The Art of India - Sculpture and Mural Painting (Set of 2 Volumes)

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Benoy K Behl is a film-maker, art-historian and photographer who is known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 40 years. He has taken over 50,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage, made a hundred documentaries on art history and his exhibitions have been warmly in 54 countries around the world.

His films, including 26 documentaries on 'The Paintings of India' and 26 documentaries on 'The Sculpture of India' have been nationally telecast on prime time in India, as well as repeat telecasts. These have also been screened at scores of universities and museums in several countries around the world. Behl's films have won numerous awards at international film festivals.

This book on the history of art in India is the result of many years of a labour of love. My study and photographic documentation of art began in 1978, with the murals and wooden sculpture of the churches of Old Goa. However it was in 1991, when I carried out detailed photography of the great paintings of Ajanta, that Indian art took over my life.

I was deeply moved by the world which was presented in the paintings of Ajanta. It was a realm of compassion. The thousands of figures, painted on the walls of the caves, each radiated a warmth and concern for others. It was a love for all beings which pervaded this body of art. As I went on to document Indian art in all corners of the country and to study the treatise of art-making, the Chitrasutra, it became clear that the manner in which the Ajanta paintings had moved me was, in fact, the stated purpose of ancient Indian art. The art of India was created to take us away from our mundane concerns in the day-to day world to a realm of grace.

**Contents and Sample Pages**