Buddhism in Sculpture Essay examples - 801 Words

Image that is recognized all around the world, name that does not take time remembering when that image is seen, a half naked man sitting in a meditative pose - some god, as seen by most people, Buddha is a messenger of internal peace that has as much of a story behind him as Jesus or Allah. Religions iconography and gods represented in sculptures always have a great deal of symbolism involved in them. Nothing ordinary person would look into these days until the topic is confronted unavoidably through a class or a show in a museum, which I was lucky enough to take a part of recently. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Every Buddhist statue tells a story of its own. Educated person can say where the statue comes from and which time period it†¦show more content†¦Although Buddha figures’ natural look, look that indicates life in the body made of rock, Asian statues’ shapes are still abstracted in some way. Chinese representations of Buddha are usually puffier and look inflated if compared to the images originating from such neighboring states as India and Japan where the form looks sharper and the shoulder-to-waist ratio is higher. Despite the abstract form statues’ expressions are still representative of Buddha’s meditative, neutral state of midlife, which captures his state of enlightenment and inner piece. One can only imagine how many statues there had been made over the centuries of philosophy’s existence. Besides the amount that has been destroyed with time there are thousands, probably millions that still exist and are available for public view and research. Minneapolis Institute of Art offers a wide array of examples that vary in styles, origins and time of production. I cannot leave unmentioned the fact that out of all the exhibits I have not seen enough examples of statue capturing Buddha’s moment of enlightenment under the sacred fig tree called Bodhi. Just like the cross Jesus was crucified upon, signifying the most important event in Christian history, that was an essential moment of Buddhist philosophy. The fact that there are not enoughShow MoreRelatedThe Rise And Spread Of Buddhism954 Words   |  4 PagesThe rise and spread of Buddhism brought about many radical changes throughout Asia. This included many new styles and inspirations for Asian art. The infl uence of Buddhism affected many art forms, particularly sculptures and architecture. For those who adopted Buddhism, it became a way a life, it changed the way they wanted to live. This in turn, influenced the artistic aspect of life in Asia. This can be easily shown in several art pieces, such as the Lion Capital, the Bull Capital, as well asRead MoreThe Role Of Buddhism And Its Arts1304 Words   |  6 PagesIndia were the artist of the Buddha sculpture titled as Teaching Buddha which represents the second miracle of Srasvasti wherein the Buddha performed his superiority over kasyapas. This piece of sculpture was made in second or third century as a seated Buddha on an inverted lotus throne supported by two elephants and a lion. This sculpture’s present location is at The UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) in Berkeley California. The sculpture is placed on the table which looks moreRead MoreRadical Changes On The Views Of Buddhism1415 Words   |  6 PagesChanges on the Views of Buddhism in One Century As time progresses, our views and perspective on certain topics may start to change, in order to adapt to our dynamic society. 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Essay: Formal and Stylistic Analysis of Buddha Amitabha Naiwen Zhang 02/10/2014 Professor Jones ! The sculpture Buddha Amitabha is a typical Sui Dynasty style art piece that represents the will of people who wish to have peace and joy. Their life goals is achieve enlightenment. Their believe of the existence of the western paradise where they will suffer no more from anything. It is also a piece of love and good fortune that was sent from the women to their family. ! Buddha Amitabha is a bronzeRead MoreBuddhism And The Buddhist Art1289 Words   |  6 PagesBuddhism is actually more of a philosophy or way of life than a religion. Approximately 350 million people around the world are Buddhists. It began about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama at age 35, known as the Buddha, was â€Å"awakened or enlightened†. Buddhism basically means you must lead a moral life, be aware of your thoughts and actions and try to develop wisdom and understanding. It explains a purpose to life, tries to explain injustice and inequality and provides a way of life that leadsRead MoreWhen Asia Was the World Book Analysis Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesGordon’s When Asia Was The World, I found the story of Xuanzang very interesting. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who traveled all over to learn more about Buddhism until he became confused and decided to go to the center of Buddhism, along the way he faced many difficulties, he decided to go back to Chin a and share what he had learned. Buddhism began in India; it was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince, born in Nepal. Siddhartha Gautama wandered around for awhile acting like a beggar to figure