India Studies Program BestSemester

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1 Indian Fine Arts (3 semester credits) Mr.Vijayakumar MA.,(Ph.D) E mail viscombacas@gmail.com Contact No. Office: Ext: 217 Mobile: / Course Description This study of Indian art aims to provide a basic introduction to the fine arts of India in all of their multi-faceted forms, primarily focusing on two-dimensional visual arts (painting, drawing, etc ), three-dimensional visual arts, (sculpture, architecture, etc ), performing arts (music, dance, and theater), and film. Each of these areas of art will be examined in turn, with lectures covering important examples of each type of art; history of the form in Indian society; and cultural and sociological significance of the various art forms both historically and today. The course is designed to help students achieve an understanding of Indian art and to look upon it aesthetically in relation to the culture and ideological concepts of this diverse and highly ritualistic civilization. The course will conclude with a discussion-based unit focused on examining the various socially-significant places in which Indian art has made itself prominent today and discussing the relevance of Indian art in an increasingly homogenized global culture. Student Learning Goals To provide a basic understanding and appreciation of the rich heritage of Indian art: 1. Be able to analyze and explicate the work of contemporary and historic artists using subject-specific terminology through written and verbal assignments. 2. Gain firsthand exposure to India s diverse art forms including painting, music and dance, Indian street theater and film. 3. Learn specific features of ancient and modern Indian visual and musical art forms. 4. Explore the connections between India s art and culture, noting differences between southern and northern traditions as well as the distinctive nature of Indian art as opposed to Western art. 5. Appreciate more deeply the dignity and value of Indian arts. Instructional Methods 1. Lectures including visual examples. 2. Discussions with exhibiting artists and guest speakers, as well as student discussions and critiques. 3. Reading assignments from relevant texts. 4. Field trips to local studios, museums and galleries if possible to supplement classroom learning.

2 Course Outline UNIT I: Indian Art: Painting, Drawing, Textiles 1. Indian art: Fresco drawings, Tanjore paintings, murals, rangoli. 2. Indian Christian art. 3. Practical Experience with the unit s presented art forms. UNIT II: Indian Art: Sculpture, Pottery and Architecture 1. Pottery: Art and Science. 2. Significance of Indian sculpture. 3. Practical Experience with the unit s presented art forms. UNIT III: Performing Arts: Music, Dance, Theater 1. History of Indian Performing Arts. 2. Music: Classical Music: Carnatic 3. Dance: South Indian Classical Dances: Bharathanatyam 4. Practical Experience with the unit s presented art forms. UNIT IV: Indian Film 1. Brief history of Indian films. 2. Major works of Indian film. 3. Viewing and analysis of a relevant work of Indian film. 4. Practical Experience with the unit s presented art forms. Assignments and Evaluation Art and Culture Book Review Select and read one of the supplementary texts below. Books are available in the BACAS library. (Special requests can be made to read a book not on this list.) Write a 5-7 page book review considering the following questions regarding the book and relevant art medium: What is the author s thesis? What does this art form say about Indian culture, specifically the intersection between society, art and religion or spirituality? What has been the impact of India s colonial past? In what ways has Indian art changed the world? What impact is globalization having within the Indian context? What does the author s

3 point of view and research add to your understanding of Indian art and culture? Due Date: Monday, February 25 th Fisher, Nora (2007), Mud, Mirror and Thread: Folk Traditions of Rural India. Lavezzoli, Peter (2006), The Dawn of Indian Music in the West Mishra, Vijay (2002) Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire. Routledge. Weidma, Amanda (2006) Singing the Classical, Voicing the Modern: The Postcolonial Polities of Music in South India Final Project You will do a hands-on creative project. For details on this option, see the creative project attachment on the last page of this syllabus. The project is due Tuesday, April 8 th. Participation: See course policies handout. Evaluation Book Review: 40% Final Project: 45% Participation: 15% Reading Schedule Unit I Craven: Introduction, Chapters 1-2, 10 Unit II Craven: Chapter 3-4, 7-9 Unit III No assigned Texts Unit IV If possible read the entire Mishra text before the Unit IV lecture. At minimum, read the preface and Chapters 1, 4, 5, 8 Main Texts Craven, Roy C. (1997) Indian Art: A Concise History (revised edition) Thames & Hudson Mishra, Vijay (2002) Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire. Routledge.

