Two Periods of Buddhist Art in India
Two Periods of Buddhist Art in India Less than 1% of the population of modern India is Buddhist. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that India's importance for Buddhism and its art is mainly its historical influence. Not only is India the country where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, lived and taught, but it is the land where the first images of the Buddha were produced and where Buddhist iconography and symbolism evolved. Being a student whose family originates in India, I am interested in some of the historical aspects and influences of Buddhist Art in India. Therefore, my study of this topic extends to two of the most important periods of Buddhist art in India, the Kushan and the Gupta Periods. The Kushan period is the period in which the first human images of the Buddha appeared. This paper will briefly discuss the Mathura region and will primarily focus on the styles and attributes of sculptures from the Gandharan region. This discussion will illustrate how regional differences contributed in developing two distinct styles of art within the same period. Therefore, I will briefly discuss the history and location of the Gandharan region. I will focus on the Gandharan Bodhisattva (2nd/3rd century, made of sch
This often made such statues appear golden. In other words, the Gupta period was the beginning of the decline for Buddhist artistic representation in India. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. as Hinduism displaced Buddhism in India, the future of the art, like that of the faith, moved eastward" (Sherman 103). But for the most part, they reveal a purely Indic stylistic heritage that must have evolved independently" (Huntington 151). After conducting research on Gandharan sculptures, I found that the sense of volume conveyed in the outline of the Buddha's garment is characteristic of Gandhara sculptures. As we progress in time, we come to the Gupta period which was indeed influenced by the styles of the prior periods. This analysis is important in that it shows how the Buddhist sculpture in India reflects the ideals and the sophisticated aesthetics of the varied regions and periods in which it flourished. This example of a Gandharan Bodhisattva probably once stood in a stupa or temple. In summary, the culture of the Gupta empire influenced sculpture in that its Mahayana culture demanded more aesthetic value in the art-in which one can understand the meaning of the faith, rather than the figure of the Buddha. The intent is to focus us on the meaning of the faith instead of concentrating on the person of the Buddha. Such images highlight the emphasis on a royal celestial Buddha, which is heavily influenced by Mahayana beliefs. This sculpture is made from the material schist.
Common topics in this essay:
Preaching Buddha's,
Pratapaditya Pal,
Buddhist Art,
Karl Khandalavala,
Gandhara Greco-Buddhist,
Gandhara Penny,
Buddhism India,
Buddha Sarnath,
Gandharan Bodhisattva,
Mahayana Buddhism,
gupta period,
buddhist art,
gandharan bodhisattva,
preaching buddha,
kushan period,
preaching buddha sarnath,
buddha sarnath,
art institute,
concerned aesthetic,
buddhist art india,
art india,
regional location,
period concerned aesthetic,
sculpture preaching buddha,
kushan gupta periods,
|
Acceptance Essays
