‘ESSENCE OF INDIA’ IN S.F.

Opening Saturday at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is the exclusive American showing of “Essence of India.” The show is the grand finale of the nationwide “Festival of India,” a celebration of 200 exhibitions and performing arts presentations in 90 American cities.

The 18-month collaborative festival, produced by the governments of India and the U.S., featured Indian artists and performers, imported exhibition material rarely seen outside India and generated scholarly meetings.

“Essence of India” was organized by Indian scholar B.N. Gosway, who acted as guest curator for the exhibition of more than 200 works in sculpture and painting on loan from private collections and museums throughout India.

The exhibition is presented in keeping with the nine rasas-- emotional and aesthetic experiences evoked by works of art. The rasas cover a range of emotions: erotic, comic, pathetic, furious, heroic, terrible, odious, marvelous and tranquil.

“Essence of India” attempts to present Indian art (1500 BC through the 19th Century) in the context it was created, so that Western audiences may see it as Indian audiences would and according to the artist’s conception.

Sculpture in stone, terra cotta, stucco, ivory, wood and bronze from all geographic regions of India cover 3000 years. Paintings date from the early Sultanate period (1400-1550) to the 19th Century and include choice examples from the Rajasthani and Pahari schools.

Among favored themes are the exploits of the gods, adventures of epic heroes, ordinary scenes of life among mortals and allegorical representations of love.

“Essence of Indian Art” is making its only U.S. appearance at the San Francisco museum through Nov. 9. Its previous engagement was at the Grand Palais in Paris.

An illustrated catalogue with text by Gosway has been published by the Asian Art Museum to accompany the exhibition. For information about ancillary programs, call (415) 558-2993.

Special viewing times (before 10 a.m.) can be reserved for groups, as can docent-guided tours, by calling (415) 221-8130. Exclusive evening viewings can also be arranged for corporations and civic organizations, by calling the special events office at (415) 751-2500.

Locally, “The Master Weavers” celebrates the “Festival of India” at the County Museum of Art. The exhibition of 100 examples of Indian embroidery, printing and weaving continues through Sept. 21.

In “Hollywood--Inside and Out,” at the Municipal Art Gallery in Barnsdall Park (Tuesday through Sept. 14), curator Marie de Alcuaz has gathered works by artists who use imagery of movie idols and myths of Hollywood as well as more realistic depictions of the environment and people as they exist today.

Among the works shown are likenesses of glamour queens Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich by Richard Adkins, tender photographs of vintage actresses by Karl Gerot Kuehn, and portraits of stars by Don Bachardy, Andy Warhol and Richard Duardo.

Works in mixed media, collage and assemblage by Carole Caroompas, Simone Gad, Dan Collins, Bill Jack, and Ralph Loynachan incorporate movie stills and other found objects.

Photo-essays of metamorphoses into prototypical movie-star personae by Cindy Sherman and Sabato Fiorello are included, along with Alexis Smith’s explorations on the impact of films in her series, “The Twentieth Century.”

Anthony Austin’s conceptual drawings deal with imaginary landscapes while paintings by Phoebe Brunner, Hal Meltzer and Bill Eckert make visible their versions of Hollywood as cityscape.

Photographer Penny Wolin’s documentary photo essay sheds light on transient residents of a hotel, while Brian Tucker’s trenchant paintings expose punk rockers. Marcy Watton derives her images from TV re-runs of old movies. Videotapes by Branda Miller, Chip Lord, Antonio Muntadas and Kathy Tanney comment on the impact of the “stardom” craze on ordinary lives.