Symbolism in Buddhist and Christian Art - Essay Example

Symbolism in Buddhist and Christian Art Every culture in the world utilizes some form of iconography in their art.Christian art has always perpetuated its deep, religious symbolism throughout the ages by imbedding both hidden and overt symbols in nearly every painting created by the great masters. Buddhist art, originating in India and eventually finding its way into Chinese culture, is immensely rich in symbols and their meanings as well. Iconography literally means “image writing”. In this, artists cleverly weaved images and objects into the scenes they depicted on their canvasses. Most of these objects were simple and common at first glance, but apparently invoked great power when viewed in the right way. The artists did not do this just to play with their viewers’ eyes and minds. There was a much greater purpose behind it. Symbolical content and the placement of figures on the canvass were just as important as color and composition. Aside from icons and symbols, one significant aspect of Buddhist art and 15th century Christian art is the “language of gestures”. Even in earlier centuries, both cultures recognized the power of body language. Both used the human figure and elevated its parts into a higher, and even divine, plane. Nevertheless, there was a difference between the visual “language” used by Christian art from that of Buddhist art. Christian paintings, particularly those done during the Renaissance, edified the human figure—giving it dynamic expressions and movement, as seen in the clenched muscles of the face and arms, the bend of a hand or its fingers, the posture of the body, and even in the graceful folds of a long tunic. On the flat, two-dimensional canvass of a typical Christian painting, there is a definite call to action. One can almost feel the figures move and breathe. Although steeped in esoteric symbolim, realism still played a great role in the purpose and composition of Christian art. The Canigani Madonna by Raphael, 1507 Ancient Buddhist art, meanwhile, centered on the figures of its deities a great deal—particularly in sculptures of the Siddhartha Gautama (the founder of Buddhism) himself. In this style of art, the figure of the Buddha is almost always depicted in a passive, inert manner. By no means was he ever seen as an “action figure” by Buddhists. He is either sitting in a lotus position, standing (although this is rare), and even reclining! Reclining Buddha This did not mean, however, that these artworks were any less powerful. Upon closer inspection, one will notice that there is a significantly meaningful component to these figures—their hands. Buddha apparently “speaks” to the faithful through various hand gestures that say quite a lot about the nature of Buddhism itself. These hand gestures and finger postures are what are known as mudras, which, in its highest form, it is a magical art of symbolical gestures through which the invisible forces may operate on the earthly sphere (“Mudras”). In mudras, a special secret is assigned to each of the five fingers starting with the thumb, namely, sky, wind, fire, water and earth. Combining the positions of the fingers with the position of the hand makes five basic mudras: the gesture of turning the wheel of Dharma, the gesture of meditation, the gesture of bestowal of supreme accomplishment, the gesture of touching the earth, and the gesture of turning the wheel of Dharma in meditation. The Five Basic Mudras In Renaissance art, we can often find the geometric image of a circle in a square. Many believed that the circle was the ultimate geometic figure—perfect and divine, while the square represented the universe as seen by mankind. Together, these two figures were meant to reconcile the heavenly and infinite with the earthly and man-made (“The Circle”). This figure of a square in a circle is repeated in the Indian mandala, which is a chart of the spiritual universe and its myriad realms and deities (“Mandala”). The Womb Realm Mandala is defined as the metaphysical space inhabited by the Five Wisdom Kings who represent the wisdom of the Buddha (“Womb Realm”). A Mandala Taizoukai (Womb World), Heian Period, 9th century Another example is the Four-Gate Mandala, where inside the circle is a square whose four sides show the four gates of entry to the study of Indic traditions: Inner - inner sciences, Past - history, Present - society today, and Outer - traditional knowledge systems. Entering through not just one, but all four gates is supposed to give the learner a complete insider’s perspective of Indic traditions (“Mandala”). The Four Gates Mandala From a Renaissance point of view, another example of square-in-the-circle is the renowned Vitruvian Man of Leonardo da Vinci, which is the image of a man inside a square and a circle. In Buddhist architecture, this geometric image is seen again in the stupa, which is the earliest known Buddhist monument. It was originally just a mound of mud or clay supposedly containing the ashes of a Buddha. Interestingly, a stupa is characterized by its main components: a square base and a hemispherical dome—once again, a circle in a square, as viewed from above. A Stupa The stupa eventually evolved into the pagoda as Buddhism spread to other Asian countries (“Stupa”). The pagoda—which is a tiered tower with multiple eaves—is now more commonly found in China, Japan and Korea. A Pagoda Color is used in many cultures to complement and empower the symbols depicted in art. Buddhist art, in particular, is characterized by what is known as the “rainbow body”—which is the absolute state of meditation where matter begins to be transformed into pure light before one attains the “clear light” of Nirvana (“Color Symbolism”). Since we all know that color comes from light, Buddhists therefore place a great spiritual significance to color. The “rainbow body” of color that leads one to the attainment of Nirvana. Five colors, in particular, are of special interest. An article in the online magazine Exotic India describes the significance of each in the context of meditation: white transforms the delusion of ignorance into the wisdom of reality; yellow transforms pride into wisdom of sameness; blue transforms anger into mirror like wisdom; red transforms the delusion of attachment into the wisdom of discernment; and green transforms jealousy into the wisdom of accomplishment (“Color Symbolism”). Consequently, color comes into significant play in the construction of a mandala, where each of the colors in its quadrants is associated with one of the five transcendental Buddhas. At the Met, I found a statue called The Seated Buddha, which was made in the Tang Dynasty. Made of dried lacquer and paint, the seated Buddha’s lower portion was missing, particularly its hands. But the position of the arms suggests that the hands would have been in a meditative pose. The faded red and blue color of its robes suggests that this must have once been a highly prized and extremely colorful piece of art. Seated Buddha – Tang Dynasty, (618-906) Works Cited Calter, Paul. “The Circle, The Wheel of Fortune and The Rose Window.” Dartmouth College. 1998. 23 May 2006. “Color Symbolism in Buddhist Art.” Exotic India. 2002. 23 May 2006. “Mandala of Indic Traditions.” Infinity Foundation. 2002. 22 May 2006. “Mudras: Symbolic Hand Gestures.” Buddha Studies, Buddha Dharma Education Association and BuddhaNet. 2004. 22 May 2006. “Stupa.” Wikipedia. 2006. 23 May 2006. “Womb Realm.” Wikipedia. 2005. 22 May 2006. Read More