Introduction of the Buddhist figure art:
The art of Buddhist figures was initiated long back with introduction of Buddhism in India. There are several stories linked with the art of Buddhist figures and have been very popular all over the world. Legend has it that Ming Emperor Liu Zhuang in Eastern Han saw a golden man in his dreams without knowing anything about his place of origin. The very next day, he tried to explain the dream to his subjects. His minister Fu Yi said Xitianzhu (in ancient India) informed him about a sage called Buddha dressed in gold. The emperor related the dream with this sage. After which the emperor sent his attendants to Tianzhu on a diplomatic mission for seeking Buddhist doctrine. The attendants returned with Buddhist scripture and figures. These have managed to survive the severities of time to reach the present state. From the existing collection of stone sculptures and pottery Buddhist figures, studies have shown that the Han people carved them in accordance with the images of the celestial divines which was a trend at that time. Research have shown that in China, after five dynasties, the Chinese style slowly crept in the art work of Buddhist figures. These were not reliefs or even shallow carved images or even objects . These were Buddhist figures with whole body structure. The statues however still followed the Indian style of modeling.
Prosperity of the Buddhist figures:
The art of Buddhist figures flourished mainly in the Northern Wei period and showed traces of its influence from ancient India. At that time there was wide scale popularity of Buddhism which intruded in the art of casting Buddhist figures. The early works were very much influenced by several elements of Indian art. One of the most famous style of Buddhist figures that attracted much attention was two gold-plated copper Buddhas sitting abreast. The main figure-carving center was Hebei region which had gathered skillful craftsmen. From the middle of the Wei Dynasty, the figures changed a lot. During this time, the face of Buddha became fine and decated. These were earlier plump and decorous in appearance. In the late Northern Wei, the Longmen style was followed where the main stress was laid on more intricate and meticulous carving of Buddhist figures.
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Later developments of the figures of Buddha:
The Buddhist figures in Western Wei preserved the elegance but in the Northern Qi , the figures had more technical expression besides characterization. The sense of beauty was enhanced more than before. In the mature period of stone carvings, the Sui Dynasty produced many prominent Buddhist statues with unique features and dignified gestures adorned in magnificent dress. In the years that followed on, more changes gradually appeared and were recognized.
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