India: Notable Artists and Architects (and their Works, Contributions, and Notable Biographical Information) and Notable Art and Architecture Terms, Concepts, etc.

Gandhara School of Art (All Facts)

• School of Indian art which originated in the namesake province of northwest India around the 100s CE

• School of Indian art characterized by blending and synthesizing Greek and Buddhist

  • Up until that point, artists had closely followed Buddhist iconographical rules, representing the image of the Buddha symbolically

  • By that point, however, the Buddha was portrayed with European features and replete with images of Ancient Greece

• The Greek Buddhas were found all over the namesake province in the form of statues and paintings, particularly in Taxila and the great monastery of Takhti-Bahi

Gandhara Buddha (All Facts)

Great Monastery of Takhti-Bahi (All Facts)

Buddhist Art during the Gupta Empire (All Facts) 

• Reached its peak of development with distinct iconography 

• The Buddha

  • Was shown in various mudras

  • Had a majestic silhouette with broad shoulders and long streamlined legs

  • Had a face that was finely drawn

  • Had an enigmatic smile

  • Had his eyes half-closed in deep meditation

Mathura School (All Facts) 

• School of Buddhist Art 

Sarnath School (All Facts)

• School of Buddhist Art which found a fine balance between beauty of form and spiritual suggestion 

Mudras (All Facts)

• Gestures which the Buddha was represented in within Buddhist art

• Each gesture related to a different episode of his life

• Gestures that were shown included

  • Sitting

  • Meditating

  • Teaching

  • Standing

• Gestures showed him with his arm half-bent in a compassionate gesture

Kaliasa Temple at Ellora (All Facts)

• Constructed during the reign of Krishna of the Rashtrakuta Empire

Sringeri Sharada Peetham Matha (All Facts)

Ratha (All Facts)

• Shrine built like a pyramid

• Many were constructed during the Pallava Dynasty