ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to make acquaintance with Hindu aesthetic theory in terms of its leading concept of rasa, the better to appreciate why the sacred image traditionally does not quite 'do passion' in the realistic manner supposed of ancient Greece and Rome. In the art of representation, whether mimetic or otherwise, colour, or rather coloration, forms part of the process of pinning down, of identifying, potentially indistinguishable objects with respect to each other. Colour occupies a dynamic role in the art of depiction. Applying colour is an ambivalent process for traditional Hindu texts. Colour is vital, integral to the depiction and appreciation of rasa. The chapter considers the analysis of rasa pertains to the depiction of 'realism' in the visual arts. It discusses appreciation of traditional Hindu sacred art as a finished product. The chapter concludes with a brief assessment of what the future may hold for image-worship in Hinduism.
