History of Indian art - Research Paper Example

? Your Religion and Theology 12/03 Indian sculptural styles. Indians use human body to portray their gods and goddesses. The Male and female bodies are exaggerated to express superhuman powers and the attributes associated with them. Indian sculptures are made in terracotta, stone, metal wood and ivory and these icons are worshipped as actual gods. These divine sculptures of Indian gods and goddesses are clothed, bathed, taken for a walk. Jeweled, and even fed by the worshippers. Hence making these figures is also considered a divine practice so one needs to cleanse himself before engaging in this act of worship. 1 The ancient Hindu texts by the name of Vedas tell stories about the magical powers of the gods and these are interpreted through religious sculptures made for rituals, festivals, ceremonies, temples and shrines. These sculptures are also used for interior and exterior beautification of Indian temples and no religious practices are complete without them. Indians make offerings to these sculptures and treat them with utmost respect. 2 Every sculpture has a distinct style and these styles differ from region to region and have changed over the years. Every posture, expression, ornamentation and gesture of the Indian sculptures is symbolic and represents either a quality or depicts a scene from the ancient tales. 1Khanna, Balraj, and George Michell. 2000 2Gupta Style of Sculpture in India." Northern Indian style: 2000 years ago the Indian sub continent came under the rule of the Kushans and during this period we see the first images of Buddha in stone and plaster. These sculptures were made for shrines and monasteries in the Gandhara region and the city of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The sculptures particularly from Gandhara show a distinct Hellenistic influence which involves naturalistic depiction of human body, rich draperies that define the rounded shape of the body, symbolic postures, use of Halo behind the head and clear hand gestures like meditating, teaching and protecting. Buddha’s face is shown with expressions of tranquility and inner satisfaction. He has clearly modeled fish shaped eyes, straight nose, elongated earlobes and curly hair tied in a bun. Gandhara region also shows sculptures of Buddha as a royal figure with moustache, flowing hair, adorned with jewelry, dressesd in robes and sandals with clarity of facial expression. Apart from free standing sculptures of Buddha, we also find reliefs showing Buddha along with his devotees in meditation, scenes of sermon, and stories from the life of young Buddha, female Yakshi figures along with Buddha. 3 Central Indian temples are also known for their depictions of sexual scenes in sculptural reliefs of couples known as Mithunas. We often find these Mithunas in various Indian temples showing love making scenes since it was regarded as a divine practice. The women are always shown with full breasts, narrow waist and ample hips adorned with bangles and necklaces. 3Short essay on the Sculpture of Gupta age One of the most prominent sculptures of North India is the Lion Capital of Ashoka, Sarnath and it gives a hint of the grandeur of Mauryan Empire. The Kushana kings encourage the gandhara artists to make sculptures of Buddha’s life and jatakas. Excavations also show mythical figures and animals like atlantes, tritons, dragons and sea serpents. Sculptures are also decorated with acanthus, laurel and vine, Indian motifs, lion heads and lotus petals. Though we now see representation of Buddha in human form but still him symbolic interpretation was used alongside in the form of white elephant, boddhi tree, lotus flower, bull, chakra etc. We also find many sculptures of the highly adorned Bodhisattvas or Buddha as a prince before Nirvana. Gupta style: The Gupta style is said to have no foreign influence but is purely Indian in nature and existed during the time of Gupta dynasty 4th century AD. During this period sculptures flourished in aesthetics and accuracy. The prominent names sites for Gupta sculptures include temples at Kanchipuram in the state of Tamil Nadu and the Elephant cave near Mumbai. Maharashtra. Most of these sculptures are found outside built on rock surfaces. The image of the four-armed Lord Vishnu standing with unadorned cylindrical crowns is one of the most famous images and it personifies weapons or symbols. During the 5th century snakes were a prominent genre of sculpture and terracotta was extensively used. Sculpture of Shiva temple, the sculpture of Parvati Temple and the sculpture of Vishnu Temple were all made during the Gupta period which was said to have reflected the moods of the age. Many sculptures from this period showed scenes from Puranas that are sacred writings of legend and history from 4th century AD. Most of these sculptures were made to decorate shrines and were stone carvings. In Gupta sculptural art, human figures are the representation of nature and the youthfulness is often portrayed by the Gupta sculptor. The body has a rhythmic posture and drooping eyelids give a feeling of contemplation on the face particularly on the figure of Buddha. Gupta sculptor didn’t treat human figure merely as a study of anatomy but rather focused on aesthetics and expressions. One major element of Gupta style was idealization which led to the systemization of gestures, attitudes, flexions, proportions and measurements, and iconographic signs. The Gupta sculptors united the physical and spiritual aspects of life combining the 2 worlds, outside and inside. The period can be divided into two categories (1) free standing sculptures (2) narrative reliefs. The Gupta sculptures are soft, delicately modeled, the lines defining the form are rhythmically flowing and the body is given delicate and sensitive plastic treatment. 4 The drapery is almost transparent which does not disturb the plastic effect of the body it covers. Ornaments are well integrated with the body and mostly serene expression on the face. Terracotta art was also widely practiced in the Gupta period particularly in Ganga-Yamuna Basin for it was abundance in clay. Structural constructions were being done in bricks and curved bricks were used for interior and exterior decoration of building walls. Hence terracotta plaques and figurines were being used for beautification. We find numerous terracotta figurines from sites in North India. 4 Glubok, Shirley, Alfred H. Tamarin, and Carol Guyer. 1969 Tamilnadu style: It is located at the Southern tip of India and is known for its exquisite bronze sculptures of religious icons which are the exact copies of the image of god created within the temples. Since the original sculptures are not allowed to be taken outside except on annual festivals so these copies are made by molding the image in wax. After the mold cools, the bronze sculpture is taken out, burnished and final details then added by hand. We find bronze sculptures of Krishna, Shiva, Rama, Ganesh, Hanuman, Saraswati, Kali, Vishnu and Buddha from this region. The most prominent sculpture from Tamilnadu is of Shiva as Lord of Dance (Natraja) 11th century. Encircling Shiva is a flaming body Halo that represents the boundaries of cosmos. This figure is the perfect example of the complexity of Indian sculptures and their symbolic interpretations. The association of various gods with dance made it compulsory for the sculptor to study Natyashasra before depicting the deities. Hence this knowledge allot to the refinement of dance sculptures. Comparing these three distinct styles, we can see slight variations and evolution in styles of Indian sculptures over the years. From the Gandhara style of roman inspired drapery and decoration to the Gupta style of highly realistic and expressive plastic treatment sculptures to the Tamilnadu bronze sculptures of dancing deities, we see a variety of different styles and treatment of similar mediums for making these sculptures. References: Khanna, Balraj, and George Michell. 2000. Human and divine: 2000 years of Indian sculpture. London: Hayward Gallery Pub. "Gupta Style of Sculpture in India." Order photo prints, photo books, photo calendars and personalized photo gifts in India. http://www.itasveer.com/artsmart/forms-of-sculptures-in-india/gupta-style-of-sculpture-in-india (accessed December 4, 2012). "Short essay on the Sculpture of Gupta age." PreserveArticles.com: Preserving Your Articles for Eternity. http://www.preservearticles.com/2011101715509/short-essay-on-the-sculpture-of-gupta-age.html (accessed December 4, 2012). Glubok, Shirley, Alfred H. Tamarin, and Carol Guyer. 1969. The art of India. [New York]: Macmillan. Period, Pictures: Read More