Abstract
Artist Francesco Clemente (b. 1952) is described as a man of three worlds- his native Italy, India, and New York. Beginning in the mid-seventies Clemente has performed a ritualistic pattern of travel between these 'three worlds,' which he still maintains today. From the time Clemente first traveled to India in the year 1973, his artwork has been heavily influenced by Indian iconography. Many art critics and scholars have interpreted the presence of Indian themes in Clemente's works. Some accuse Clemente of exploiting exotic culture for his own creative means, while others read the Indian imagery in his work as evidence of an actual engagement with the country. Many scholars have explored the Indian iconography in Clemente's works, however none have addressed the prevalence of Tantric imagery in his art. This paper will identify the evolution of Tantric themes in Clemente's art over the period of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s with the aim of providing evidence for Clemente's in-depth understanding of the principals of Tantric ideology.
Advisor
Morrow, Kara
Department
Art and Art History
Recommended Citation
Cady, Eliza, "Artist Francesco Clemente's Understanding of Tantrism As Demonstrated By the Unfolding of Female Genitalia in His Works" (2012). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 147.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/147
Disciplines
History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology | Theory and Criticism
Keywords
francesco clemente, tantrism
Publication Date
2012
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2012 Eliza Cady