BUDDHIST ART

Buddhist Art

Buddhist Art

Over the centuries, the image of the Buddha has unquestionably become more widely known than the historical Buddha himself. Owing to a combination of factors—among them, an expanding international art market, the development of increasingly sophisticated methods of mechanical reproduction. The rise of global capitalism, and the spread of Buddhism well beyond the borders of Asia—images of buddhas can now readily be found in almost every corner of the world: in monasteries and temples, to be sure, but also in art museums, private collections, and an array of popular commercial settings ranging from restaurants to flea markets. While museumgoers, at least, usually provided with some explanation of what they look at, many of the shoppers at a retail chain store such as Pier One Imports, by contrast, will have little familiarity with the history that might pertain to the shelves full of bronze and wooden buddhas that confront them there (Hung, 2006).

Historically, images were often the central focus of Buddhist worship and ritual practices. They also played an important role in the growth and propagation of the faith, and figure prominently in various Buddhist narratives.

Leshan Giant Buddha

The construction of the Buddha began in 713 in the Tang Dynasty, and completed 90 years later. It was carved on a mountainside, facing the river to appease the spirits and provide a passage for vessels alone. According to some scientists, the mass of stones cleared from the mountain and poured back into the river was so important that it would have changed the water flow and indeed provided a passage for vessels less agitated. It seems that the massive construction thus created led to extract from the cliff so much material, then deposited in the river, that the work reduced the eddies of the river, now making ...