Mandala - in search of enlightenment (Arnoldsche)

Hailing from the cultural realm of India, the mandala signifies in its original sense a sacred circle. It serves as a meditation aidand at the same time reflects an ancient symbolism of strictly geometric basic forms accompanied by an interpretation of itssacred content. As an expression of the awareness of higher affinities, the symmetrically arranged geometry can be found ina variety of pictorial works and the architecture of various epochs and cultural realms, for example in medieval book illumination,the floor plan of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, in Kazimir Malevich's Black Square, or in various objects of the indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Based on these and other masterpieces from renowned museums andprivate collections and illustrated in fascinating photographs of unique buildings and rituals, this publication offers an impressivefirst analysis of the phenomenon of sacred geometry in art and architecture and their underlying ideologies.