Looking at Art

The central cave at Longmen, built in the late 600s, vividly asserts the union of the concept of Buddha as universal sovereign with the concept of the emperor (or empress) as the living representation on earth of that principal.

The religious fervor and opulence of the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) can be seen in the intricately hand-copied sutras (the teachings of the Buddha) that date to this period. Korean monk-scribes were commissioned by royals, aristocrats, and individual high-ranking monks to write the sacred words of the Buddha by applying pigments of ground gold and silver to deep indigo–dyed mulberry paper. They began by pictorially narrating the sermons of the Buddha with key episodes within the sutra chapter on the frontispiece (first four sutra panels). The rest of the sutra comprised flowing calligraphy translating the Buddha’s teachings.

A demon (buta), 1993, by Duyeh. Indonesia; Cibiru, West Java. Wood, cloth, and mixed media. From the Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.121.

Learn about the Hindu deity Vishnu and his avatar Krishna, and hear a story about Krishna defeating the serpent Kaliya.

Watch Javanese artisans make batik and learn more about their refined techniques.

This background information will help you prepare your students for their visit to Yoga: The Art of Transformation (on view at the Asian Art Museum from February 21–May 25, 2014).

Refined Character Type: Arjuna, third of the Pandava (Pandawa) brothers, approx. 1950. Indonesia; West Java. Wood, cloth, and mixed media. From The Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.115.

Prior to the Edo period (1615–1868), many painters and sculptors remained anonymous, occupying relatively equal status to carpenters and other artisans. The position of the artist during the Edo period changed, as artists became more successful financially, and better educated. Some of them began to be seen as celebrities, arbiters of taste with eccentric personalities. Although many still worked for low wages in obscurity, the Edo period marks the emergence of the artist as individual, as the genius creator in Japan. Learn more.