusing on the Buddhist art of Andhra, not the least of which is the importance for Buddhist studies of combining a broad range of material and disciplinary perspectives with good art historical methodology. Eschewing an attempt to reassemble the now scattered remains of this region's most famous monuments, Becker has nonetheless constructed a better sense of how and why they matter than has ever been achieved."--Janice Leoshko, Associate Professor of Asian art, University of Texas at Austin "This is a superb book that offers important contributions to many of the most compelling conversations in the field of South Asian studies and of art history more broadly." --H-Asia, H-Net Reviews
Over a period of almost two millennia, many of these stupas have fallen into disrepair. Shifting Stones, Shaping thePast reveals intriguing parallels between ancient uses of imagery and the new social, political, and religious functions of these objects and spaces.. How might the Buddha's distant teachings be made immediate and accessible? Beginning with an analysis of the spectacular relief sculptures that once adorned the stupas. While it is tempting to view these monuments as ruins, they are by no means "dead." Turning to the 20th and 21st centuries, Becker analyzes examples of new Buddhist imagery, recent state-sponsored tourism campaigns, and new devotional activities at the sites in order to demonstrate that the stupas of Andhra Pradesh and their sculptural adornments contin
JK said Early Buddhist Art of India in fresh perspective. A must read for anyone interested in early Buddhist art of India and its ramification for contemporary India. Based on extensive field research and clearly written, it provides an insightful and readable analysis of many surviving examples of Buddhist sculpture from stupa sites in Andhra Pradesh and locates them in larger historical and religious contexts across temporal boundaries.
Catherine Becker is Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago.