Aesthetics of Visual Art of the Brahmanic tradition in Classical India. Analysis of the theory of art based on selected Sanskrit treatises

This dissertation describes and analysis four of the main problems of Aesthetics, i.e. concept of art, origins of art, author, and beholde as described in four Sanskrit art-treatises – the Nāṭya-śāstra, the Viṣṇu-dharmôttara-purāṇa, the Mayamata, the Abhinaya-darpaṇa. The treatises describe the rules of theatre, dance, plastic arts, and construction. Chapter 1 discusses selected problems of the concept of art that are fundamental for the understanding of the notion as it was in Classical India. The first problem is the classification of arts that sets the frame for further discussion in the dissertation. The second subject discusses the most important element of art, i.e. its sacred dimension. At last, various strategies to defining the concept of art are employed. Chapter 2 describes and analysis the stories of the origins of art as told by the art-treatises. The stories are analysed from the point of view of four notions: time, space, agents, and ritual. These four notions serve as the framework for the analysis of other concepts discussed in subsequent Chapters. Chapter 3 discusses the first type of agent – the art-person, i.e. author of srtwork. The role and position of art-person is discussed through the analysis of the terminology: names of professions, epithets, name of roles, organisation. Next, the requirements for art-person are presented and his/her role in the process of art making. The analyse is organised around the three notions: time, space, and ritual. The last part discusses social position of art-persons. Chapter 4 describes the role and position of the second type of agent – the beholder. All types of beholders are analysed, their role and position in an art situation, personal requirements and motivations for participating in artworld, as well as the consequences from the contact with art. Appendixes 1-4 present selected fragments of analysed Sanskrit texts – the Nāṭya-śāstra, the Viṣṇu-dharmôttara-purāṇa, the Maya-mata, the Abhinaya-darpaṇa respectively – with their translations and additionally comparative edition of various published versions.