Gandhara Art
The development and decline of the Gandhara artistic tradition can be traced over a period of 1000 years, between the conquest of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE and the Hindu Shahi period in 8th century CE. The earliest period of Gandharan artistic activity is attested to the beginning of the 1st century CE during the Saka-Parthian and later, the Kushan periods, but it was under the rule of the Kushan King Kanishka that this artistic tradition truly flourished. It was also at this time that the first anthropomorphic images of the Buddha were produced. Gandharan Art centers around the figure of the Buddha, whether it is in the form of iconic devotional statues or relief sculpture depicting the lives of the Buddha. Although many jatakas (previous birth-stories) have been identified in Gandharan art, it is the historical, biographic life of the Buddha, i.e., scenes from his birth to his death (birth, renunciation, departure, enlightenment, and death etc.) that form the major subject matter of Gandharan relief sculpture. These reliefs were one of the most commonly used revetments for decorating the myriad votive stupas in Gandhara. Apart from reliefs, thousands of Buddha and Bodhisattva images, ranging from small votive figures to monumental devotional statues, were produced and placed in chapels, stupas, and monasteries across the region.
Developing out of complex cross-cultural exchanges, Gandharan art is a hybridized visual culture that brings together styles, motifs, and iconographies from a corpus of Greek, Roman, Parthian, Central Asian, and Indic artistic traditions. The material used for Gandhara sculptures mainly comprises of schist: a metamorphic rock that comes in various hues such as grey, blue, and green etc., and allows for detailed carving. Originally Gandharan sculptures were painted and in some cases gilded as well. During later centuries, the period of Late Gandhara Art, the use of stone declined, and lime plaster or stucco became the popular medium for sculptural and architectural decorations. The forms and features of Gandhara Art not only influenced the art of Mathura and Hindu art of the Gupta Empire, but also spread northward along the Silk Road to Central Asia, and ultimately China, Korea, and Japan.
