Introduction to Aesthetics

Contents: Introduction. 1. What is art? 2. What constitutes beauty in the language of Kavya? 3. The effect of art on man: Rasa experience. 4. Indian art history. 5. Art and religion. 6. Art and society. 7. Art and philosophy.

"What is beauty has been the focus of reflection down the centuries for many a critical mind. Everyone is fascinated by beauty in whatever form it manifests itself, though not all could explain what makes something beautiful. The very word alamkara defines what it denotes, namely, doing only that much, not more, not less. That is what constitutes beauty - proportion, harmony, cadence, appropriateness, propriety - in the Indian tradition.

India is not merely a land of dharmasastras and brahmasutras, it is also a land of kamasutras and natyasastras. But the aesthetic dimension of life has not been sufficiently highlighted in our curriculum. In fact aesthetics is one of the unifying elements of Indian culture. This book is intended as a handbook for beginners who want to be indicated into the field of aesthetics - East and West."