The Amida Buddha in Context
The Buddha was and is an important figure in several different cultures, and his influence has spread over large areas. Across these different cultures, many forms of art portrayed him in different ways. In Japan, one of the Buddha’s titles stood out as the “Amida Buddha.” The statue that this paper will be detailing portrays “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light” (“Amida”). The statue is located in the Dayton Art Institute’s Japanese Art Gallery 105 with the acquisition number 1935.1. Created in the thirteenth century during the Kamakura period, this statue stands out in the Dayton Art Institute as a prominent Buddha figure. It is made of wood with lacquer and gilt, and it was built to be approximately the size of a normal person.
The statue that will be the focus of this paper portrays the figure “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light.” Like many other statues of the Buddha, this Amida Buddha was portrayed to be deep in meditation, sitting cross-legged. A viewer could observe that the Amida Buddha is making a hand gesture while in deep meditation. These gestures, also known as “mudras,” are symbolic in the Buddhist religion, and they are used to convey certain ideas (O’Riley 70). In this case, the Amida Buddha is making the mudra of appeasement (“Amida”). More physical observations could be made by pointing out the “balanced form, divine features, and flowing drapery” (“Amida”) of the Amida Buddha. Those qualities represent the nature of the Buddha, revealing him as “transcendent, graceful, and compassionate” (“Amida”). Features common to other Buddha sculptures show up on this Amida Buddha, like the elongated earlobes, the mole on his forehead, and patterned hair. At first glance, the Am...
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...e Amida Buddha’s name is recited over and over again in a chant, whether silently or aloud, so that the individual may focus on the Amida Buddha and nothing else (Cleary). This sculpture is meant to portray the Amida Buddha that presides over the Pure Land, and it is a reaction to the Pure Land Buddhism’s popularity (“Amida”).
The process by which this particular statue was created involved using a method developed by Kaikei, a Japanese sculptor. It was a groundbreaking process that involved carving different pieces of wood separately and then joining them together (“Amida”). Instead of using a single object for creating a sculpture, multiple parts could be used to make the statue easier to construct and put together. After the parts were all joined together, the statue was covered in a lacquer finish and gilt was added to the face to give it the golden look.
Carved from alabaster the over-life-sized statue shows a idealized depiction of ruler Khafre sitting eloquently in his throne. Riddled with indicative symbols and motifs the written language of the ancient Egyptians allows for historian to interoperate the meanings and purpose of the sculpture, and decipher the statements of divinity and the king power left behind by this ancient people. This funerary statue represents Khafre’s eternity a well as utilizing the expensive material as a testament of his importance and
The Ancient Egyptian sculpture, “Statue of Nykara and His Family”, was sculpted during the late fifth dynasty. The sculpture is a depiction of Nykara, his wife, Nubkau, and son, Ankhma-Re. The statue is in poor condition with pieces of limestone missing and chips on the three subject’s faces and bodies. The painted limestone shows the conventional colors for the male and female subjects. There is a clear discoloration among Nykara and his son’s bodies. The brownish red color they once were has eroded to a light yellowish color, which resembles the purposeful color of Nykara’s wife. The hieroglyphs on Nykara’s seat insinuate that the sculpture is meant to be viewed from the front view. This is also evident by the way the three subjects are facing forward in frontal view. There are hieroglyphs on both the chair and base of the statue near Nykara’s wife and son’s feet.
The medium is Granodiorite and the technique used was sunken relief, which is a technique were the sculptor chisels deep outlines below the stone’s surface. The sculpture does not seem to be originally painted. The Egyptians created coloristic effects through contrasting shadows and highlights. They used natural pigments to color some sculptures, however this was not the case. There are deeply cut areas in the back of the statue that create deep shadows and the use of natural light helps to bring up the highlights. The granodiorite has natural colors that helped the sculptor show more of those shadows and highlights. The statue is mostly in a warm hue and it may be caused because of the lighting inside the museum. These warm colors make the details stand out more. At a closer look of the structure there are different colors that can be easily identified, such as white, yellow, brown, black, gray and small spots of orange. The statues seems to be carved in one piece. There are no signs indicating it
The lotus flowers surround Buddha and he also is sitting on a giant one. They are symbols that the Buddha is awakened almost as a sign of rebirth. The lotus flowers meaning in Buddhism means rising above everything and achieve enlightenment. There are lotus flowers that are not yet open representing that not all are yet enlightened and the lotuses that are fully bloomed representing full-enlightenment and self-awareness. Buddha sits in front of the Bodhi tree which literally means awakening or enlightenment. Behind the tree is a full moon and in Buddhism has a great significance. The Buddha was born on a full moon day and his enlightenment was also during a full moon. The Buddha also has earth touching mudra. Mudra is the religious hand gestures and earth touching is “calling the earth to witness”. These concepts go back to the Four Noble Truths. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. The fist noble truth is represented by the temptresses and the flaming arrows sent from Mara. After the temptresses did not seduce Buddha Mara sent flaming arrows from all directions towards the Buddha representing that all of life’s sufferings. This artwork shows the second noble truth by Buddha avoiding the temptresses that Mara sent and in this way Buddha avoided having cravings or desires. By not submitting to those desires and cravings Buddha realized that this is the ending all suffering is to remove all desire, ill will and ignorance therefore completing the third noble truth. The fourth noble truth is represented by the weight of the Buddha in the artwork showing Buddha not overweight and not starving but in the middle showing him living The Middle Path. When artists get to work responding and expressing, whether or not also to urge a point,
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
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.
