Barrett, Douglas E,/Basil Gray2019-05-242019-05-241963IA-873IA-873http://hdl.handle.net/1885/163542The childish gravity of the young Bodhisattva at school is beautifully portrayed, The paintings are no longer composed in the broad friezes of the earlier style but cover the whole surface of the wall, one scene merging with another, both horizontally and vertically, There is however no feeling of confusion, but a steady continuous movement which is only halted when the arrested eye imposes its frame, These paintings belong to the full maturity, the complete realization of a culture when man sees himself and his society as perfect instruments of life's purpose, This serene confidence which comes from mastery of self, not of nature, is remote from our period of unease: perhaps the reason why the later paintings of Ajanta have received more praise and attention, "The movement of line is sure and inevitable, without trick or cliche, The illusion of warm, rounded flesh is conveyed by unobtrusive modelling and shading, The colour remains cool and fresh even now, so that the paintings swiftly present themselves to the eye in the diffused light, Emotion and pathos are expressed by the controlled turn and poise of the body and by the eloquent gestures of the hands," p, 2735mmmounted transparencyb&wsepiaimage/tiffen-AUCave 16 5th cent. [Ajanta]architecturemuralsbook scan2019-05-24This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.