Indic Arts
An eye-catching repository of quintessentially Indian design elements
To be reminded that a line divides, and creates texture, is useful refresher material to any designer
Inspirations for Graphic Design from India is a beautifully produced book, revelling in the many luscious examples of the traditional crafts of India. They are a delight in design, colour and boldness, and filled with an undeniable graphic quality. This is of interest for two reasons. First, many of these are living traditions, threatened by industrialisation but conserved by the eorts of governments since the 1950s, especially in the area of textiles. These eorts have now taken root, and these traditional designs are being welcomed into modern living, going beyond the urban elite that first eagerly consumed them. The traditional and the modern are in a creative tension that we are navigating in our own ways, every day. Along with this, the design commentariat, perhaps exhausted by modernism, or consumed by an aching for its roots, often cries out for an ‘Indian’ design idiom. The relevance of this is a fraught subject too large for this space. But from it arises a tendency to quote, to copy and paste, traditional art into modern containers. Such quotation is not assimilation, where an influence is internalised and not obvious, which sookshma drishti (a subtle vision) alone could recognise as prerana, the breath of inspiration in the design, rather than becoming its body or decorating its surface. The book’s title may suggest such an exploration. It presents its body of works as examples of the bindu (point/dot), rekha (line), aakar (form) and several others. These overlap with the foundational elements used to teach graphic design in the European birthplaces of modern graphic design education. What could be more fundamental? To be reminded that a line divides—and creates texture—is useful refresher material to any designer, and revelatory to the interested non-designer. The introduction tells us that these design fundaments were known to the ancients, but I did not find wonder at this; I would have been surprised if the ancients, always smart fellows, had not thought these up. At other times, the commentary oers a stripping of the design element down to its very metaphysics. Coupled with the Sanskritic and other sources, they may serve to impress or mystify rather than enlighten. But don’t let my scepticism stop you. This book, with its traditional and contemporary examples, repurposes the traditional design arts of India. It is also a gateway to other collections and books, and a compact source of inspiration. Of course, the pleasure of looking is its own reward.