Indian Aesthetics and Art ActivityReview by: Anna L. DallapiccolaJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 90, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1970), pp. 592-593Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/598857 .

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Journal of the American Oriental Society, 90.4 (1970) Journal of the American Oriental Society, 90.4 (1970)

period, the author follows its development, laying particular stress on the Vaishnava movement and on those poets who wrote in their own regional language in order to propagate this creed through all the strata of pupulation in their respective country. Many of these are known: Vidyapati and Chandi Das (XVth cent.), then Mira Bai (first half of the XVIth cent.), and in the 17th century Bihari Lal Chaube (1595/1663). Bihari Lal was born in Govindpur near Gwalior, and in 1609 settled with his family in Vrindavan. During a visit of Shah-Jahan to Vrindavan he was noticed and taken to the imperial court at Agra. There Mirza Raja Jai Singh I of Amber was so much impressed by his poetic talents that he invited him to Amber where the Sat Sai were composed.

However Bihari Lal, although a finished poet, was completely devoid of that religious and mysti- cal fervour of his predecessors, especially of Mira Bai, who had been inspired by their sincerity and genuine urge to express their love to God. But in the time of Bihari Lal the mere husk of bhakti, often enough half secularized, was left over, but polished all over again to the most exquisite formal elegance.

The 700 stanzas deal with the loves of Radha and Krishna and the comments of the messengers who carry messages to one or the other. In the second chapter the author describes the discovery of the Sat-Sai miniatures by the late N. C. Mehta, in the collection of Maharaja Narendra Shah of Tehri Garhwal. In the same collection there was also a set of Gita-Govinda paintings by the painter Manaku, which undoubtedly comes from Kangra; the Sat-Sai set has much in common with the Gita Govinda set, though there are differences in the facial formula, landscapes etc. It is thus very prob- able that the Sat-Sai set has been painted by Kushala, son of Manaku, about 1805; it has hardly 40 paintings, and ca. 20 drawings are now in the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Benares.

Next, the author outlines the history of painting in the Punjab Hills, from its origin at Guler, which had been very much in touch with the Moghul court and must be regarded as the birth place of the Kangra school; then the subsequent develop- ment of the Kangra school under the patronage of

period, the author follows its development, laying particular stress on the Vaishnava movement and on those poets who wrote in their own regional language in order to propagate this creed through all the strata of pupulation in their respective country. Many of these are known: Vidyapati and Chandi Das (XVth cent.), then Mira Bai (first half of the XVIth cent.), and in the 17th century Bihari Lal Chaube (1595/1663). Bihari Lal was born in Govindpur near Gwalior, and in 1609 settled with his family in Vrindavan. During a visit of Shah-Jahan to Vrindavan he was noticed and taken to the imperial court at Agra. There Mirza Raja Jai Singh I of Amber was so much impressed by his poetic talents that he invited him to Amber where the Sat Sai were composed.

However Bihari Lal, although a finished poet, was completely devoid of that religious and mysti- cal fervour of his predecessors, especially of Mira Bai, who had been inspired by their sincerity and genuine urge to express their love to God. But in the time of Bihari Lal the mere husk of bhakti, often enough half secularized, was left over, but polished all over again to the most exquisite formal elegance.

The 700 stanzas deal with the loves of Radha and Krishna and the comments of the messengers who carry messages to one or the other. In the second chapter the author describes the discovery of the Sat-Sai miniatures by the late N. C. Mehta, in the collection of Maharaja Narendra Shah of Tehri Garhwal. In the same collection there was also a set of Gita-Govinda paintings by the painter Manaku, which undoubtedly comes from Kangra; the Sat-Sai set has much in common with the Gita Govinda set, though there are differences in the facial formula, landscapes etc. It is thus very prob- able that the Sat-Sai set has been painted by Kushala, son of Manaku, about 1805; it has hardly 40 paintings, and ca. 20 drawings are now in the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Benares.

Next, the author outlines the history of painting in the Punjab Hills, from its origin at Guler, which had been very much in touch with the Moghul court and must be regarded as the birth place of the Kangra school; then the subsequent develop- ment of the Kangra school under the patronage of

Sansar Chand (1765/1823) and its decadence during the Sikh period. In the last chapter there is a description of the Kangra Valley, of the life and training of the artists, and the author's general impressions of Kangra art and of the position which the Sat-Sai has within it.

Quite a number of colour and monochrome plates are to be found in this delightful book which has the great advantage of being comprehensible even to those whose main interest is not Indian art, and which by its attractive make-up is most enjoyable.

ANNA L. DALLAPICCOLA FLORENCE/HEIDELBERG

Sansar Chand (1765/1823) and its decadence during the Sikh period. In the last chapter there is a description of the Kangra Valley, of the life and training of the artists, and the author's general impressions of Kangra art and of the position which the Sat-Sai has within it.

Quite a number of colour and monochrome plates are to be found in this delightful book which has the great advantage of being comprehensible even to those whose main interest is not Indian art, and which by its attractive make-up is most enjoyable.

