Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy: “The Indians Have Never Believed in Art for Art...”

Analyses ideas of the famous indologist and orientalist, philosopher and art theorist whose works may be regarded as an attempt of the East­West cultural dialogue. The article focuses on the Coomaraswamy’s concepts that are most relevant and important today for both indologists and wider audiences. The main objective of the paper is to introduce the core principles of Coomaraswamy’s methodology to contemporary discourse and to reveal the specificity of his interpretations of the Oriental art and its features

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, Sri Lanka, Great Britain, United States, traditional society, art theory, Eastern aesthetics, beauty, Indian art, symbol, sign, Rasa Theory, museum

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