BUDDHIST ART AND ARCHITECTURE by Robert...

BUDDHIST ART AND ARCHITECTURE by Robert E. Fisher (Thames & Hudson: $12.95; 216 pp.). Fisher does a noteworthy job of explaining how the flexible theology of Buddhism could intussuscept elements of indigenous cultures to inspire art that is robustly sensual in India, flamboyantly baroque in Tibet and elegantly austere in Japan. The well-chosen illustrations are keyed to the learned but not overly technical text, offering Western readers a readily approachable introduction to a rich, unfamiliar aesthetic.