The Life of a Balinese Temple
Subtitle: Artistry, Imagination, and History in a Peasant Village
Contributors: Sandra Vitzthum (Illustrator)
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Published: May 2004
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 291
ISBN-13: 9780824825331
Subjects: Anthropology; Religious buildings; The Arts: General Issues; Temples; Religion; Batuan; Social Science; Art & Art Instruction; Subjects & Themes - Religious; Sociology; Bali; Rites and ceremonies; Customs & Traditions; Balinese (Indonesian people); Indonesia
Description: "Should a temple be seen as a work of art, its carvers as artists, its worshipers as art critics and patrons? What is a temple (and its art) to the people who make and use it? Noted anthropologist Hildred Geertz attempts to answer these and other questions in this look at transformations in material culture and social relations over time in a village temple in Bali. Throughout, Geertz offers insightful glimpses into what the statues, structures, and designs of Pura Desa Batuan convey to those who worship there, deepening our understanding of how a village community evaluates workmanship and imagery." "Illustrated with photographs, drawings, and maps, The Life of a Balinese Temple is a record of a complex communal achievement. Based on continued on-site study over a twenty-year period, it is a contribution to Bali studies and the anthropology of art that will also find an appreciative audience among students of religion, art historians, and those interested in material culture."--BOOK JACKET.