The publication explores a spectrum of contemporary Indian creativity classical inspired, tribal, folk and popular arts, reflective of the rootedness and innovation within traditions, as well as new media work in varied manifestations and genres. It features several especially commissioned works and seminal essays by experts framed within the context of the history, philosophy and ideology of the culture, the art stems from. It examines the connection between art and spiritual ideologies and living traditions as they continue to be practiced and celebrated or questioned by hundreds of artists, in a multi faith context. The artists' biographical sketches and their photographs, the bibliography and other reference material, make it a collectors' delight and a useful stand-alone resource book, first of its kind, on spiritual and devotional Indian art with its multilayered philosophical, mystical and cultural resonance. Contents: Volume I: Foreword - Karan Sing; Spirituality and Culture: India's Gifts to the World Martin Gurvich; Acknowledgements - Martin Gurvich and Sushma K. Bahl. Essays: Adi Anadi Anant: Continuum Sushma K. Bahl; Abodes of Devotion George Michell; Imaging Devotional Theologies Kenneth R. Valpey; Devotion in Art, Craft and Textiles Jaya Jaitly; Popular Expressions of Devotion Devdutt Pattanaik; Collection A to M; Artists; Glossary; Bibliography; Index. Volume II: Foreword - Prof. Lokesh Chandra; Essays: Dashavatara: The Ten Incarnations of Vishnu Steven J. Rosen; Archetypal Imagery in Neo-Tantric Painting Madhu Khanna; Syncretic Culture and Islam Mushirul Hasan; Vernacular Art: Work, Leisure and Devotion in Rurban India Annapurna Garimella; Methods and Materials of Traditional Painting Desmond Lazaro; Iti-iti: Multiple Contemporaries in Sacred Indian Art Sushma K. Bahl; Collection N to Z; Artists; Cartographic Overview: Select Devotional Art and Cultural Centres in India; Credits; Index.
About the Author: Martin Gurvich, Director of the Museum of Sacred Art and the Gurvich Museum, is an art collector and connoisseur. Sushma K. Bahl, MBE, is the author of Mi>5000 Years of Indian Art and former head of Arts & Culture for British Council, India. Dr George Michell studied Indian art and archeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. For more than 30 years he has worked on many research projects in India. Dr Kenneth R. Valpey is Dean of Studies at Bhaktivedanta College and a researcher at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He teaches theology and practices of iconology in South Asian religious traditions at the University of Florida and Chinese University of Hong Kong. Jaya Jaitly is the founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, a national association for crafts. Dr Devdutt Pattanaik is a mythologist based in Mumbai. He has authored 25 books and 400 articles on the relevance of mythology in modern times. Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa) is a biographer, scholar and author in the fields of philosophy, religion, spirituality and music. Dr Madhu Khanna is a professor of Indic Religions, scholar of Hindu Tantra and Chairperson of Tantra Foundation. She is a Bina and Haridas Choudhury distinguished fellow in Asian and Comparative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Professor Mushirul Hasan is a Padma Shri awardee and Cambridge graduate. He was formerly Director General of National Archives of India, Vice-Chancellor and earlier Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Dr Annapurna Garimella studied art history at Columbia University and is based in Bangalore and Delhi. She heads Jackfruit Research and Design, an organization that takes on curatorial and publication projects for artists, museums, government and private institutions and NGOs.