Review of Arts of South, Central and West Asia PDF

# ARTS ## SOUTH, CENTRAL and WEST ASIA # INDIAN ART ## Ancient Period (3900 BCE-1200 CE) - **AJANTA CAVES** of Maharashtra India. - Cave monuments that date back from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE. ## Classical Period (5th to 6th centuries) - **SHIVA (The destroyer)** - Four-armed figure...

# ARTS ## SOUTH, CENTRAL and WEST ASIA # INDIAN ART ## Ancient Period (3900 BCE-1200 CE) - **AJANTA CAVES** of Maharashtra India. - Cave monuments that date back from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE. ## Classical Period (5th to 6th centuries) - **SHIVA (The destroyer)** - Four-armed figure, where one hand holds the fire with which he destroys, another holds a drum, which is the first sound heard in the world during creation, then the third arm points up in a reassuring gesture, and a fourth arm points down to the dwarf in which he dances to. ## Islamic Ascendancy (1192-1757) or Transitional Period - Period of Evolution from Vedism into Hinduism - **MAHABHARATA and RAMAYANA** (Great Indian Epics) ## Mogul period (16th Century) - **TAJ MAHAL** - Built in 1632 by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife. ## DIWALI - Celebrated by Hindus in India and all around the world in October or November. It is the Hindu New Year and is either a 3-day or 5-day holiday depending on where you come from. - It is a very exciting and colorful holiday where homes are cleaned to welcome the New Year and windows are opened so that Hindu godess of wealth, Lakshmi, can enter. Hindus believed that she cannot enter a house which is not lit up, so every household burns special Diwali clay lamps (diyas) to light the way for the godess, which is why the holiday is also known as the 'Festival of Lights'. ## RANGOLI - One of the most beautiful and most pleasing art forms of India. - Comprised of two words: "rang" meaning "color" and "gavalli" meaning "colored creepers" or "row of colors" - The art of making designs or patterns on the walls or the floor of the house, uses finely ground white powder along with different colors. # PAKISTAN ## MOHENJO DARO - "Mound of the Dead" is an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city that flourished between 2600 and 1900 BCE. ## KOT DIJI - Fort formally known as Fort Ahmadabad, is an 18th-century Talpur-era fort located in the town of Kot Diji in Khairpur District, Pakistan. ## TRUCK ART - Brightly colored flamboyant trucks, painted with images of idealized landscapes, famous personalities, flowers, and trees, etc. # CENTRAL ASIA ## UZBEKISTAN - Known for making printed cloth. Printed table-cloths, curtains, bed-spreads, shawls, and various coverlets were utilitarian and served as a daily-round ornament as well. ## KAZAKHSTAN - In ancient times, nomads used to draw on rocks , and today, these petro glyphs can be found throughout Kazakhstan. ## TAJIKISTAN - Have been making fabrics, utensils, musical instruments, carpets, furniture, jewelry, and many other things for many centuries. ## KYRGYSTAN - Kyrgyz women produce a wide range of textiles, mostly from the felt of their sheep. **Shirdaks** is a hand-made carpets or rugs. - Large elaborately embroidered wall hangings called **Tush Kyiz** are traditionally made in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, by elder women to commemorate the marriage of a son or daughter. ## WEST ASIA - Although these are some of the most acclaimed art forms contributed by the West Asia, their aesthetic can be seen in almost any product from the region even including such things as handmade soap from Syria or Lebanon.