Gandhara Art: The Greco-Buddhist Art

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INTRODUCTION Gandhara art, which is more popularly known as the Greco-Buddhist art, refers to an ancient district and culture or civilization that in one form or another existed from the 1st millennium BC till the 11th century AD. Although Gandhara went though a change in its geographical footprint over the period, its heart still lay in the valley of Peshawar. The Gandhara School of art is an art form dissimilar from the aniconic tradition of the early Indian sculptures and the tradition of Greco-Roman art; it absorbed the Indian and Mediterranean influences in art and culture. It is said that the Gandhara artists had the “hand of a Greek but the head and heart of an Indian.” In Sanskrit it was known as Puruṣapura, which literally …show more content…

Gandhara had absorbed Indian and Mediterranean influence in its art as well as its culture. This fusion of civilizations had taken place during the 6th and 5th century B.C, it was during this time period that the rhythm of civilizations was maintained. It was noted for the distinctive Gandhara style of Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian, and Indian artistic influence. As mentioned earlier the Gandhara artists were said to have hand of a Greek but the head and heart of an Indian . During this period the devotees had dedicated themselves to the novel task of carving stone images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. In their version of the Buddhist legends, the Gandhara artists, heavily favored the use of classical Roman art with bounteous of Greek mythology such as the angels that had garlands, Centaurs with human heads, arms and the body, spiral and flowing lines, Tritons with the fish tails and horse’s forefoot, scrolls and stuccos. The carving of the drapery showed the Hellenic influence on Gandhara art, for example the bright disc around the head of the Buddha or the half human being with the head of trunk of a women and tail of a fish. Similarly the wavy treatment of the hair, balance and distribution of weight considering the frame of human parts certain motifs and patterns all indicated a full close knowledge of

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