HIST 215: Buddhist Art and Architecture in the Subcontinent Fall-17 Instructor Room No. Office Hours Email Telephone Secretary/TA TA Office Hours Course URL (if any) Nadhra Shahbaz Khan TBA Nadhra.shahbaz@lums.edu.pk TBA Course Basics Credit Hours 4 Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) Recitation/Lab (per Nbr of Lec(s) week) Tutorial (per week) Nbr of Lec(s) Course Distribution Core Elective Open for Student Category Close for Student Category No Yes Open to All None COURSE DESCRIPTION This course serves as an introduction to the Buddhist artistic traditions of the South Asian subcontinent that developed around 3 rd century BC and flourished until ca. 7 th century AD. All important schools and centers especially Mathura, Gandhara, Sarnath, Amravati, Nagarjunakonda and Gupta will be studied in detail for an analysis of the development of their individual artistic activities as well as in relation to each other. This study will include sculpture, bas-relief and paintings inside the Chaityas and Viharas and in Museum collections. A survey of the core tenets of Buddhism will enable the students to understand the subject matter, its significance and representation in art and architecture. Students will be encouraged to explore and study the Gandhara collections at the Lahore and Taxila Museums for their research papers and presentations.
Learning Outcomes After this course, they should be able to: Identify the core beliefs of Buddhism, major Buddhist styles and periods and basic Buddhist iconography used in Buddhist art and architecture in South Asia from 3 rd century BC - 7 th century AD. Identify representative works from those styles and periods, to describe their salient formal characteristics (materials, composition, iconography), and to relate these works to their cultural and historical contexts. Have a general understanding of the canon of Buddhist visual culture belonging to areas outside South Asia as well. Communicate effectively, both in oral presentations and essay-length papers using primary and secondary sources by visiting Museums and if possible, archaeological sites. Grading Breakup and Policy 10% Attendance Class Participation 10% Quizzes: 10% Presentation: 15% Project: 15% Final Exam: 40% (no midterm exam) Attendance is mandatory and more than four absents will mean an F Presentations will be marked individually. Topics will be given at least twenty days prior to the due date for presentation and paper The students are advised to take notes during lectures as only the image slides will be uploaded on lms Exams: Exam questions will be drawn from material covered during lectures and assigned reading. The final exam will be based on twenty slide identifications and one short essay on a topic chosen from class material. Several topics will be listed for choice. Reading Material: Additions may be made during the course to the material initially included in the reading pack One field trip towards the end of the session
Classroom management policy: Cell phones to be switched off Students walking out of the classroom in the middle of the session to be marked absent Classroom door to be closed five minutes after the session begins. Weekly Course Schedule with Lecture 1: Introduction to Art Terminology: Sculpture, Relief, Painting etc. Lecture 2: Introduction to Ancient India Vedas and Upinashads Dehejia, Vidya. Indian Art. London: Phaidon Press, 2002. Lecture 3: Introduction to the some important Hindu deities and their representation Coomaraswamy, Ananda K. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists. Bombay: Jaico Publishing House, 1999. Lecture 4: Introduction to Buddhism Coomaraswamy, Ananda K. The Origin of the Buddha Image & Elements of Buddhist Iconography. Coomaraswamy, Ananda K. Elements of Buddhist Iconography. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1972.
The Aniconic and Iconic Phases of Buddhism Lecture 5, 6: The First Symbols of the Buddha Vajracharya, Gautama. Pipal Tree, Tonsured Monks and Ushnisha. MARG 58, no. 3 (2007): 12-35. Lohuizen-de Leeuw, J. E. Van. The Representation of Buddha s Birth and Death in the Aniconic Period. MARG 58, no. 3 (2007): 36-43. Allen, Margaret Prosser. Ornament in Indian Architecture. Delaware: University of Delaware Press, 1991. Buddhist Art and Architecture During India s Early Dynasties Lecture 7, 8: The Mauryan Period Snodgrass, Adrian. The Symbolism of the Stupa. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass, 1992. Dehejia, Vidya. Discourse in Early Buddhist Art: Visual Narratives of India. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1997. Lecture 9, 10: The Sunga Period Coomaraswamy, Ananda K. Early Indian Architecture: Cities and City Gates. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1991. Lecture 11: Regional Developments Huntington, Susan L. The Art of Ancient India. Boston: Weather Hill, 2001. (p. 90-108)
Lecture 12, 14: The Saka and Parthian Kingdoms Snellgrove, David L, ed. The Image of the Buddha. Paris: Kodansha International, 1982. (p. 83-130) Lecture 15, 19: The Kusanas: Gandhara and its Influences and the Bactro-Gandhara Region and Mathura and its Related Sites and Styles Masterpieces of Gandhara Art in Pakistan. Islamabad: Unesco. Nadiem, Ihsan H. Buddhist Gandhara : History, Art and Architecture. Lahore: Sang-e Meel, 2003. Huntington, Susan L. The Art of Ancient India. Boston: Weather Hill, 2001. (p. 125-162) Lecture 20: Andhradesa and South India Huntington, Susan L. The Art of Ancient India. Boston: Weather Hill, 2001. (p. 124-130) Lecture 21, 22: Buddhist Cave Architecture Dehejia, Vidya and Peter Rockwell. A Flexible Concept of Finish: Rock-Cut Shrines in Premodern India. Archives of Asian Art 61, (2011): 61-90. Lecture 23, 24: The Gupta Period and Buddhist Cave Painting Behl, Benoy K. The Ajanta Caves: Ancient Paintings of Buddhist India. London: Thames and Hudson, 2005. Lecture 25-28: Presentations