Buddhist Art

Meher McArthur is an art curator, writer and educator in Asia based in Los Angeles. She has curated over 20 exhibitions on Asian art for American museums and galleries. Her publication includes "Asian art: material, technique, style (Thames and Hudson, 2005) and Confucius (2005)" Reading Buddhist art: An illustration guide of Buddhist symbols and symbols "(Thames and Hudson, 2002) (Robert J. Lang, Tuttle, 2012) and a new expression in Origami Art (Tuttle (2005) London, London), 2010; Pegasus Books, New York, 2011), folding paper: infinite possibilities of origami , 2017). She also wrote a book for children "Art of ABC" (Getty, 2010).

Buddhist art includes sculptures, paintings, and other forms of art that represent Buddhist stories and concepts. The oldest Buddhist art was born in India, mainly symbolic, avoiding depiction of Buddha. Later, as Buddhism developed and spread to various cultures, its religious art was represented by a rich figurative image symbolizing Buddha, Bodhisattva, and God. Ceremonial arts like complicated mandalas used for meditation are also important aspects of Buddhist art.

After the death of Gautama Buddha (563 BC to 483 BC), early Buddhist art appeared in India and Sri Lanka. This primitive and periodic Buddhist art is distinctive (it avoids expressing human images directly). However, in the first century after the Greek invasion to the Greek culture in northwest India and India - the Kingdom of Greece, the symbolic era of Buddhist art began to flourish in India. As a result, the development of Buddhist art influenced the development of Indian art. In part, due to the prosperity of Muslim and Hinduism, Buddhism almost disappeared in India around the 10th century.

As Dharma spreads, adapts and evolves in each new recipient country, Buddhist art follows followers. It developed into East Asia through the northern part of Central Asia to form the northern branch of Buddhist art, and the eastern developed into Southeast Asia to form the southern branch of Buddhist art. In India, Buddhist art is prospering and developing with Hindu and Jainism arts. And the complex of the cave temple has influence each other. From the 2nd century BC to the 1st century sculptures became clearer and became to symbolize Buddha's lifetime and teachings. They usually take the form of a plaque or a seesaw associated with the decoration of a pagoda. In India there is a long tradition of sculpture and rich portrait mastery, but Buddha has never appeared in human form, but only through the symbol of Buddhism. This period may be outdated