Art History 135FF: Art of Tibet
Professor:
Christian Luczanits
Spring Quarter, 2008
Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00-3:15 pm
Course Info: The art produced in the different regions of the Himalayas is almost exclusively religious and to a large extent an expression of Tibetan Buddhism. The course introduces the sources and main periods of the art of Tibet from the earliest examples, attributable to the 7th century, to the present according a western as well as an indigenous perspective. Special emphasis is given to those aspects of Tibetan art that are not easily accessible in the literature, such as the way Tibetan monuments, complex artifacts or series of artifacts have to be 'read' and the development and principal characteristics of the Tibetan mandala. It further focuses on the relationship of the art to the religious practice prevalent at the time of its production. Analyzing exemplary monuments and art works of different periods in greater detail, the course also exemplifies the use of different art historical methodologies in interpretation.