THE MEDIUM AND THE MESSAGE COMPARING AND CONTRASTING BUDDHIST SCULPTURE IN VARYING MATERIALS

Transcription

1 THE MEDIUM AND THE MESSAGE COMPARING AND CONTRASTING BUDDHIST SCULPTURE IN VARYING MATERIALS This lesson is designed for a High School Asian Studies class that is studying Buddhist art in China and Japan. Purpose Students will look at Chinese and Japanese sacred sculpture and explore the different materials artists used to portray the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. How does the medium used (i.e., stone, metal, wood, lacquer) determine the message delivered by the artwork? Concepts Sculpture: an art in three dimensions Realism in art: the depiction of human figures as they appear, without any distortion or stylization Abstraction in art: art that does not imitate or directly represent external realities Cultural diffusion: when distinct traits or religions of one culture become a part of another culture. The concept of cultural diffusion is common throughout the world; in most cases diffusion occurs at a gradual pace through cultural, political, and economic influences. In Asia, Buddhism spread from India to China around the first century CE and later to the Korean Peninsula, and ultimately to Japan. Key Ideas Buddhism was a powerful unifying force that transcended geographic, ethnic, and linguistic boundaries. As it spread, it absorbed many of the cultural elements with which it came into contact. The representation of Buddha and Bodhisattvas (spiritually perfected humans) is a fundamental expression of Buddhist thought, so Buddhism served as a powerful stimulus for artistic creation. The enlightened status of Buddha is visually portrayed through specific attributes and distinguishing marks, as well as specific hand gestures (mudras), which are designed to convey a message to the viewer. o A bump or protuberance on the skull (wisdom) o A tuft of hair or jewel between the eyes (enlightenment) o Extended earlobes (princely status; rejection of materialism)

2 o Three folds in the neck (auspiciousness) o Monk's clothing (leads an ascetic life) o Hand gestures (mudras that signify different concepts: such as fear not, wish-granting, knowledge, victory over temptation) o Sitting on lotus platform (purity) Questions to consider when analyzing a sculptural work of art: o What is the subject and what does it represent? o What was the purpose and function of the statue? o What kind of belief does it embody? o How does it express this belief? o What material is the statue made of? o Has this material been used effectively? o Is the statue primarily rounded or angular? o Is there a lot of detail or is the form simplified? o Is the image individualized or abstracted? o How does the style relate to the original function of the image? Materials Chinese Stele with Sakyamuni and Bodhisattvas, , CMA [limestone] Seated Amitayus Buddha, , CMA [marble] Sakyamuni Buddha, , CMA [limestone] Bodhisattva, , CMA [hollow lacquer with traces of pigment and cut gold] Japanese Buddha of the Future (Maitreya), Japan ), CMA [cast bronze] Seated Shaka, Japan c.900, CMA [wood with lacquer and traces of paint] Amida Buddha, 1269, CMA [wood with cut gold leaf and polychrome] A Preaching Buddha, 8 th century, CMA [bronze with traces of gilt] Procedure 1. Show students the image of the cast-bronze Maitreya and explain that Buddhists believe there are there are a number of different Buddhas, in addition to the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. The Buddha of the Future, seen here, is thought by devout believers to be the Buddha who will appear at the end of the world to offer salvation. Have students look at the image carefully to see how the figure is depicted. [Projecting an air of serenity and compassion, Maitreya is shown here in a pensive, relaxed pose with the right leg crossed over the hanging left one. His right elbow casually leans against the bent leg, with the tips of the fingers of the right hand just touching the chin. He appears to be accessible to all who approach.] 2. Ask students to make a list of the attributes and distinguishing characteristics that they see [Maitreya is not wearing the clothing of a monk and does not have the head protuberance or the mark between the eyes] How is Maitreya dressed? [Maitreya is dressed as a worldly prince. He is wearing a high tripartite headdress with triangular points on which are inscribed his emblem, the stupa (a mound or

3 dome-shaped structure serving as a Buddhist shrine). He wears rich necklaces and other jewelry and has on a flowing skirt-like garment.] 3. Explain to students that by looking carefully at the face and garments of this statue, a viewer immediately knows that this is Maitreya depicted as a bodhisattva, an individual who is capable of achieving enlightenment but who voluntarily stays on earth to help other people achieve spiritual perfection. 4. Divide students into small groups and either assign or let each group pick out one of the images above to research. Give each group a photocopy of their chosen object, then have them research the properties of the material the sculptor (or sculptors) chose and the methods used. Then have them write a presentation answering as many of the questions posed above as they can apply to their object. 5. Have each group pick a spokesperson to share with the class their interpretation of their statue. Project a slide image of each work as it is being discussed. When the presentations are completed, initiate a class discussion as to how the material the sculptor used determined how he portrayed his subject. Make a list of the ideas and use it as an introduction to a class book featuring the individual presentations. Enrichment Activities A. Arrange a field trip to a local Buddhist temple or invite a practicing Buddhist to be a guest speaker in the classroom. B. Ask students if they know any one their age who is a practicing Buddhist and might be willing to speak to the class. C. Online distance learning activity on Buddhism through the Cleveland Museum of Art (technology permitting/funding permitting) Ohio State Standards: Relationship to State Model Curricula History Standard Students use materials drawn from the diversity of human experience to analyze and interpret significant events, patterns and themes in the history of Ohio, the United States, and the world. People in Societies Students use knowledge of perspectives, practices, and products of cultural, ethnic, and social groups to analyze the impact of their commonality and diversity within local, national, regional, and global settings. Grades 9 10: Benchmark A Analyze the influence of different cultural perspectives on the actions of groups. Geography Standard Students use knowledge of geographic locations, patterns, and processes to show the relationship between the physical environment and human activity, and to explain the interactions that occur in an increasingly independent world. Grades 11 12: Benchmark A Explain how the character and meaning of a place reflect a society s economics, politics, social values, ideology, and culture.

