"Sculpture is more divine, and more like Nature, That fashions all her works in high relief, And that is Sculpture. This vast ball, the Earth, Was moulded out of clay, and baked in fire; Men, women, and all animals that breathe Are statues and not paintings" (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).
Divinity, mysticism, innovation and magnificence are the best ways to define Indian sculpture. It is amazing how even day to day affairs have been portrayed with the help of sculptures in India. History hails India as the seat of the most ancient civilisation: Indus Valley Civilisation. The history of Indian sculpture also originated with the world`s oldest culture. The art of sculpture requires the sculptors to breathe life to the cold and lifeless stones and rocks. The Indian artisans have been successfully rendering life to these listless blocks.
Art and architecture have always flourished in India as there is no dearth of craftsmanship. While the native Indian sculptures have immortalized themselves in the temples and ancient cities a constant influence of foreign art and culture enriched Indian sculpture and architecture. The history of Indian sculpture is steeped in such details. The Mauryas, for the first time, evolved a new idiom of temple building. Religious buildings were constructed to propagate
Buddhism. Stupas, viharas, caves and pillars were order of those days. As Hinduism once again revived itself numerous
Indian temple sculptures came into existence. The credit lies with those prolific royal builders who commissioned some of the most exquisite pieces of temple sculpture. As one beholds the beauty of the figurines at Veeraabhadra Temple or
Khajuraho Temple, it will seem as if those stone statues will break their silence to address the beholder. Whether it is eroticism or simply spirituality these stone sculptures from both North and South Indian are unrivaled.
"The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has"
(Michelangelo) and the exquisite visions the unnamed artists had in their mind when they gave form to
Taj Mahal will forever remain unknown. However the grandeur that the Islamic art brought to India has been embossed in marbles and red sandstones. Alongwith a new idiom came along a set of new features for the Indian sculpture and architecture. As time went by it was the turn of the British to reign over India and thus the lavish style of the Mughal emperors was replaced by colossal monuments. These structures and the sculptures in them were reminiscent of the European Gothic style. After 1947 Indian was freed of the colonial rule and thus there was a revival of the ancient and original identity in the sphere of sculpture as well as other arenas, both art and culture.
Today Indian sculpture has gone international. Several artisans from the sub-continent have are recognised for their flair. Amidst the urge to conform to the new forms and shapes glimpses of the old ideas, forms and the love for the ancient is still visible. This is one of the reasons why one would still come across a statue of the Hindu gods amid hordes of Indian sculptures that represent the modern man and his environs.
For a better comprehension of the Indian sculpture the following would be of considerable help:
For more on Indian sculpture
