Introduction to Art & Culture - Indian Perspective

• Art - Expression & application of Human Creativity and Imagination, typically in a visual form
• Culture -  way of life, all the achievements of human being as a member of a social group, human-made environment, it includes
  • Material
  • Non-material
• Elements of culture 
• Art, music, philosophy, religion, science
• Custom, tradition and festival 

• Civilization - having better ways of living like food, dress, communication, etc.(outer)
• Culture means a higher level of inner refinement

• Culture and Heritage 
• The culture we inherit from predecessors is called cultural heritage likewise national heritage, human heritage etc.
• Culture is liable to change but Heritage does not.

• Characteristic of culture
• It is learned and acquired 
• Shared by a group 
• Dynamic 
• Impacts behavior 
• Diversity 

• Importance of culture 
• Three eternal values of truth(philosophy and religion), beauty (art and architecture) and goodness(ethics and values of love, tolerance) are linked with culture
• Collective knowledge is what makes us human and it is being shared between inter and intra generations (culture)

• Characteristics of Indian Culture
• Continuity and change
• Secular outlook
• Universalism (peace, non-alignment, world fraternity)
• Variety and unity
• All the major religion of the world are here
• Geography and climate
• Foreign influence (Iranian, Greeks, Arab, British)
• Different racial stocks
• Regional Intermingling
• Remarkable capacity of assilimation of ideas
• Trade, pilgrimage, military campaign
• Materialistic and Spiritualistic