Art Appreciation: An Introduction to Indian Art

By Dr. Kakoli Gogoi | Dibrugarh University

Learners enrolled: 492

The course intends to present a broad overview of Indian Art from pre-historical to contemporary times and to make the students aware of the rich heritage of Indian art. This course will help the students to understand various art forms, more specifically visual arts such as sculptures, paintings, architectural buildings and monuments etc. This course will help the students to appreciate Indian artistic traditions not merely for their aesthetic values but also for the historical processes associated with their creation. The course intended to see the art forms/pieces not in isolation but situate them in a larger context of polity, society, culture, religion, economy and environment. This course will also familiarize the students with symbolism associated with art objects to appreciate them not just as inanimate objects but as something with deeper meaning and historical significance. Through this course students will know the challenges facing by the art works and they shall be made aware of legal and institutional frameworks for heritage protection in India.

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Arts
Credit Points :	2
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	12 Jan 2026
End Date :	30 Apr 2026
Enrollment Ends :	28 Feb 2026
Exam Date :
Translation Languages :	English
NCrF Level	4.5 — 6.0

Page Visits

Course layout

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to Indian art, from ancient to contemporary times, in order to understand and appreciate its diversity and its aesthetic richness. The course will equip students with the abilities to understand art as a medium of cultural expression. It will give students direct exposure to Indian art through visuals, and visits to sites and museums.
Unit I. Prehistoric and protohistoric art: Rock art; Harappan arts and crafts
Unit II. Indian art (c. 600 BCE – 600 CE): World Heritage Site Managers, UNESCO World Heritage Manuals [can be downloaded/ accessed at www.unesco.org] Notions of art and craft Canons of Indian paintings Major developments in stupa, cave, and temple art and architecture Early Indian sculpture: style and iconography Numismatic art
Unit III. Indian Art (c. 600 CE – 1200 CE) : Temple forms and their architectural features Early illustrated manuscripts and mural painting traditions Early medieval sculpture: style and iconography Indian bronzes or metal icons
Unit IV. Indian art and architecture (c. 1200 CE – 1800 CE) : Sultanate and Mughal architecture Miniature painting traditions: Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari Introduction to fort, palace and haveli architecture V. Modern and Contemporary Indian art and Architecture: The Colonial Period Art movements: Bengal School of Art, Progressive Artists Group, etc. Major artists and their artworks Popular art forms (folk art traditions)

Books and references

Essential Readings:
Neumayer, Erwin, Lines of Stone: The pre-historic rock-art of India, South Asia Books, 1993
Goswamy, B.N., Essence of Indian Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1986
Huntington, Susan, The Art of Ancient India: Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Weatherhill, 1985
Mittar, Partha, Indian Art, Oxford 2001

Instructor bio

Dr. Kakoli Gogoi is presently teaching in the Department of History, Dibrugarh University (Assam) as Assistant Professor. She has completed her Undergraduate Degree from Hindu College, University of Delhi and did her Post Graduation from Faculty of History, University of Delhi. She had obtained her Doctoral Degree from Dibrugarh University.

Dr. Gogoi specializes in Medieval Indian history. She teaches social history and history of art and architecture of medieval India to Post-graduate students. Dr. Gogoi is presently working on cultural history, history of religion as well as history of pre-colonial Assam.

Course certificate

Course Certificate Criteria

1. End-Term Examination:
Weightage: 70% of the final result
Minimum Passing Criteria: 40%

2. Internal Assessment:
Weightage: 30% of the final result
Minimum Passing Criteria: 40%

Calculation of IA Marks:
Out of all graded weekly assessments/assignments, the top 50% of assignments shall be considered for the calculation of the final Internal Assessment marks.
All students who obtain 40% marks in the internal assessment and 40% marks in the end-term proctored exam separately will be eligible for the SWAYAM Credit Certificate.

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