4 References Painting Behl, Benoy K. The Ajanta Caves; Ancient Paintings of Buddhist India Dehejiya, Vidya, Indian Art Fisher, Nora, Mud, Mirror and Thread: Folk Traditions of Rural India. Jaitly, Jaya, Incredible India: Crafting Nature Koch, Ebba. The Complete Taj Mahal. Krishna, Nanditha, Arts and Crafts and Tamil Nadu Michell, George. The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. Michell, George, Indian Art and Architecture. Mitter, Partha, Indian Art (Oxford History of Art) Music and Dance Farrell, Gerry, Indian Music and the West Kaufmann, Walter. The Ragas of North India. Lavezzoli, Peter. The Dawn of Indian Music in the West Neuman, Daniel M. The Life of Music in North India: The Organization of an Artistic Tradition. Pesch, Ludwig. The illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music Subramanian, Lakshmi, From the Tanjore Court to the Madras Music Academy: A Social History of Music in South India Viswanathan Peterson, Indira & Davesh Soneji, eds, Performing Pasts: Reinventing the Arts in Modern South India. Wade, Bonnie C Music in India: The Classical Traditions. Wade, Bonnie C. Imaging Sound: An Ethno musicological Study of Music, Art and Culture in Mughal India. Weidma, Amanda. Singing the Classical, Voicing the Modern: The Postcolonial Polities of Music in South India Rao, Krishna. A Panorama of Indian Dances, Orient Longman

5 Rao Krishna. A Dictionary of Bharatanayam, Orient Longman Cinema Rajadhyaksha, Ashish & Willeman, Paul. Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Sage Publications Kaur, Raminder, Popular Indian Cinema Through a Transnational lens, Sage Publications.

6 Final Paper Creative Project Option In place of a paper, you may prepare a hands-on creative project using one of the art forms covered in Units 1-4 and emphasizing one of Unit 5 s areas of focus. The presentation of the project should raise appropriate discussion questions and will incorporate time for critical feedback and discussion, as well as a formal artistic critique.students will utilize fine art skills in addition to knowledge gained through relevant content and materials covered in class. An excellent project will include at least 3 documented references. Below are examples for the Intro to Indian Art creative project final. Unit 1: 2D Art (photography, painting, drawing, textiles) Create a photography exhibit consisting of 5 to 10 photographs that tell the story of women s oppression in India. Include a 2 to 3 sentence accompanying statement below each photograph using quotes, statistics, statements, etc to help direct the viewer to interpret the photograph in a way relevant to the vision statement of the exhibition. Students should also prepare an artist s statement and a vision statement for the show. Create a painting using traditional Madhubani/ Andhra/ Tanjore style (or others: consult with ISP Director for approval) and tell the story of Dalit oppression through your painting. Unit 2: 3D Art (Sculpture, Pottery, Architecture)Create a piece of pottery in the BACAS pottery lab. Paint it in a traditional style, using traditional methods and materials. Write a one page accompanying statement about why you chose to create this piece of pottery, and also explaining some of the challenges that traditional potters face due to caste and mechanization. Unit 3: Performing Arts (Music, Dance, Theater) Compose a Yesu Bhajan. Demonstrate knowledge of traditional musical style, rhythm and content and teach it as your presentation. Use content to highlight preservation of culture and contextualization (Christianity in a Hindu culture). Unit 4: Film Make an 8-10 minute documentary about the spread of Indian movies/ film around the world. Highlight how motifs and themes in Indian film have (or have not) influenced larger global film culture.