|
The ancient civilization of Gandhara was located
in
the region encompassing modern northeastern
Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. Situated
at a
confluence of trading paths along the Silk Route,
the
area was flooded in diverse cultural influences
ranging from Greece to China. Gandhara
flourished
under the Kushan Dynasty and their great king,
Kanishka, who is traditionally given credit for
spreading the philosophies of Buddhism
throughout
central Asia and into China. This period is viewed
as
the most important era in the history of
Buddhism.
After the conquests of Alexander the Great, the
creation of Greco-Bactrian kingdoms, and the
general
Hellenization of the subcontinent, Western
aesthetics
became prominent. Greek influence began
permeating
into Gandhara. Soon sculptors based the images
of the
Buddha on Greco-Roman models, depicting Him
as a
stocky and youthful Apollo, complete with
stretched
earlobes and loose monastic robes similar to a
Roman
toga. The extraordinary artistic creations of
Gandhara
reveal link between the different worlds of the
East
and West.
In the Buddhist religion, Bodhisattvas are souls
who
have attained enlightenment and no longer need
to
reincarnate, but forsake nirvana and choose to
come
back in order to alleviate the suffering of others.
This stunning Gandharan stucco sculpture of the
head
of a Bodhisattva reveals that these spiritual
beings
were celebrated even then, as Buddhism began to
spread
from India eastwards. This head was likely once
attached to a body, the whole of which probably
stood
in a niche on the exterior of a stupa or shrine.
The
head of this Bodhisattva is crowned in a
magnificent,
complex headdress that reveals his prestigious
social
stature. Some representations of Bohisattvas are
believed to depict Gandharan kings and princes,
as may
be the case with this particular example. Surely
the
prominent pointed divot in his lips may be an
attempt
to individualize the otherwise idealized portrait.
The angularity of the strongly defined brow,
which
merge at the bridge of the narrow nose, is
charateristic of the Gandharan style. The artists
of
Gandhara were the first to represent the Buddha
in his
human form, as opposed to a symbol such as his
footprint. This gorgeous head is a reminder of an
ancient civilization that, although vanished,
helped
spread the teachings of enlightenment
throughout the
heart of Asia.
- (LO.607)
|
