Somaskanda, Chola Period,
circa 1100. Bronze from the collection of Doris Wierner, New
York City.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - ": Chola Bronzes from South India," on view at
the Dallas Museum of Art from April 14 to June 15, will next open
at The Cleveland Museum of Art, July 6 to September 14.
This exhibition and accompanying catalog feature South Indian
bronzes, most notably bronzes produced under the reign of the
Chola Dynasty between the Ninth and Thirteenth Centuries, which
are famed for their subtlety of modeling and fluent outline of
form. Balancing graceful realism and heroic classicism, Chola
bronzes are among the best-known and most admired objects of art
from the subcontinent.
Approximately 60 South Indian sculptures in this exhibition
present the first major survey of the art of Chola temple bronzes
and are drawn from important collections in the United States and
Europe. Organized in three thematic sections the exhibition
focuses on the iconography of the Hindu gods Shiva and Vishnu,
along with examples of Buddhist pieces are included to expand the
iconographic scheme and place the Chola work in a large context
of South Indian bronze sculpture. Photomurals of temples and a
bronze statue fully draped, ornamented and ready for processional
rituals, recreate the context in which these religious icons are
seen and worshiped in South Indian temples today.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is at 11150 East Boulevard. For
information, 888-CMA-0033 or www.clevelandart.org.
