Fascination of China
Art in the temple
Art in the temple
Early Buddhist art in China has its origin in India as early as the 6th century BCE. Afterwards Buddhist art reached China in the 1st century AD by An Shigao, which led him built the city of Luoyang in 148 AD. Buddhist thought and practice had a major impact on chinese culture. New ideas were disseminated, in terms of visual representations using sculptures. The Buddhist world of thought was accepted by the chinese society, the ratio depended on factors such as class, gender and regional religious loyalty.
In the early period it cannot be assumed that the artists had already developed a deep understanding of Buddhist thought and its optimal representation. The first representation of the Buddha existed as paintings or relief sculptures inside the tombs of the elite population. The growing religious and artistic function of Buddhism is illustrated by a cast, gilded bronze figure dated back to 338 AD. The gilding implied the appreciation of additional, elaborate decoration.
The practical function of Buddhist art in China increased in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. The Mogao Caves (538/9 AD) of Dunhuang, which have been well preserved due to their protected location, are of great importance for the Buddhist art of this period. These contain inscriptions and ornate Buddhist murals. Today, only a few representations bear witness to the religious art and splendor during the Sui and Tang dynasty (wall paintings, textiles and altar vessels). A exemplary finding is represented by a group of sculptures from Chang'an (near present-day Xi'an). As an ideal example for later Buddhist representations, this finding has specific characteristics: The group includes the Buddha Amitabha, 2 flanking Bodhisattvas, 2 kings of heaven with halos and 2 lions. In general, the differences in the appearance of figures may stem from regional sculptural traditions. A typical example of a similar group of sculptures can be found in a stone niche in Changzhi, dating back to the 7th century AD. This finding contains the specific features in a more modest way. In contrast to the sculptures located in Chang'an, the group of sculptures in Changzhi contain students in monastic robes instead of heavenly kings.
Regarding Chinese culture and its development, the tradition of Daoism is of importance as well. This resulted in a competition between Buddhism and Daoism for loyalty and patronage. The tradition of Daoism place emphasis on the avaidance to illustrate specific images of its deities. This resulted resulted in independent, free-standing images of immortals. The Tang emperors were patrons of both, Buddhism as well as Daoism. An examplary finding of a Daoist iconography, which is dating back to this period, is represented by the figure of a seated heavenly dignitary.
In the course of time a "hierarchy of the arts" developed. This implied that the materials and the amount of effort required to make objects differed in great extent. Moreover, the establishment of printed images also emerged, which led to a massive increase in sacred texts and images (Diamond Sutra). The Buddhist art of the Northern Song dynasty is characterized by its naturalistically colored clay sculptures.
During the Southern Song dynasty, China's trading culture developed and the class of patronage for works of art broadened. The art was characterized by pictures and sculptures, which were widespread among the population. There was also a poetry culture among the population's elite. This time was determined by the increased influence of Chan- Tiantai Buddhism.
The Yuan dynasty was closely linked to Buddhism and its visual cultures. Therefore, the Buddhist scripture tripitaka was printed at this time. During the 14 century, northern China was shaped by the Quanzhan movement, which manifests itself in the cult of the "8 immortals". Wall painting was the main part of the drawing power of every monastery. In this way, wall painting took an active role in the religious ritual of the temple.
Temple renovations exemplify that Buddhist ideas changed from the 17th century onwards. More emphasis was placed on the renewal of bells and statues made of gilded bronze and less on new murals. During the later imperial era, the main incentive for the production of art was the service of religious belief. One example is the religious art in times of the Ming dynasty, when professional artists specifically attend to the production of books, ceramic sculptures, textiles and carvings, which testifies to their deep Buddhist belief. Resulting from outside influences, Christianity was reflected in visual religious art, too.
Significant for the religious art of the Qing dynasty are the many high-quality representations and the production by the imperial court in Peking, which resulted in a new court culture.
Source: Clunas, C. (1997): Art in the Temple. In: Art in China. Oxford University Press, USA. S.: 89-133.