Buddhist Encyclopedia -- Art

Author: Ding Mingti
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Ancient Chinese Buddhist artreaches its most brilliant peak during the Sui and Tang dynasties. With the unification of the country under the Sui dynasty and the economic and athletic development during the Tang dynasty, Chinese Buddhism flourished, giving rise to many new Buddhist sects. The evolution of these sects was fully reflected in Buddhist art. The Dunhuang cave art, the most representative of the Sui and Tang periods, also entered a new stage, achieving a perfect fusion of Indian Buddhist art and Chinese culture, marking the heyday of Dunhuang art. The sculptures, murals, and other Buddhist artworks in the Dunhuang caves, along with the artifacts preserved in the Dunhuang Manuscript Caves, initiated the study of Dunhuangology, which gradually gained worldwide popularity. Over more than a thousand years, Chinese Buddhist art has created a vast number of cultural and artistic treasures. These not only vividly reflect the development and changes of Buddhism in different eras but also provide concrete and authentic visual materials for studying the social customs of various dynasties in architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, music, as well as people's daily lives and productive activities. This book introduces the main forms of Buddhist art, hoping that readers can not only appreciate the unique artistic charm and aesthetic value of Buddhism but also understand its distinctive inner spirit.