Citation: Paulo Nuno Martins. An Essay on Spirituality in Indian Sacred Art: Some Perspectives. Sch J Arts Humanit
Soc Sci, 2021 Sept 9(9): 456-458.
456
Scholars Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Abbreviated Key Title: Sch J Arts Humanit Soc Sci
ISSN 2347-9493 (Print) | ISSN 2347-5374 (Online)
Journal homepage: https://saspublishers.com
An Essay on Spirituality in Indian Sacred Art: Some Perspectives
Paulo Nuno Martins
1
,
2*
1
Transdisciplinary Center for Studies of Consciousness, CTEC, Fernando Pessoa University of Oporto, Portugal
2
Interuniversity Center of History of Science and Technology, CIUHCT, New University of Lisbon, Portugal
DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2021.v09i09.011 | Received: 10.08.2021 | Accepted: 14.09.2021 | Published: 18.09.2021
*Corresponding author: Paulo Nuno Martins
Abstract Original Research Article
This essay describes some of the fundamental ideas that make Indian sacred art unique, namely the interconnection
between the spiritual and technical aspects present in several sacred artistic works carried out by various artists over
time. Thus, some practical applications of the “theory of the evolution of consciousness” in Indian sacred art will be
discussed, including the role played by the human body, as a fundamental “instrument” for expressing the devotion of
Indians.
Keywords: Fundamental concepts of Indian sacred art, theory of evolution and consciousness, human body and
devotion.
Copyright © 2021 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original
author and source are credited.
INTRODUCTION
Generally speaking, the link between
spirituality and art has existed since time immemorial in
various cultures, as a way of expressing the essence of
all human beings. For example, Indian sacred art has
presented a remarkable plurality and diversity with
influences from different philosophies and religions,
such as, Buddhism Hinduism, Islam, Mongol,
Christianity; also it has been expressed in Elephanta
Caves (extolling Shiva cult of Hinduism), the Vimala
Temple (highlighting the Shakti of Hinduism), the Taj-
Mahal (from Mongolism) and the Church of St. John
(from Christianity) [1]. On the other hand, in Western
culture, the fresco called “Final Judgment” by
Michelangelo on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel and the
work called “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci are
also examples that show the connection between art and
spirituality [2].
In this regard, an exchange between Eastern
and Western art has been sought by Martin Gurvich [3],
founder of the Indian Sacred Art Museum (MOSA), in
Belgium. He revealed Indian Sacred Art in Western
culture with works characterized by fundamental
concepts such as, truth (in Sanskrit, satyam), prosperity
(in Sanskrit, shivam) and beauty (in Sanskrit,
sundaram).
Studies carried on the intersection of Science
and Art have proposed that the “Reality in an artistic
work” [4] is created by the “conscience or the mind of
the observer”. Thus, it is the “mind of the artist”
(observer) that determines the work of art that will be
manifested [5]. In this sense, Einstein said that Science
and Art have a common source of inquiry which is the
search for the “Mystery of Life” [6]. So, both the
scientist and the artist seek to describe the “Beauty” that
underlies all visible manifestation [7].
This essay aims to present some Indian sacred
art works [8], which Sushma Bahl [9] illustrated
through different artistic images to promote the
“psychic unity” of the conscious and unconscious
aspects of human beings for us to know our true Self
and the “Beauty” of our soul.
METHODS
In this essay, 24 main articles and books in this
area of research, that is available in libraries, were
collected and analyzed. They were collected, based on
their “impact factor” and that of the “reference” books
on this theme. This was considered for the books and
articles to be useful to readers who want to greatly
understand this subject.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In Western and Eastern spirituality, it is
admitted that the Divine or God is one entity who
constitutes the base of all beings and the source of their
Life. This Entity expresses Himself through three
dynamic aspects called “Trimurti”, namely the creation
aspect (in Sanskrit, Brahma), preservation aspect (in