Studying the visual arts of South Asia constitutes a gateway toward understanding the entirety of the intellectual and cultural heritage of humanity, from antiquity to the present day. The Studying the visual arts of South Asia constitutes a gateway toward understanding the entirety Studying the visual arts of South Asia constitutes a gateway toward understanding the entirety of the intellectual and cultural heritage of humanity, from antiquity to the present day. The assemblages of objects and images produced and used in South Asia – Buddhist stupas, sprawling temple-cities, embroidered textiles, Mughal paintings, Satyajit Ray films and much else – represent more than the inheritance of South Asia, home to a fifth of the world's population. In addition to introducing these objects and images, this survey course will also explicate how they are equally the heritage of many other cultures because many of them have emerged from encounters with other mediums and with other civilizations, which, in turn, have been reflected, reshaped, and reformed by the art of subcontinent. This course includes field trips to art and archaeology museums in the Ann Arbor area and satisfies the LSA Humanities (HU) requirement.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Less than $50.

HISTART Concentration Distributions: Asia, Europe and the United States, Ancient, Modern and Contemporary

Textbook: Vidya Dehejia, Indian Art (London: Phaidon, 1997 and frequently reprinted since then). All other readings will be made available on Canvas.