Jainism (together with Hinduism and Buddhism) is one of the three major world religions to have emerged in India. It has been continously practised since at least the 6th century BC and currently has a following of some six million people. Over the course of two millennia the Jains have produced a diversive and vital range of art which has hitherto been little known in the West. Illustrated with examples from all ages, it provides a comprehensive introduction to the art of the Jains and an insight into the practices, principles and beliefs of the religion. In a detailed introduction Pratapaditya Pal, presents a history of Jainism and describes the different forms of art produced in each period: decorated temples and shrines; images of wood, stone and bronze; illuminated manuscripts; cloth paintings; architectural reliefs and votive tablets - all bearing their own religious significance. The volume also includes an examination of Jain ritual and philosophical thought, an account of the Jain pilgrimages, and illuminating overviews of Jain cosmological painting and manuscript illustration. It is published to accompany a travelling exhibition of Jain art which will be shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in November 1995.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Jainism, a major religion of India with six million adherents, emphasizes nonviolence, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, strict vegetarianism, modest living and acts of devotion. Despite the Jains' ideal of nonattachment to the physical world, their cosmographic paintings, sculptures, elegant temples, architectural reliefs and domestic shrines include works of imaginative splendor, as revealed in this wide-ranging catalogue of a traveling exhibition, which combines 229 illustrations, 88 in color, with eminently readable essays. Led by Pal, a senior curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where the exhibit opened, a team of Indian, American, British and Canadian scholars describe Jain ritual and worship, retrace Jain pilgrimages since the fifth century and investigate parallels and differences between Jain and Hindu philosophies.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed.",
By Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India (Paperback)
Originally the catalog for what must have been a magnificent exhibition in 1995, this book ultimately transcends its origins and stands firmly on its own as a fine introduction and overview of Jain art at once dependably informative and visually stunning. Lavishly illustrated with 121 specific works along with other additional images, "Peaceful Liberators" ranges in time from the earliest archaeological finds dating around the first century AD to common devotional items of the late 19th century, and geographically as well brings together examples from across the many various regions of India, taking care to note local stylistic particularities.
Included then are architectural fragments from ancient Jain temples and more recent household shrines, ritual objects one might have found in such locations, an appropriately vast array of Jina images--the peaceful liberators of the title and the focus and ideal of Jainism--often naked (or nearly so) in their thoroughgoing non-attachment and transcendence, a host of deities and lesser divinities loyal to the Jinas and highly important to Jain religiosity (not to mention enormously fascinating in their fantastic variety), and finally sacred illuminated manuscripts and massively complex cosmic diagrams, pilgrimage maps, and even board games. Each work is explained in detail, and several essays by experts in the field help to place all of this variegated visual splendor in a comprehensible context even as they serve well as a crash course in Jainism as a religion. Anyone who assumes that art suffers under strict religious asceticism will be in for a surprise here. Indeed, the incredibly varied and rich Jain artistic tradition as found in these pages would almost lead one to the opposite conclusion. But why take my word for it? Give this excellent book a look and see for yourself! The Essays included in this book are: "Introduction" by Pratapaditya Pal "Following the Jina, Worshiping the Jina: An Essay on Jain Rituals" by John E. Cort "Are Jains Really Hindus? Some Parallels and Differences between Jain and Hindu Philosophies" by Gerald James Larson "Jain Pilgrimage: In Memory and Celebration of the Jinas" by Phyllis Granoff "Jain Monumental Painting" by Shridhar Andhare "Jain Manuscript Painting" by John Guy
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful insight into Jain art,
By shyam parikh (bowie, md United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India (Paperback)
This is a wonderful book with many color and b&w illustrations of Jain art. The book also chronicles Jain history and culture and its relationship to Art
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