Indian Erotica

If there is one subject that has failed to come under a serious preview of Indian art, it is erotica. Grossly under-represented and misused -- as a source of titillation by some, as a marketing principle by others -- erotica has finally found the focus it deserves with this book. From the earliest of terracotta images of the mother goddess to Tantric diagrams, from celluloid depictions to palm leaf paintings, from modern art and advertising graffiti to the fine details of miniature paintings, this book covers ground that others have not ventured into. Finding a striking continuity in the motifs used in erotic art, it grounds them in the principles that have shaped brush strokes and line drawings, curvatures and camera focuses through the centuries. Varied visuals, some as old as Indian civilisation itself, most as sensuous as the topic they cover, chart this fresh rediscovery.