ANNA L. DALLAPICCOLA FLORENCE/HEIDELBERG

Indian Aesthetics and Art Activity, proceedings of a seminar. Pp. iii + 327. Simla: INDIAN INSTI- TUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES, 1968. Rs. 40.-; 15s.

This seminar was held in Simla in 1966. In his introductory speech Dr. Niharranjan Ray pro- posed as its aim to find out "a correlative of aes- thetics as a discipline in speculative thinking and actual objects of visual arts as products of individ- ual or group activity in one sphere of human life, specifically in the context of Indian but generally in the world art as well." The seminar was thus organized in four main discussion topics:

Section A. "Fundamental postulates of tradi- tional Indian aesthetics and their relevance to the

plastic and pictorial situation in India's past" consists of ten papers most of which attempt to

explain at the hand of literary examples the vari- ous approaches of the classic authors to art and art

appreciation, but deal very rarely with art in

general; only the papers of Mr. K. Gangoly, 'Animals in early Indian art', and of Mr. A. Mook-

herjee, 'Tantra Art, in search of life divine', try to give some idea of a particular subject of Indian art.

In section B. "Contemporary aesthetic thinking in India and their (i.e. Coomaraswamy's, Abanin- dranath Tagore's, etc.) relevance to contemporary experimentalists in the plastic and pictorial arts

(Gagendranath, Jaminy Roy, etc. and the younger

Indian Aesthetics and Art Activity, proceedings of a seminar. Pp. iii + 327. Simla: INDIAN INSTI- TUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES, 1968. Rs. 40.-; 15s.

This seminar was held in Simla in 1966. In his introductory speech Dr. Niharranjan Ray pro- posed as its aim to find out "a correlative of aes- thetics as a discipline in speculative thinking and actual objects of visual arts as products of individ- ual or group activity in one sphere of human life, specifically in the context of Indian but generally in the world art as well." The seminar was thus organized in four main discussion topics:

Section A. "Fundamental postulates of tradi- tional Indian aesthetics and their relevance to the

plastic and pictorial situation in India's past" consists of ten papers most of which attempt to

explain at the hand of literary examples the vari- ous approaches of the classic authors to art and art

appreciation, but deal very rarely with art in

general; only the papers of Mr. K. Gangoly, 'Animals in early Indian art', and of Mr. A. Mook-

herjee, 'Tantra Art, in search of life divine', try to give some idea of a particular subject of Indian art.

In section B. "Contemporary aesthetic thinking in India and their (i.e. Coomaraswamy's, Abanin- dranath Tagore's, etc.) relevance to contemporary experimentalists in the plastic and pictorial arts

(Gagendranath, Jaminy Roy, etc. and the younger

592 592

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Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

experimentalists)" there are two good essays, the first of which is a very lively and clear survey on 'folk inspiration in modern Indian painting' by Jaya Appasamy. The second: 'Aesthetics of A. Tagore' by S. K. Nandi is an analysis of the cul- tural background of the paintings pointing out the main characteristics of Tagore's personality and the various influences which moulded his work.

The next section, "Comparative Aesthetics and Art Activities", contains four papers all of them dealing more or less with the relationship between the artist and the art appreciator, or the critic. The topic is very vague and the essays don't bring anything new.

The last section, "Modern Movements in the world art and their implications for aesthetic theory or theories," deals mainly with European and American contemporary art. Most of the nine essays of this section are just informative. To mention a few titles: 'Aesthetics of Anti-Art' or 'Western Art as computer art' and so on. There is a small note 'Observation of an artist face A face with all the aesthetic theories' by Ram Kumar which is a just complaint on the rather confused attitude not only of the seminar, but of the public in general, and the world-wide ignorance about modern Indian art. In fact, over quotations of Picasso, Mondriaan, Klee, etc., the contemporary Indian artist is completely forgotten; if Indian art is mentioned at all, it is just to praise its beauties like Ajanta, Bagh, Ellora, etc., as if in a pamphlet for tourists. This criticism is very appropriate; in fact, contemporary Indian art is scarcely men- tioned in the course of the seminar. The papers in general are very confused, and there are no stimu- lating issues from all these essays and discussions.

The third part of the book contains the conclud- ing session, by Dr. N. Ray, the list of participants and the index.

ANNA L. DALLAPICCOLA FLORENCE/HEIDELBBRG.

experimentalists)" there are two good essays, the first of which is a very lively and clear survey on 'folk inspiration in modern Indian painting' by Jaya Appasamy. The second: 'Aesthetics of A. Tagore' by S. K. Nandi is an analysis of the cul- tural background of the paintings pointing out the main characteristics of Tagore's personality and the various influences which moulded his work.

The next section, "Comparative Aesthetics and Art Activities", contains four papers all of them dealing more or less with the relationship between the artist and the art appreciator, or the critic. The topic is very vague and the essays don't bring anything new.

