Indian Art: Materials, Techniques and Artistic Practices

This course introduces the diversity of art practices and material culture from the Indian subcontinent against their socio-cultural, political and temporal settings. It is offered by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), an online education platform.

The course draws on critical themes in Indian art, such as tradition, rupture, continuity and innovation. It presents a focus on materials and practices, which will enable students to draw connections between the historical artifacts and contemporary objects from the immediate surroundings. This course is beneficial for art practitioners, aspiring art historians, and educators.

Some of the course contents are:

• Clay: Terracotta and Terracruda
• Architecture I: Basics of Buddhist and Jain architecture
• Architecture II: Hinduism and temple building
• Stone: Memorials, architectural remnants and objects