ASSIGNMENT – I

SEC: ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Question. Explain the main features of the Gandhara and Mathura school of art.

Art history in India evolved into an autonomous disciplinary activity from its
common roots with archaeology in the nineteenth century. This maturation of the
discipline, as well as its ever-expanding scope and object-domain, has led it to engage
with issues that intersect with Archaeology, History, Anthropology, Art Conservation,
Archival, and Museum Studies, as well as other specialized fields of research like
Film, Theatre, and Performance Studies.
In the volume, Himanshu Prabha Ray's "Questioning Art History: Locating Religious
Identities" raises methodological problems about the colonial legacy of an object-
centered approach in Indian art history, which has remained detached from its Asian
moorings more often than not. She emphasizes the need of viewing Indian art and
architecture within an Asian cultural context that connects Asian art forms' shared
history.
During the Kushana period (late 1st century – 3rd Century CE), the Afghanistan-
Gandhara region and the Mathura emerged as two major centres of artistic activity.
We’d be discussing both the major schools of arts, Gandhara and Mathura school of
art in detail going forward.
According to S.R Dar, “An understanding of Gandhara art remains problematic
because scholars writing on the subject have done so from the perspective of their
own biases. West writers judged Gandhara art from the measure of Classical,
Roman, or Early Christian art, whereas South Asian scholars either followed their
European contemporaries or else regarded it as an intruder in the mainstream of
indigenous art. The result is that today Gandhara art is, in essence, disowned. That
is, it is generally regarded as neither Western nor even Indian despite its Indian
origins. The fundamental history of Gandhara art thus has yet to be resolved.”
Gandhara is likely the most well-known of the western Asiatic nations to those who
are already familiar with South Asian art traditions. Gandhara is situated on both
sides of the Indus River in the northwestern section of the Indian subcontinent.
Peshawar Valley, Svat, Buner, and Bajjora were all included. Gandhara art thrived
mostly in Afghanistan and present-day North-Western India. Taxila, Peshawar,
Begram, and Bamiyan were among the most prominent sites. Other main centres
from where the art pieces of Gandhara School have been found are Jalalabad, Hadda,
Bamaran.
The Gandhara school thrived between the 1st and 5th centuries CE, and it was
practiced in portions of Kashmir and Afghanistan until the 7th century. The first
impetus was most likely provided during the Indo-Bactrian era, although activity
peaked in the first two centuries CE. According to Upinder Singh, the stylistic
similarities, as well as variations, are a reflection of the contribution of various
ateliers. Some historians are of the view that the Gandhara school shows little
evidence of stylistic change over time. However, it is possible that the changes
haven’t been properly studied. The striking feature of the Gandhara School of art
shows a very realistic and natural depiction of features in perfection.
There are two schools of Gandhara art: early and later. Blue-grey schist stone was
used to create idols during the early school, which existed during the first and second
centuries A.D. In the beginning, blueschist and green phyllite were the main material
focused upon by the sculptors. The idols were made out of mud, lime, pilaster, and
stucco (lime plaster) in the later school, rather than schist stone around 1st century
CE, and it had mostly completely replaced stone by the 3rd Century. These idols
realistically depict the human figure, with limbs and other bodily organs clearly
shown. They have crisp features and are anatomically correct.
Gandhara School of Art can be said as an influence and culmination of both the
Indian as well as foreign traditions due to its strategic location. Gandhara School,
like the Kushana coinage, has a high level of syncretism. It had Indian elements, yet
it was done in a Graeco-Roman manner. The halo surrounding Lord Buddha's head,
Buddha's wavy hair, the forehead lines, Ornaments, and the drape and style of the
robes all show the Greco-Roman influence on Gandhara art. Images of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas were popular subjects, leading to the term Greco-Buddhist Art.
According to John C. Huntington, the general Hellenistic milieu in western Asia
during the first century BC and the first century AD was invariably seen as direct
Greek or Roman influence by early investigators. “Asian Hellenism" was owed to
Iranian, Scythian, and other traditions as well as a Greek and Roman legacy that was
regularly influenced by new infusions from the Mediterranean realm. The outcome
was a genuinely worldwide synthesis, both in terms of ideas and aesthetic
breakthroughs in art, when combined with forms and notions popular in the Indie
culture.
Scholars have debated whether the classical influence on Gandhara art was Greek,
Roman, or Early Christian from the beginning. The level of classical influence was
also a point of contention. The usage of terminologies like "Greco-Roman" or
"Classical" to describe the sculptures was meant to be a compromise. Alexander
Cunningham, James Burgess, Albert Griinwedel, Alfred Foucher, and John Marshall
were among those who campaigned for a pure Greek influence on Gandhara art, or at
least a largely Greek impact. Gandhara art, according to Griinwedel, is based on
Greek compositional rules. Foucher, the most ardent proponent of Greek influence
on Gandhara art, saw two opposite expansions: Hellenism's eastward growth and
Buddhism's westward expansion.
The facial features and curly or wavy hair, the strong torso, and the delicate, finely
outlined folds of the robes all have Graeco-Roman influences. Standing Buddha
images are fairly popular, and they generally contain the following characteristics:
the Buddha is barefoot and one leg is slightly bent. Many depictions of the Buddha
reclining in meditation were made by the Gandhara school.
At least one expert believed that Roman, rather than Greek, influenced Gandhara art
as early as 1875. W. Vaux was there at the time, and he was shortly followed by
William Simpson, V.A. Smith, and J. Fergusson. According to them, Roman and
Early Christian art were the established forms in the civilized world when Gandhara
art flourished under the Kushans in the 2nd century, and standing images of the
Buddha and narrative friezes are evocative of Roman works.
Scholars from Italy, Japan, Germany, and Pakistan have examined and excavated
sites in the Swat, Dir, Mardan, and Peshawar districts, as well as the Gilgit-Hunza
region. New museums have been constructed in numerous locations, and wonderful
new collections have been uncovered and cataloged. But, more crucially, the material
has been subjected to fresh methodologies and views. There is no longer a debate
about whether Gandhara art is Indian or non-Indian, and there is little interest in
determining whether the art is Roman or Greek in origin. Scholars refer to the art
simply as Gandhara art, rather than using terms like Greco-Buddhist or Romano-
Buddhist, which indicate a foreign origin.
A metal reliquary discovered in a big demolished stupa at Shah-ji-ki-dheri provides
evidence of Gandhara art. Buddha, Kusama kings, and flying geese are shown
(symbolic of wandering monks). Images of Bodhisattvas are put in niches for
adoration on the drum of the Chira Stupa in Taxila. Images of Buddha, Bodhisattvas,
and occurrences from their lives have been carved out of the Sehribhelol Stupa's
ramparts of miniature pillars. There were many additional facets of Gandhara art. At
Bimaran, for example, a gold reliquary with a sequence of figures within an arcade
was discovered. Ivory plaques have also been discovered in Begram.