Recently, Ancient Indian sculpture has entered into the mainstream of world art scholarship and has been approached from many different perspectives. However, little has concretely been said about the creative processes and the universal will to form structures as it is manifested in the great body of ancient and medieval stone sculpture. In fact, the mental and architect and the artists working under his direction and their artistic and aesthetic challenges and solutions have received only scant attention, even though all other considerations become more or less irrelevant if the artist’s prime role is neglected of overlooked.

The present study outlines definite criteria for recognizing intrinsic qualities underlying and immanent in all styles and in works of sculpture of major significance, with focus on the interrelationships amongst artist, statue, temple and devotee.
A sculptor and photographer Carmel Berkson’s former publications include studies of the Elephanta. Aurangabad and Ellora cave temples and a recent analysis of the Mahisamardinimyth.

About Ellora, concept and style

“Art historical studies have for too ling been equated with mere historical and cultural placements of art specimens in a chronological framework. Professional evaluation of the art style has been a rare phenomenon…Carmel Berkson’s professional skills give her exceptional credentials for delving into the intrinsic and functional insights if rock-cut temple art in India.”

K.V. Soundara Rajan
Indian Review of Books

“This remarkable and individual book…sets out to explore the aesthetic nuances of the sculptural tableaux for which Ellora is justly famous….The stylistic analysis of these carved compositions is the most systematic to date.”

George Michell 
Journal of the London
School of Oriental studies

About The Author:

The true artist is primarily concerned with instilling life into form. The ancient Indian sculptor was deeply involved with nature. He created symbolic entities, reflection the processes of organic form evolution.

Countering contemporary fragmentations, the study of the entire corpus encourages the student to approach Indian sculptures in their true light as single events in a grand holistic system.