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ASIAN RELIGIOUS IMAGES INTRODUCTION Religious images reflect the mind of their creators. The delicate shapes and intense expression of face, posture and gesture evidence the great skill and dedication Asian craftsmen brought to the making of images for devotion. Their work is testimony to a personal faith and to deep-rooted cultural values. The arts of India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia are the product of individual genius given tangible shape in a sequence of magnificent periods of change, of cultural flowering, which sprang from many different artistic and intellectual disciplines. Body, Speech and Mind presents a fine selection of religious sculptures and objects originating from these regions, each one a worthy representative of Asia’s cultural heritage. They may be seen as spiritual monuments, significant symbols of primarily Buddhist and Hindu achievement and aspiration, gods who inspire deepest faith and compassion. The works in this catalogue have been chosen not only for the extraordinary level of artistic skill they exemplify, but also for the huge heterogeneity of form and material they represent, a diversity that spans more than two millennia. India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia have such powerful artistic and historical associations that it’s easy to forget their significant role in the much-changed world of modern Asia, a cosmopolitan continent with considerable contemporary élan. Despite the altered face of town and countryside, social and cultural traditions still find a powerful voice. In Body, Speech and Mind that voice can clearly be heard. Marcel Nies, 2006 |