India, Feb. 18 -- The ancient treatise, Vishnudharmottara (mid-5th century) has a deeply interesting conversation between a king and a sage. The king wants to learn painting. But the sage tells him that first, he must learn the theory of dancing. The king, although mystified, agrees, because he is told that the laws of dancing are related to the principles that govern painting. However, the sage goes on to insist that the king must also study music, for no area of art can be pursued without a full knowledge of all the forms of creative expression.

The essential point is that Indian aesthetics is not fragmented. On the contrary, it is overwhelmingly holistic, representing an indivisible wholeness that must infuse the entire canvas of arti...