Indian Sculpture
Here is a unique and original insight into the creative processes of a modern sculptor whose work bears a defi nite connection with Indian sculptural traditions. This monograph enables the reader to form an idea of the conscious and unconscious forces that drive an artist. Carmel Berkson brings to bear her lifetime experience as sculptor to this perceptive revelation.
Carmel Berkson’s books, photographs and sculptures are infused with India’s fundamental artistic force which, during her long sojourn in India, she has imbibed at the great temples. Her monograph is a profound commentary on issues of import regarding contemporary art in India. While folk and traditional artists continue to refl ect the perennial ethos in prolifi c imagery, so much of today’s urban and art school work is still in the grip of global infl uences which have little to do with our own culture. Carmel’s insightful statement lays strong emphasis on the interdependence of the ancestral artistic wisdom as it prefi gures many of today’s scientifi c concerns. If we are to stay in touch with our heritage, these values must remain as the structural foundation for truly authentic contemporary Indian sculpture.
I believe that the essence of Carmel’s vision, as evidenced in her most recent sculpture, may, in the fi nal analysis, contain the essential formula for a long overdue artistic regeneration.
Kapila Vatsyayan
Carmel Berkson’s life has been one long, passionate quest, to unearth the secret of the power, dignity and serenity of classical Indian sculpture. The depth of her insight and interpretation is refl ected, not only in her penetrating eye, but in her own creative output as a practicing sculptor of extraordinary power and sensibility. She has spent half a lifetime communing with the profound, heroic period of India’s creative vision and spiritual depth and its relevance for our own times. It has resulted in a work of such psychological insight and philosophic profundity as will prove an inspiration to scholars and practicing sculptors alike.
Ebrahim Alkazi
There are so many publications about our Indian sculpture, but Carmel Berkson’s is totally different and wonderful. Though we have forgotten our own roots, her creations in bronze concentrate on retrieving the connection with the soul of Indian sculpture’s eternal beauty and strength.
Tapas Sarkar (India’s leading creator
of dynamic monumental sculpture)
