About what the Buddha image informs : Buddist ethics as visual manifest
Item abstract only
Author
Aall, Ingrid See all items with this value
Date
2001
Volume
2
Pages
155-176
ISSN
1530-4108 See all items with this value
Abstract
This paper explains the process that determines the ideal representation of the traditional Buddha image in human form. With the understanding that an art object worthy of serving as a symbol of the Buddhist credo – must reflect the ethics of that credo – the paper begins by summarizing its essence.
Because the aesthetics, i.e. the artistic expression of the Buddha image, is inseparable from idea and function, an examination of how artist translates ‘Buddha-nature’ into visual terms is questioning what exactly it takes to make the conceptual qualities of a perfect being visible.
It considers the artist, his professional preparation; in terms of religious dedication, and technical training. The reader will follow a step by step survey of rules and laws, according to special directives and conventions that artists submit to when creating a Buddha image.
Over time a representation of the image emerged as the standardized final, qualified to aesthetically coin the ethics of the Buddha’s teachings. Such as image in order for it to overcome the accidental circumstance of time and place, employed a rich vocabulary of symbols. These will all be described and their meaning explained.
Indian theories of aesthetics explicitly mandate that in addition to the role of the artist; the viewer plays a decisive role. How viewers are expected to interact with the image, are discussed in details. Much as artists prepared themselves for the task of creating, the viewers too, are required to approach the work of art with an appropriate frame of mind.
Result from the research – into the many elements involved in the making of the Buddha image, including the process of arriving at its traditional aesthetic expression – is a narrative that, in layman’s terms, seeks to broaden the accessibility of the multi-layered significance of the Buddha image as an icon.
The paper ends with an epilogue that voice a number of concerns pertaining to the potential impact high-tech world-views will have on future Buddhist art.
Because the aesthetics, i.e. the artistic expression of the Buddha image, is inseparable from idea and function, an examination of how artist translates ‘Buddha-nature’ into visual terms is questioning what exactly it takes to make the conceptual qualities of a perfect being visible.
It considers the artist, his professional preparation; in terms of religious dedication, and technical training. The reader will follow a step by step survey of rules and laws, according to special directives and conventions that artists submit to when creating a Buddha image.
Over time a representation of the image emerged as the standardized final, qualified to aesthetically coin the ethics of the Buddha’s teachings. Such as image in order for it to overcome the accidental circumstance of time and place, employed a rich vocabulary of symbols. These will all be described and their meaning explained.
Indian theories of aesthetics explicitly mandate that in addition to the role of the artist; the viewer plays a decisive role. How viewers are expected to interact with the image, are discussed in details. Much as artists prepared themselves for the task of creating, the viewers too, are required to approach the work of art with an appropriate frame of mind.
Result from the research – into the many elements involved in the making of the Buddha image, including the process of arriving at its traditional aesthetic expression – is a narrative that, in layman’s terms, seeks to broaden the accessibility of the multi-layered significance of the Buddha image as an icon.
The paper ends with an epilogue that voice a number of concerns pertaining to the potential impact high-tech world-views will have on future Buddhist art.