| RZ-50997-09 | Research Programs: Collaborative Research | Columbia University | The Unfinished: Indian Stone Carvers at Work | 1/1/2010 - 12/31/2012 | $255,000.00 | Vidya | J. | Dehejia | | | | Columbia University | New York | NY | 10027-7922 | USA | 2009 | Art History and Criticism | Collaborative Research | Research Programs | 255000 | 0 | 255000 | 0 | A study of unfinished rock-cut and constructed stone monuments in India. (24 months)
Just about every rock-cut site in India and every constructed stone monument yields something incomplete, and in this collaborative project, Dehejia and Rockwell suggest that the very concept of the "unfinished" in pre-modern India requires rethinking. Our preliminary study has begun to generate evidence to resolve a variety of art historical issues; one such, pertaining to rock-cut shrines, is that once the sanctum was complete and ready for worship, the finish of surrounding areas became irrelevant. We plan a volume of essays that will begin the process of integrating an appreciation of the issues related to stone-working techniques, the tools used, the processes of carvers, and the extent to which the final carvings are influenced by the nature of the stone used--into the history of South Asian art. "The Unfinished: Indian Stone Carvers at Work" is a significant start in an untouched field. |