4 Social Studies Skills and Methods Students collect, organize, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple sources to draw logical conclusions. Students communicate this information using appropriate social studies technology in oral, written, and multimedia form and apply what they have learned to societal issues in simulated or real-world settings. This lesson plan was developed by Ken Lee, Westerville School System, Westerville, BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON BUDDHISM The founder of Buddhism was an Indian price named Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in what is now Nepal in about BCE 563. Before his birth it was prophesied he would either be a great ruler or a great religious thinker. His father, to ensure the succession of his throne, deliberately shielded Gautama from contact with the realities of everyday life beyond the palace gates. Siddhartha managed forays into the outside world where he saw human suffering for the first time namely, poverty, sickness, old age, and death. Deeply disturbed by what he saw, he renounced his family and his privileged life to become a wandering monk searching for the cause of so much suffering. What he sought was an explanation for the mystery of existence and a way of release from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that all humans must undergo according to the laws of karma, the law of cause and effect. Karma determines the conditions of a person's current life based on his or her actions in previous lives. It is only by breaking this cycle that an individual can be relieved from the world of suffering, impermanence, and death (samsara) and achieve nirvana (satori). After many years and attempting many different regimes, through meditation, Gautama finally attained a profound understanding of the nature of reality, or Enlightenment, becoming the Buddha. He spent the rest of his life teaching what he had learned until his death at the age of 80. Buddha taught that if one is to transcend the human cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, the cause of all human suffering, one must understand the Four Noble Truths, which became the basis of the Buddhist philosophy: o Life entails suffering. o Suffering is cause by human vanity and human attachments. o One can be liberated from suffering through the cessation of attachments. o This can be done by leading a disciplined, moral life and by meditating. A second important part of Buddhist teaching was the concept of the Middle Way; an individual must find the mean between the extremes of self-indulgence and selfdenial. This is called the Eightfold Path of right understanding, right purpose, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right awareness, and right concentration. A person who follows this path faithfully will attain nirvana, the freedom from domination by greed, hatred, and illusion. The attainment of nirvana can take many lifetimes. Some individuals, called Bodhisattvas ("beings of wisdom"), have the capacity to attain nirvana but choose to remain on earth to help other people achieve enlightenment.

5 Buddhism spread rapidly and after several centuries split doctrinally into two sects. In Theravada Buddhism the belief is that spiritual awakening was possible only if one gave up the ordinary life and became a monk or a nun. The other sect, known as Mahayana Buddhism, emphasized the possibility of universal Enlightenment without abandoning life in the secular world. Siddhartha Gautama never made any claims of divinity for himself. But even during his lifetime, Gautama was worshiped as a deity by his followers, who considered him to be the final Buddha in a series of earlier Buddhas. In Mahayana Buddhism a concept developed that more Buddhas would appear on earth in the future, particularly Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, whose coming was foretold by the historical Buddha, and whose teaching would purify the world. BUDDHISM IN ART Nearly all Chinese religious artworks were created by anonymous artists. Chinese sculpture became closely associated with Buddhism, which was introduced into China in the first century CE. The earliest Buddhist sculptures were monumental, frontal statues made of stone, bronze, gilded bronze, wood, and pottery (ceramics), which were not meant to be seen in the round. Wood and clay figures often were decorated with paint lacquer or gilt. Most Buddhist sculptures portrayed the founder of the religion Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, together with his disciples. In a Buddhist temple a beautifully decorated sculpture of the Buddha, most often made of gilded bronze or wood, is placed on a table or throne in the main hall near an altar holding utensils for religious rituals. Sculptures of attendant deities are placed to the right and left of the main deity. During the sixth century Chinese sculptors began making freestanding, three-dimensional sculptures of the Buddha out of stone or marble and within a century or two they had turned to creating monumental bronze statues. These no longer exist, but their style has been preserved in statues found elsewhere in Asia. They also made sculptures from clay or from wood that was covered with paint or lacquer. Because wood is perishable few of these wood sculptures created before the Tang dynasty ( have survived. By late in the Tang sculptors were able to produce large Buddha figures made of several parts held together with mortar and tenon joints. These were then covered with a thin layer of plaster or gesso and painted or lacquered, sometimes with gold accents. During this period, Buddhist sculpture became more delicate and graceful, typically using the tribhanga pose, a curved body with one hip thrust out to the side. This is a direct descendant of the Hellenic style of sculpture introduced into Asia originally by Alexander the Great. (See CMA Standing nd Sakyamuni from Gandhara in Pakistan, dating from the second half of the 2 century.) Buddhism came under attack by the Chinese government in the mid-9 th century. Monasteries were closed, their artworks destroyed, and monks and nuns forced to leave. While Buddhism continued to be practiced in China, it no longer was the dominant impetus for artistic creation, and the importance of Buddhist sculpture declined as the religion lost ground. The Buddhist religion was introduced from China into Japan, where many beautiful sculptures in the style of early Chinese Buddhism have been preserved. But as in everything else the Japanese adopted from abroad they changed it and made it their own, creating one of the great traditions of religious sculpture.

6 In the 11 th century, Japan sculptors developed a unique sculptural form enabling them to create massive wooden religious statues in relatively short time periods and also somewhat solving the problem of the wood drying and cracking with age. Up to this time wooden sculptures had been created from a single block with only a few appendages added. The new method was the multiple-block, or joined-wood, technique in which each section was carved separately and then joined together. Statues could now be created on what is almost an assembly-line technique, with various carvers specializing in different parts of the body.