The Image of Man: Tradition and Change expressed in Indian Art
In this article Thomas Maxwell, one of the organisers of the exhibition and co-author of the catalogue, In the Image of Man: The Indian perception of the Universe through 2,000 years of painting and sculpture (An Arts Council publication in conjunction with Weidenfeld and Nicolson) explains the background to the exhibition.
The intention of the exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, 'In the Image of Man' is, in the words of the foreword to the catalogue, 'to focus on concepts which are quintessentially Indian... the perspective which comprehends unity with diversity and believes in the shared existence of the animal, vegetable, human and mythological worlds'. Thus the objects on show were chosen not only for their individual quality but also to demonstrate the perpetuation of the past in the Indian present, showing the culture of India as a living, social phenomenon with the cross-fertilisation of cultural beliefs in the Indian sub continent from ancient times to the nineteenth century.
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