Philip S. Rawson Libri

1977 0876639627 Product Erotic art of India Category (item-type): books US

Tantra is a set of beliefs and practices that originates in India and combines eroticism, magic, and metaphysics. Its goals are the universal ones of self-knowledge and liberated joy.

In this comprehensive study of Tantric art, Philip Rawson invites us to join a meditative and visual exploration of the self and the universe. Originating in India in 600 AD and increasingly linked with recent trends of Western art, Tantra is a metaphysical fusion of eroticism, mathematics, and magic, a diffuse worldview in which the cult of ecstasy reigns. It is through the astonishing collection of illustrations in the book--sixteenth century engravings of the process of Creative Generation, reliefs of Hindu goddesses made for worship, a Tibetan magician's costume made of human bone--that Rawson makes accessible the mystical and fundamentally undefinable world of Tantra. 169 illus., 25 in color. "A book to have for beauty and interest, which may well be a guide to an understanding of life." --Arts Review

The unique Tibetan Buddhist amalgam of shamanism, spiritualism, magic, and myth is explored and revealed through its stunning imagery.

Briefly discusses the history of styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the countries of Southeast Asia