The Study on the Style and Value of Stone Buddha Statue of Hoeamsa Temple in Yangju

This study focus on the characteristics and of the Fragment of Stone Buddha of Hoeamsa Temple(檜巖寺). As is well known, this temple had been developed rebuilding by supporting of the royal family from the late of Korea Dynasty to the early of Joseon Dynasty(朝鮮). The Hoeamsa Temple Site in Yangju(陽州) is believed to have been destroyed in a fire in the late 16th century, and various artifacts have been excavated after several excavations since 1999. This Temple has been excavated a variety of Fragment of Stone Buddha statues. The Buddha statue of Hoeamsa Temple in Yangju has a hole on top of high usnisa(肉髻), and special folds in the left arm and a thick clothing style. It was reflects the sculptural Joseon style modified by the Tibet-Chinese style. This style is very similar to that of Buddha statues produced in the 15th century, supported by the royal family of Joseon. In particular, these statues were believed to have been produced around the first half of the 15th century when the temple was heavily fortified with the support of Prince Hyo-ryeong(孝寧大君). It is also interesting to note that these statues show the sculptural features of the early Joseon Dynasty, reflecting the Tibetan-Chinese sculptures style, compared to those of the Buddhist sculptures in the first half of the 15th century during the year of Yeongrak (1403~1424) and Seondeok (1426~1435), the kings of the Ming Dynasty. This reflects the development of Buddhist sculptures in the early Joseon Dynasty in line with the trend of Buddhist art in East Asia.

The formation of the art of socialistic realism in Mongolia: the main stages, the role of the Russian art school

Статья посвящена стилю социалистического реализма в изобразительном искусстве Монголии. Выделены основные этапы становления и факторы его формирования: революционные события и утверждение идеологии социализма; поддержка нового направления правительством Монголии, а также влияние российской художественной школы. Показана роль Российской академии художеств, Института им. И.Е. Репина, Института им. В.И. Сурикова в обучении и передаче художественных традиций и навыков монгольским художникам. Отмечено своеобразие монгольского варианта стиля соцреализма, синтезировавшего приемы и методы российской школы живописи с народными формами художественного творчества и буддийским искусством; показана непреходящая значимость и востребованность данного стиля в современном искусстве Монголии. Охарактеризовано творчество ведущих монгольских художников, и проведен искусствоведческий анализ ряда произведений. The article is devoted to the style of socialistic realism in the fine arts of Mongolia. The main stages of formation and factors of its formation are highlighted: revolutionary events and the establishment of the ideology of socialism; support of the new authorities of Mongolia, as well as the influence of the Russian art school. The role of the Russian Academy of Arts, the I.E. Repin St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov in teaching and transferring artistic traditions and skills to Mongolian artists is shown. The peculiarity of the Mongolian version of the style of socialist realism, which synthesized the techniques and methods of the Russian school of painting with folk forms of art and Buddhist art, is noted; the enduring importance and relevance of this style in the contemporary art of Mongolia is shown. The work of leading Mongolian artists is characterized and an art history analysis of a number of works is carried out.

Gandhara Art’s Influence on Buddhist Art in Xinjiang, China

The Gandhara region of India was the origin of Buddhist art, and, due to its unique geographical location, it was a place where European and Asian civilizations mingled. The original Gandhara Buddhist art style was largely influenced by the style of Classical Greek sculpture. With the gradual development, its sculpture art and Buddhist stories entered a prosperous period and began to spread eastward, exerting a profound impact on the development of Buddhist art in the early stage of western Regions and later in Xinjiang.

Precious Items Piling up Like Mountains: Buddhist Art Production via Fundraising Campaigns in Late Koryŏ Korea (918–1392)

Considering visual culture alongside written source material, this article uncovers the socioeconomic aspect of Korean Buddhist monastic life, which has been a marginalized field of research. Arguing against the idea of an “other-worldly” Buddhism, the article specifically discusses the ways in which Buddhist monasteries conducted fundraising activities in late Koryŏ period (918–1392 CE) Korea. Via fundraising strategies, which targeted wealthy aristocrats as well as the commoner population, Buddhist monks managed the production and maintenance of Buddhist material culture, such as the construction of shrines, the casting of precious sculptures, and the carving of thousands of woodblocks used for the printing of sacred Buddhist scriptures. While the scholarship on Koryŏ Buddhism has traditionally focused on meditation, doctrine, state sponsored rituals, and temples’ relationships with the royal court, this study expands the field by showing that economic activities were salient features of Koryŏ Buddhism “on the ground.” By initiating and overseeing fundraising activities, Buddhist manager-monks not only gained merit, but also maintained the presence and physical appearance of Buddhist temples, which constitute the framework of Buddhist ritual and practice.

Mongolian works of Buddhist art in the museums of Irkutsk: general characteristics of the collections

В статье дается общая характеристика монгольских буддийских коллекций в Иркутском областном художественном им. В.П. Сукачёва и Иркутском областном краеведческом музее. Показана значимость и оригинальность монгольских коллекций в музеях; приведены краткие истории их формирования и способы комплектования фондов восточными произведениями искусства. Дается сравнительный анализ коллекций; в частности, отмечается, что предметы монгольских собраний Иркутского областного художественного музея, в отличие от коллекций Иркутского областного краеведческого музея, были освящены ламами. Приводятся описания наиболее значимых монгольских экспонатов, анализируются экспонаты религиозного культа. The article provides a general description of the Mongolian Buddhist collections in the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum named after V.I. Sukachov and the Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. The significance and originality of Mongolian collections in museums is shown; brief histories of their formation and methods of acquisition of funds with oriental works of art are given. Comparative analysis of the collections is given; in particular, it is noted that the items of the Mongolian collections of the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum, in contrast to the collections of the Irkutsk Regional Museum of Local Lore, were consecrated by lamas. Descriptions of the most significant Mongolian exhibits are given; the exhibits of the religious cult are analyzed.

