Urbanisation at Sannati (c. 300 bc–c. 300 ad): An Early Historic Buddhist Settlement in North Karnataka, India. A Comparative Perspective

Urbanisation has been studied almost from the middle of twentieth century by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists and city planners who have interpreted it variously. An urban centre would engage with specific functions particularly with regard to the hinterland. In urbanisation comparatively small settlements and simple communities develop into specialised centres and complex societies. As the process of urbanisation is examined from an archaeological or historical viewpoint, the major parameters frequently applied to situate urbanisation are location and size of settlements, large structures, art, writing and standardised medium of exchange. The issue of urbanisation has been studied in detail with respect to Northern India as compared to Deccan and particularly Karnataka. Sannati (Taluk Chittapur, district Gulbarga) in North Karnataka is the main site of investigation. It is a Maurya-Satavahana settlement with some remains belonging to the megalithic Iron Age. Sannati and the nearby settlements of Kanaganahalli are rich in Buddhist structures, sculptures and other antiquities. The author has made an effort to understand if the early historic material culture showed maturity when compared with the antecedent cultures. How did the external powers, such as Mauryas and the Satavahanas influence local development? Did the socio-political order meet the benchmarks of urbanisation? The author in this study has tried to locate urban contours in North Karnataka, especially at Sannati even when compared with other urban landscapes in northern India and the Deccan.

Peter Tomory : the New Zealand years, 1956-1968

<p>This thesis concerns Peter Tomory's nine years as Director of the Auckland City Art Gallery, between 1956 and 1964. The main theme that emerges in this study concerns the emphasis Tomory placed on professional practices, both at the Gallery and in the visual arts in New Zealand as a whole. The discussion is broken into four chapters. The first chapter sets the context for Tomory's directorship: his professional background, the New Zealand art world of the 1950s, and his initial vision for the Gallery. The second chapter is devoted to Tomory's development of the Gallery's permanent collection, and the third explores the ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions undertaken at the Gallery during his tenure. These broad topics are considered with reference to Tomory's policy statements, and through the close study of selected case studies. The final chapter examines the history of New Zealand art that Tomory developed over his twelve years in New Zealand (including both the texts he published while at the Gallery, and those he wrote while lecturing at the University of Auckland School of Fine Arts from 1965 to 1968) and his call for a more professional approach to art writing in this country. A bibliography of Tomory's published texts is included. A special effort is made in this study to consider Tomory's activities at the Gallery and his writing within their original historical and art-historical contexts, and also with reference to the way these actions and texts have been interpreted and employed by later commentators, especially post-nationalist critics. In this way, it is revealed that the history of New Zealand art formulated in the 1950s and 1960s was less homogenous, more complex and more contentious than it has more recently been portrayed.</p>

Peter Tomory : the New Zealand years, 1956-1968

<p>This thesis concerns Peter Tomory's nine years as Director of the Auckland City Art Gallery, between 1956 and 1964. The main theme that emerges in this study concerns the emphasis Tomory placed on professional practices, both at the Gallery and in the visual arts in New Zealand as a whole. The discussion is broken into four chapters. The first chapter sets the context for Tomory's directorship: his professional background, the New Zealand art world of the 1950s, and his initial vision for the Gallery. The second chapter is devoted to Tomory's development of the Gallery's permanent collection, and the third explores the ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions undertaken at the Gallery during his tenure. These broad topics are considered with reference to Tomory's policy statements, and through the close study of selected case studies. The final chapter examines the history of New Zealand art that Tomory developed over his twelve years in New Zealand (including both the texts he published while at the Gallery, and those he wrote while lecturing at the University of Auckland School of Fine Arts from 1965 to 1968) and his call for a more professional approach to art writing in this country. A bibliography of Tomory's published texts is included. A special effort is made in this study to consider Tomory's activities at the Gallery and his writing within their original historical and art-historical contexts, and also with reference to the way these actions and texts have been interpreted and employed by later commentators, especially post-nationalist critics. In this way, it is revealed that the history of New Zealand art formulated in the 1950s and 1960s was less homogenous, more complex and more contentious than it has more recently been portrayed.</p>

Autotheory as Feminist Practice in Art, Writing and Criticism, Lauren Fournier

Review of: Autotheory as Feminist Practice in Art, Writing and Criticism, Lauren FournierCambridge, MA and London: MIT Press (2021), 320 pp., h/bk,ISBN: 978-0-26204-556-8, US $35.00