Exhibition Speaker Series: Dr. Susan L. Huntington
Calendar Art from India and Sri Lanka in the Collection of the Dayton Art Institute
In the late nineteenth century, an Indian artist trained in the realistic painting style of the British rulers transformed the visual culture of India. Earlier painters often emphasized flat perspective systems and limited color palettes in contrast to the naturalistic spatial conventions and colors introduced by the Europeans. The adoption of the printing press fostered a technological revolution that enabled the mass publication of such paintings, which were often used to illustrate calendars that were easily accessible to the broad population. This talk explores the history and subject matter of such prints and the role they played in sustaining Hinduism and other indigenous religious traditions during a time of great cultural change.
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2–3 p.m.
Location: Leo Community Room
Cost: Free for members, included with general admission. This is a ticketed event. Advanced registration is strongly encouraged.
About the speaker:
Dr. Susan L. Huntington is a Distinguished University Professor, Emerita at The Ohio State University. A specialist in the art of ancient India, her research has focused on the Buddhist and Hindu traditions in particular. Among her numerous publications is Leaves from the Bodhi Tree: The Art of Pala India (8th–12th Centuries) and Its International Legacies (with John C. Huntington), a pioneering work that continues to serve as the standard on the subject today. It doubled as the catalog for the exhibition of the same name, organized in partnership with the Dayton Art Institute and hosted here in 1989. Over the course of her career, Professor Huntington has been honored with numerous distinctions and awards, including from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Award program, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Smithsonian Institution. With John C. Huntington, she is a founding Director of The John C. and Susan L. Huntington Photographic Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art at the University of Chicago.