Collection of the Buddhist sculptures of Mongolia of the National Museum of the Republic of Buryatia

В статье впервые рассматривается собранная Национальным музеем Республики Бурятия коллекция буддийской скульптуры Монголии, связанной с именем Г. Дзанабадзара (1635–1723), основоположника монгольской школы в буддийском искусстве. В ходе изучения коллекции использовалась визуальная и сравнительная методика, а также знакомство с авторскими работами Мастера в музеях Монголии. В результате были выявлены три группы буддийских скульптур с характерными особенностями этой школы: цельное толстостенное литье, блестящая позолота, комбинированное золочение, особая техника освящения скульптур. Ярким украшением коллекции является авторская работа самого Дзанабадзара — скульптура Будды долголетия Амитаюса. Кроме того, около тридцати скульптур XVIII–XIX вв. представляют его школу. Третья группа скульптур состоит из поздних работ монгольских мастеров в виде реплик и подражаний. О коллекции монгольской скульптуры музея упоминалось в сообщении автора статьи на научной конференции в Монголии, посвященной 370-летию Дзанабадзара. Целью данной статьи является возможность ознакомить читателей с «эталонными» работами Великого Дзанабадзара и его школы, создавших базу для творчества следующих поколений художников. The collection of the Buddhist sculpture of Mongolia, which is related to the founder of the Mongolian school in the Buddhist art G. Zanabazar (1635–1723), is observed for the first time at this article. The process of research of the collection involved visual and comparative methods as well as conversance with the master’s works in museums of Mongolia. As a result, three groups of the Buddhist sculptures with special features of the school were fetched out: one-piece and heavy-walled casting, lucent gilding, special technic of sculpture consecrating. The collection cherry on top is Zanabazar’s own work — a sculpture of Buddha of longevity Amitayus. Furthermore, about thirty sculptures of 18th – 19th centuries represent his school. The third group of the sculptures consists of late works of Mongolian masters by way of replica and imitating. This collection of the Mongolian sculptures of the museum was mentioned by the article author at scientific conference in Mongolia dedicated to the 350th anniversary of Zanabazar’s birth. The article aim is to introduce to the readers the “reference” works of the great Zanabazar and his school, which prepared a basis for creation for the next generation of artists.

The Archaeology of Gandhāra

The main themes of archaeological research in Gandhāra are currently developing along a timeline that starts in the Late Bronze Age and ends in the Shahi period. The majority of scholarship, however, is focused on the chronological phase between 150 bce and 300 ce. Because of the unbalanced level of studies, it is not easy to define what archaeology can positively say about the knowledge of the ancient world in this corner of Asia. However, the overall result of archaeological research in Gandhāra shows that the region was itself a center, not simply a frontier region of interaction between Central Asia and Iran, India, and its coastlands. Gandhāra appears to have played a central role in many of the developments that occurred throughout the period considered here. With the spread of domesticated rice during the mid-2nd millennium, a double-crop agricultural system and associated farm breeding system developed, linking Gandhāra with Kashmir and trans-Himalaya. Toward the end of the 1st millennium, the northern valleys saw the diffusion of burial and settlement features and associated material culture, which allows archaeological and genetic comparisons with earlier complexes of Central Asia and Iran up to 1000 ce. The initial urban phase in Gandhāra (500–150 bce) is defined by the evidence from Barikot, Bhir Mound (Taxila I), and Charsadda. Mature urban phases (150 bce–350 ce) are defined by the evidence of the restructuring of old cities (such as Barikot) and new urban foundations (e.g., Taxila III and Charsadda/Shahikhan-dheri) during the phases of contact with the Indo-Greek, Saka-Parthian, Kushana, and Kushano-Sasanian systems of power. During the last three centuries of the mature urban phase, the Buddhist art of Gandhāra developed a narrative biographical mode, which represents its most distinctive feature. The following period until 650 ce, distinguished by uncertain or scarce assemblages, is defined as post-urban. The post-650 to c. 1000 ce evidence, marked by cultural material associated with the Shahi dynasties and the first phase of contact with the Islamic dynasty of the Ghaznavids, defines the late ancient period.

Research on a Buddha Mountain in Colonial-Period Korea: A Preliminary Discussion

Buddhist art became the focus of discussion when Japanese scholars began to construct Korean art history as an academic discipline. This paper presents a case study of how a particular Buddhist site, Mount Nam in Kyŏngju, was recognized, researched, and represented during the colonial period (1910–1945). By analyzing representative Japanese publications on the subject, I argue that there existed disconnection between the colonial government and the site-researchers. I re-evaluate the conventional narrative that the colonizers regarded Buddhist statues as “art” removed from their original religious setting. This paper reveals a more layered picture of the early years of historical discourse on the so-called Buddha Mountain and Buddhist sculptures of Korea.