The last section, "Modern Movements in the world art and their implications for aesthetic theory or theories," deals mainly with European and American contemporary art. Most of the nine essays of this section are just informative. To mention a few titles: 'Aesthetics of Anti-Art' or 'Western Art as computer art' and so on. There is a small note 'Observation of an artist face A face with all the aesthetic theories' by Ram Kumar which is a just complaint on the rather confused attitude not only of the seminar, but of the public in general, and the world-wide ignorance about modern Indian art. In fact, over quotations of Picasso, Mondriaan, Klee, etc., the contemporary Indian artist is completely forgotten; if Indian art is mentioned at all, it is just to praise its beauties like Ajanta, Bagh, Ellora, etc., as if in a pamphlet for tourists. This criticism is very appropriate; in fact, contemporary Indian art is scarcely men- tioned in the course of the seminar. The papers in general are very confused, and there are no stimu- lating issues from all these essays and discussions.

The third part of the book contains the conclud- ing session, by Dr. N. Ray, the list of participants and the index.

ANNA L. DALLAPICCOLA FLORENCE/HEIDELBBRG.

The Ragas of North India. By WALTER KAUFMANN. pp. v-ix + 1-625, plates 35, bibliography items 39. Vol. I of the Oriental Series, edited

The Ragas of North India. By WALTER KAUFMANN. pp. v-ix + 1-625, plates 35, bibliography items 39. Vol. I of the Oriental Series, edited

by Denis Sinor, Asian Studies Research Insti- tute, for the International Affairs Center. Bloomington and London: INDIANA UNIVER- SITY PRESS, 1968. $15.00.

During the fourteen years prior to 1947, Walter Kaufmann worked with Indian Classical musi- cians at All India Radio in Bombay and Delhi collecting material now published in The Ragas of North India. This new publication along with his Musical Notations of the Orient (1967) makes a highly valuable addition to American scholarship in the field of Indian art music. The only compara- ble work in English is the four-volume set, Raga- nidhi, by B. Subba Rao (Madras Music Academy, 1955-66) covering both Hindustani and Karnatic ragas but lacking in the variety of information for each. The Rao work uses a numerical system of microtonal alterations with Devanagari notation. Alain Danillou's Ragas of Northern India (London: Halcyon Press, 1947, new edition, 1968) includes only slightly over one hundred ragas notated in a unique system invented by the au- thor. Kaufmann avoids these sorts of representa- tions, confusing to the Western reader, but covers the microtonal pitch deviations in ways under- standable to layman and musician.

Indian Classical Music has been an oral tradi- tion for over two thousand years. The main theoretical problem over the centuries has been the preservation of the ragas in proper form. Bhatkhande, the famous early twentieth-century theorist, organized the Hindustani ragas under ten thatas or "parent" scales thus bringing together those with similar characteristics. Kaufmann uses the Bhatkhande organization in his 534 pages of analyses covering approximately 260 ragas. How- ever, he adds three separate groupings pulling mostly from Kafi Thata: Mallar, ragas of the rainy season; Sarang, ragas for noontime; Kanada, ragas of Karnatic origin. Some few ragas not gen- erally used twenty-five years ago have become popular since.

For the analysis of each raga, scale tones are arranged, when possible, in an ascending and de- scending order, not necessarily the same for both. Kaufmann uses long note values (e.g. half, quar- ter, et cetera) in Western staff notation to indicate

by Denis Sinor, Asian Studies Research Insti- tute, for the International Affairs Center. Bloomington and London: INDIANA UNIVER- SITY PRESS, 1968. $15.00.

During the fourteen years prior to 1947, Walter Kaufmann worked with Indian Classical musi- cians at All India Radio in Bombay and Delhi collecting material now published in The Ragas of North India. This new publication along with his Musical Notations of the Orient (1967) makes a highly valuable addition to American scholarship in the field of Indian art music. The only compara- ble work in English is the four-volume set, Raga- nidhi, by B. Subba Rao (Madras Music Academy, 1955-66) covering both Hindustani and Karnatic ragas but lacking in the variety of information for each. The Rao work uses a numerical system of microtonal alterations with Devanagari notation. Alain Danillou's Ragas of Northern India (London: Halcyon Press, 1947, new edition, 1968) includes only slightly over one hundred ragas notated in a unique system invented by the au- thor. Kaufmann avoids these sorts of representa- tions, confusing to the Western reader, but covers the microtonal pitch deviations in ways under- standable to layman and musician.

Indian Classical Music has been an oral tradi- tion for over two thousand years. The main theoretical problem over the centuries has been the preservation of the ragas in proper form. Bhatkhande, the famous early twentieth-century theorist, organized the Hindustani ragas under ten thatas or "parent" scales thus bringing together those with similar characteristics. Kaufmann uses the Bhatkhande organization in his 534 pages of analyses covering approximately 260 ragas. How- ever, he adds three separate groupings pulling mostly from Kafi Thata: Mallar, ragas of the rainy season; Sarang, ragas for noontime; Kanada, ragas of Karnatic origin. Some few ragas not gen- erally used twenty-five years ago have become popular since.

For the analysis of each raga, scale tones are arranged, when possible, in an ascending and de- scending order, not necessarily the same for both. Kaufmann uses long note values (e.g. half, quar- ter, et cetera) in Western staff notation to indicate

593 593

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