denny Schools Periods & Styles book

Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama, 6th to 5th century BC, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world. (1) Footprint of the Buddha. 1st century, Gandhara Although India had a long sculptural tradition and a mastery of rich iconography, the Buddha was not yet represented in human form, but only through Buddhist symbolism. It has been argued that earlier anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha may have been made of wood and may have perished since then. However, no related archaeological evidence has been found. (2) Representation of the Buddha in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, 1st century AD Anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha started to emerge from the 1st century AD in Northern India. The two main centers of creation have been identified as Gandhara, in Pakistan, and the region of Mathura, in central northern India. The art of Gandhara benefited from centuries of interaction with Greek culture since the conquests of Alexander the Great in 332 BC and the subsequent establishment of the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms, leading to the development of Greco-Buddhist art. This iconic art was characterized from the start by a realistic idealism, combining realistic human features, proportions, attitudes and attributes, together with a sense of perfection and serenity reaching to the divine. This expression became the iconographic ...