Books by "Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy"
4 books found
This new edition of Coomaraswamy's classic book, considered his most important work on the philosophy of art, includes all of the revisions Coomaraswamy had wanted to add to the original edition.
Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) was one of the most famous scholars of Indian art, culture, and religion. He served for many years as the Keeper of Indian and Islamic Art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, establishing one of the most impressive collections of oriental artifacts in the world. This anthology contains thematically arranged excerpts from his many writings, letters, and speeches, making it a uniquely accessible collection of his wisdom and insight. It is richly illustrated with over 140 black-and-white historical photographs and paintings.
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy was engaged in the world not only as a scholarly expositor of traditional culture and philosophy, but also as a radical critic of contemporary life.
A collection of important essays by a pioneering interpreter of Indian art, philosophy, and mythology “Brilliant.”—Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces “Varied, imaginative, incredibly learned. . . . Fascinating.”—John Kenneth Galbraith, New York Times Book Review Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877–1947) was a pioneer in the study of Indian art, philosophy, and mythology—and in the cultural meeting of East and West. A scholar in the tradition of the great Indian grammarians and philosophers, an art historian convinced that the ultimate value of art transcends history, and a social thinker influenced by William Morris, Coomaraswamy was a unique figure whose works provide virtually a complete education in themselves. Finding a universal tradition in past cultures ranging from the Hellenic and Christian to the Indian, Islamic, and Chinese, he presented his ideas in numerous essays. This volume includes a selection of his essays on art and symbolism that were written in the 1930s and 1940s, when he was at the height of his powers.