Conclusion

Buddhist art, with a long history of development, is an important part of Chinese traditional culture. Originating from Indian subcontinent and ended up as a common religion in China, it’s important not only in dedicated art but also in the transformation and acceptance of new ideas.

As shown before, Buddhist art includes three parts: wall paintings, Buddhas’ paintings, and Buddhas’ statues. The main content of them are depictions of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives.

Wall paintings and Buddha’s paintings are mainly classified as same category. However, they have different emphasis and different contents. Before Tang Dynasty, wall paintings are the mainstream. However, in Tang Dynasty, as we known as the peak of Buddhism, the core ideas and spirits are included in people’s daily lives and environment. With nature and humanistic as subject, paintings start to depict Buddhas and their stories. Meanwhile, wall paintings are still popular. Many famous wall paintings are well preserved in Dunhuang, Mogaoku.

Buddhas’ statues are through the whole Buddhism history. Therefore, it’s one best method to show the changes and differences of Buddhas in different dynasties. Such differences can show not only the acceptance and cognition of people toward Buddhism, but also diverse characteristics and styles of artifacts in different dynasties. For example, in Northern Wei, the Buddha usually has a round but slightly thin face with long and large eyes. They sit or stand on four-legged pedestals, mostly in the shape of lotus petals. While in Tang dynasty, Buddha’s face is plump, and the head has a snail-shaped or water-wave hairstyle. They usually have the big drooping ears, and solemn, kind expressions. The pattern of the clothes is smooth, and the pleats of the lower body hang like a tablecloth in front of the seat, which is characteristic of the times. In Qing dynasty, Buddhas have broad forehead, delicate facial features, and expressive eyes. There are many Han-style clothes with radial patterns, vivid pleats, and larger silk. And the buddha sculptures have similarities of Qianlong's statues: Tara's eyeliner is in three folds with wide spacing.

Now this is the end of this trip. During the visit, we hope that you can appreciate these artifacts in Buddhist art and find some interesting characteristics that correlate them with other kinds of arts in different dynasties. However, Buddhist art and Buddhism culture are far more than this. We really hope that this visit can be the start point of your curiosity in Buddhism culture.

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