This is an extremely high relief sculpture made of limestone. It is to be viewed from a frontal standpoint. It however does have a potential for movement. There seems to be a great deal going on in such a close space. It is very crowded, but dramatic. The figures are intertwining with each other all at once even though there are different things happening. It reminds me of a play with scenes. You can actually step in to it and feel as though you are a part of what is happening because of all the different directions each individual is facing.
Every Buddhist statue tells a story of its own. Educated person can say where the statue comes from and which time period it comes from just by looking at certain features, which proves the unique developments in eastern art, art that is so similar and different at the same time. Statues originating from same countries a lot of times are made of the same materials and are decorated in ways that trace throughout the region. For example there are three major features that characterize the Luang Prabang Buddha in comparison to those of the neighboring countries. The usanisa (cranial protuberance) is always embellished with a stylized flame; the earlobe unusually long is shaped like a snail shell; and the urna or divine frontal sign is never represented.
Buddhist steles are typically large, stone carvings meant to act as markers in prominent locations, such as temples, crossroads, or other Buddhist sites, in order to promote Buddhism. This stele in particular, entitled Shakyamuni and Prabhutaratna, is carved stone, standing 19.7” high. The work was created in China during the Eastern Wei period, sometime around 500 CE, and features indications of the late 5th-early 6th century such as the two seated buddhas and the dense robes worn by the buddhas. For it’s age, the stele is in respectable condition. All of the figures can be discerned from one another and the only obvious wear is around the edges of the stele, predominately on the left hand side. This wear could be from the object being transported from one place to another throughout its history, or from followers touching the piece while admiring it.
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
This sculpture seems to epitomize the ideal male human form. All of the body parts seem perfectly proportioned and the muscles are beautifully defined as if the image were of an athlete. The image is youthful with a calm demeanor. The right missing forearm looks as if it used to be resting at his side, while the left elbow was probably at a 90 degree angle, with the hand holding something. The slight bend in the left leg gives the impression of movement, as if the image was frozen while walking. The counterpoised stance adds an air of nobility to the "man".
Buddhism expert, Barbara O’Brien’s article called “Feeding the Buddha” explains many interesting rituals that Buddhists still do today. She explains that the most common and oldest ritual in Buddhism is the offering of food to monks. The offering of food reminds the people who practice Buddhism not to be greedy or selfish. The first Buddhist monks were homeless since they did not build monasteries. They would beg for food and the only thing they owned was their robe and the bowl they would eat off of when they received their food. Food offerings to monks is what supports them.
Throughout history, technological development has increased society’s need to observe one’s self within both media, and a real life setting. Nam June Paik’s “TV Buddha”, pictured below, (1974) is an example of how technology garners the attention of an individual to their self, facilitated through many forms of media, in this scenario, television. This work translates the artists intended reaction into the audience’s incidental reaction, as well as the way in which the artwork transmits its message. Contextually, the work was created in a time where new and emerging technologies were beginning, and the installation depicts a statue of Buddha, set before a camera that is designed to project his own image onto a TV screen in front of it. This gives the impression that he is silently contemplating his own image, as it infinitely appears on the TV screen, due to the presence of the camera (The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artists/bios/422/Nam%20June%20Paik). In a cultural aspect, the Buddha is revered as a being who “embodies flawless purity and selflessness” (Bogoda, R, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bogoda/bl139.html), a direct
...ing Greek originals in bronze and was collected by art lovers. Marble was mined by bow drills in shapes of large blocks. A smaller block of marble would make parts of the statue. Then the sculptors connected statues with dowels and use a small hand drill and chisels to make smaller details. Then, the sculptors would use rough powders to smooth the sculpture. Lastly, the artist will then attach the sculpture to a platform and then added paint on the statue. Accessories were added as bronze spears, swords, helmets, and jewelry (Cartwright 1).
The main interest in this short story is further elucidated when delving into a more profound level of the woman regarding her potential in acquiring timeless beauty. This potential, which transcends the careful inspection of reigning beauties, is only determined with a simple glimpse of her barefoot as evidenced by her, “Exquisitely chiseled toes, nails like the iridescent shells along the sore at Enoshima…” (Tanizaki 100). Her foot, which represents nothing but a small portion of the body, overshadowed the complete existence of other beauties. Only a glimpse of the woman’s barefoot was required for the confirmation to be delivered; a confirmation which ascertain her potential in blooming to a divine entity capable of infinite destruction. This definition of infinite destruction refers to the potential of the woman in having absolute control over men. Progressively, the woman’s potential is eventually seen with greater clarity when the artist was “scrutinizing her intently” during their encounter, and consequently, it has escalated to the sky in the sense th...