SCULPTURE

It is the most important art in India. It is the most favored medium of artistic expression on the Indian subcontinent

Indian sculpture is more of a decoration rather than an architectural setting.

Indian buildings were profusely adorned with it and indeed are often inseparable from it.

Its sculptures are characterized by complicated many armed figures

The subject matter of Indian sculpture was almost invariably abstracted human forms that were used to instruct people in the truths of the Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain religions.

The nude was used both to represent the body as a symbol of spirit and to reveal the imagined shapes of the gods.  

There is an almost complete suppression of individuality in Indian sculpture; this is because the figures are conceived of as shapes that are more perfect and final than anything to be found in the merely transitory appearance of human models.

The multiple heads and arms of sculptured Hindu divinities were thought necessary to display the manifold attributes of these gods’ power.

Examples of Indian Sculptures

• A Buddha from Mathura; seated on a lion throne with a large halo behind his head and attendants at his side.

• MAYAwas the birth mother of Gautama Buddha, the sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded

In Buddhist tradition Maya died soon after the birth of Buddha, generally said to be seven days afterwards, and came to life again in a Buddhist heaven, a pattern that is said to be followed in the births of all Buddhas.

Thus Maya did not raise her son who was instead raised by his maternal aunt Mahapajapati Gotami.

Maya would, however, on occasion descend from Heaven to give advice to her son.

Chinese Sculptures

The most notable sculptures are Buddhist figures.

The Chinese used clay and wood rather than stone in sculptured figures.

They found out that clay with its inherent plasticity allows for a softer rendition of the figure making the results look more realistic.

Japanese Sculpture

The Japanese found sculpture a much less sympathetic medium for artistic expression.

Most Japanese sculpture is associated with religion, and the mediums used declined with the lessening importance of traditional Buddhism.

The sculpture of Japan started from the clay figure.

The sculptures were made at local shops, used for sculpting and painting. Most sculptures were found at areas in front of houses and along walls of important buildings.

Most of the Japanese sculptures are derived from the worship in Buddhism or animistic rites of Shinto deity. In particular, sculpture among all the arts came to be most firmly centered on Buddhism. Materials traditionally used were metal—especially bronze—and, more commonly, wood, often lacquered, gilded, or brightly painted.

Thai Sculpture

In Thailand, stone and bronze depictions of the Buddha in sitting, standing, walking, or reclining positions are characteristics of Thai sculptural forms

Classical features such as an oval face and a flame-like protuberance at the head that is seen in works from the Sukhotai period continue in modern renditions.