Of all the world's great religions, where art is used to reflect the happenings, teaching, and values of various beliefs, none is believed to have been more prolific than Buddhism. With 137 vibrant color images and explanatory text, this book takes you on a tour of Southeast Asian religious paintings inspired by Theravada Buddhism. These painting are liberated from the confining dictates of perspective, shade, and shadow. Strong composition and story telling are central to their style. These works of art include: Phra Bot-hanging cloth paintings for temple use; icons on wood, cloth or paper; and manuscript paintings on Khoi paper. The subjects of these imaginative paintings are those of the Buddha, Jataka, and Phra Mali stories. Jataka stories detail the former lives of Buddha. Phra Mali stories tell of the life of a Buddhist saint. A brief history of art in Asia establishes a framework for the art portrayed. AUTHOR: James Bogle was has been collecting and researching Southeast Asian paintings ever since the 1950s. He has homes in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. SELLING POINTS: ? Explores one of the most original, and relatively unknown schools of world painting ? Details religious paintings, from cloth hangings to icons and manuscript paintings ? Most comprehensive book on classic Thai and Southeast Asian paintings in over 30 years 137 colour iamges
