Chinese Art Vs Greek Art

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After settling down in the Agrarian Age, many cultures took the time to create philosophies and religious practices. Yet, those weren’t the only things that developed. While honoring significant figures, these people were also created a new standard of beauty and art. Not only were they concerned with with the figure, but with their homes. Designed with artistic flair and style--paintings and statues served to represent their people’s ideals and values. Throughout history, many things were borrowed from another culture. Roman art typically imitated Greek work, such as the gigantic Marble statue of a bearded Hercules (access number: 03.12.14). Many statues during after the Roman Empire’s invasion imitated the Greek’s work, and these figures …show more content…

Similar to the Greeks and Romans, many Asian cultures followed suit. The Chinese sculpture, The Buddha Maitreya, represents the divine power of the Buddha through his hand gestures and his large size (access number: 38.158.1a–n). The altarpiece stands at an impressive height of 76.8 cm, is 40.6cm wide and 24.8 cm in diameter, yet Buddha takes up about a third of the composition. The Bodhisattvas, worshippers and lions are gathered around him, and are centering him. The effect of the gilt bronze serves this work well due to it providing the illusion of flickering fire and add another dimension of power and spirituality. Not only is the Buddha the greatest power in this sculpture, but he is powerful, able to reach a divine realm while also being protected and honored on Earth. Despite possessing such great power, Buddha is depicted as calm and welcoming. By giving him open palms, it gives the viewer a sense of his serene and accepting nature. This helps drive the story behind the piece, that being Buddha being a figure capable of granting wishes to his worshipers. However, in truth, the greatness of this work comes from his centralized position, literally and philosophically, and how many details are included. The draped clothing, stylized flames and even the fur on the lions’ manes show the amount of devotion the artist put in the piece and how significant Buddha was. …show more content…

However, an imitation can only represent so much meaning, especially since the Roman culture was taken from another source. However, the Chinese didn’t copy Hinduism. They converted it into their own philosophy. This shows creativity, especially since the Chinese created their own story about Buddha, and his depiction isn’t anything like Hindu gods such as Shiva. The Chinese had their own style in mind and stuck to it. In addition to that, the Chinese created a statue that focused less on the beauty of the figure and more on the beauty of his power. That’s something that really sets this work apart from others and shows different cultural values. Buddha’s appearance wasn’t supposed to be grand or fantastically attractive, unlike Greek and Roman ideals. He was supposed to humble, but able to perform miracles. The extravagance of flames and what Buddha can draw towards him is amazing, showing more meaning than a muscled sculpture of Hercules. Buddha shows more than just a figure, it shows great spiritual, social, and artistic

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