Avalokitesvara, The Bodhisattva Of Mercy And Expression?

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This carved schist shows Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. The divine statue is standing in front of a nimbus while clutching some sort of garment in his left hand. Most of his right arm seem to have fallen off. Only his lower body is is cover in clothes. He is also wearing several neck less that are attached to his ears as well. On the base of the statue four other Bodhisattva’s are carved surrounding someone who appears to be Buddha. Buddhism followed the concept that there are many Buddhist divinities that inhabit the heavens. They believe that take earthly forms out of compassion to help others attain enlightenment. These are known as Bodhisattvas or “Buddhas to be”. These Bodhisattva are viewed similar like saints in the christian community. The most popular Bodhisattva is Avalokitesvara. Bodhisattvas refrain from entering nirvana to complete their goal of helping every soul reach enlightenment. Avalokitesvara is depicted as a woman atlought most Bodhisattvas are males. Even though she is worshiped and honored by many she is not Buddha and still prey to him like the bottom of the schist shows. In this Bronze statue, a Roman emperor is shown in a god like state. Like any statues at the times they depicted the ruler in a larger than life state. This specific statue is missing the head and lower part of the right leg. He is rising his right arm while the left is resting on his hip. Its exaggerated proportions depicts the ruler in a perfect state most likely disregarding his actual appearance. The Classical style helped many emperors and rulers be conveyed as larger than life and being god like. Like most statues and figures the model was nude with symmetrical body parts. At that time athletes trained... ... middle of paper ... ...itioned to the side of her face rather than the front. The right arm is being held up which can symbolize authority. Although there is no color the body and hair look like they are cover in jewelry. In 1931 archeologists uncovered sculptures from the village of Nok present day Nigeria. This was the first time the Western Sudan was investigated. Hand made figures were discovered depicting people and animals made out of terracotta. Believed to be made during the first millennium the terracotta did not preserve well causing the figure to break apart leaving only the heads intact. The heads of these Nok figures were individualized to show tribal rulers. The size of the nostrils and mouth were used to describe how well respected and powerful the ruler was among the community. It is the first representation of the traditional African art that civilizations portrayed.

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