The Hindu Book Review - Spiritual dimension of art

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Date:18/02/2003 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/br/br/2003/02/18/stories/200302180008

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Spiritual dimension of art

 

SACRED SPACE — A Journey Through the Spirit of Asian Art: Radhika

Srinivasan; Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati K.M.Munshi Marg, Mumbai-

400007. Rs. 200.

 

THIS HANDY book, which defies categorisation, is the outcome of long

years of practice and firsthand knowledge of the rich artistic

traditions of Asia — an attempt to unravel their spirit.

 

An anonymous ancient Indian verse, "In space through structure, in

form through sculpture, in body through dance, in word through

poetry, in sound through music, in thought through Yoga, when man

discovers the order and the rhythm, he touches the Divine within

himself," was the inspiration for this journey into the realm of the

infinite through the medium of performing and fine arts. Each line of

this verse forms the theme of a chapter.

 

Thus in seven chapters the author traverses diverse subjects like

architecture, sculpture, poetry, music, dance, Yoga and philosophy.

Even though they may appear disparate, there is a thread running

through them all.

 

It is the spiritual dimension they all point to that is the focus of

this study. There is an inherent harmony in the organisation of the

chapters, which enhances the appeal of the book as much as the

profuse illustrations at the end.

 

The cultural ethos of the East is rooted in spirituality and hence

all aspects of human life are permeated by it. When this truth is

understood it becomes easy to discern that all outer forms are but

expressions of the Absolute.

 

Art in this sense, as the author notes, "is a constant endeavour to

arrive at a higher and higher level of subtlety and refinement by the

process of de-personalisation and obliteration of individual identity

so as to sanctify the Spirit."

 

Whether it is an architectural marvel like the Angkor Wat or a

Bharatanatyam performance, it is the transcendence of the medium that

the artiste tries to achieve. In the momentary insight afforded by

aesthetic enjoyment the ego is suspended thereby giving a glimpse

into eternity. All great art transforms the consciousness and the

aesthetic experience becomes a discovery of the sacred within.

 

The author attempts to capture this transfiguration with examples of

temples, sculptures, dance and music and poetry inspired mostly by

the Hindu and Buddhist traditions that abound in South-East Asia.

 

The chapters on Yoga, Time and Space represent this quest at the

psychic level where prayer and meditation serve to achieve the same

transformation in the consciousness of the seeker.

 

The book will be an eye-opener as much to art practitioners as to the

spiritually inclined who would like to understand the significance of

the glittering array of artistic traditions, which lend colour to

life. The get-up and the production quality of the contents are

excellent.

 

R.SUDHAKSHINA

 

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