Artists and Imagination in Early Modern India

Catalog description

"Art" and "artist" denote European conceptions of creativity. What conceptions shaped the making of beautiful and expressive things outside of Europe and North America? This course introduces the painters, sculptors, architects, and craftspeople who were celebrated in early modern India circa 1400 to 1800. All mediums are valued from architecture and sculpture to painting and jewelry. We read poetry, listen to music, and delve into primary sources like treatises, memoirs, and letters. A deep dive into religious and philosophical conceptions of the imagination teaches students how to look with early modern insight and to understand the power of creativity to heal hearts and shape destinies.