Gupta art

• Gupta art is the art of the Gupta Empire, which ruled most of northern India, with its peak between about 300 and 480 CE, surviving in much reduced form until c. 550. The Gupta period is generally regarded as a classic peak and golden age of North Indian art for all the major religious groups. Gupta art is characterized by its "Classical decorum", in contrast to the subsequent Indian medieval art, which "subordinated the figure to the larger religious purpose".
• Although painting was evidently widespread, the surviving works are almost all religious sculpture. The period saw the emergence of the iconic carved stone deity in Hindu art, while the production of the Buddha-figure and Jain tirthankara figures continued to expand, the latter often on a very large scale. The traditional main centre of sculpture was Mathura, which continued to flourish, with the art of Gandhara, the centre of Greco-Buddhist art just beyond the northern border of Gupta territory, continuing to exert influence. Other centres emerged during the period, especially at Sarnath. Both Mathura and Sarnath exported sculpture to other parts of northern India.

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Standing Buddha of the art of Mathura. Gupta Empire period, circa 5th century CE.

Background

Gupta art was preceded by Kushan art, the art of the Kushan Empire in northern India, which flourished between the 1st and the 4th century CE and blended the tradition of the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, influenced by Hellenistic artistic canons, and the more Indian art of Mathura.In Western India, as visible in Devnimori, the Western Satraps (1st–4th century CE) developed a refined art, representing a Western Indian artistic tradition that was anterior to the rise of Gupta art, and which may have influenced not only the latter, but also the art of the Ajanta Caves, Sarnath and other places from the 5th century onward. In central India, the art of the Satavahanas had already created a rich Indian artistic idiom, as visible in Sanchi, which also influenced Gupta art.

One of the earliest dated Gupta statues, a Bodhisattva derived from the Kushan style of Mathura art, inscribed "year 64" of the Gupta era, 384 CE, Bodh Gaya.[15]

Style

• The Gupta style of statuary, especially as seen in the Buddha images, is characterized by several formative traits: ornate halos with floral and gem motifs, clothes with thin diaphanous drapery, specific hair curls, meditative eyes, elongated earlobes, relatively thick lower lips, and often three lines across the neck. There are several pieces of statuary from the Gupta period which are inscribed with a date. They work as a benchmark for the chronology and the evolution of style under the Guptas. These Gupta statues are dated from the Gupta era (which starts in 318–319 CE), and sometimes mention the reigning ruler of that time. Besides statuary, coinage is also an important chronological indicator.

Sculpture

• Three main schools of Gupta sculpture are often recognised, based in Mathura, Varanasi/Sarnath and to a lesser extent Nalanda.The distinctively different stones used for sculptures exported from the main centres described below aids identification greatly.
• Both Buddhist and Hindu sculpture concentrate on large, often near life-size, figures of the major deities, respectively Buddha, Vishnu and Shiva. The dynasty had a partiality to Vishnu, who now features more prominently, where the Kushan imperial family generally had preferred Shiva. Minor figures such as yakshi, which had been very prominent in preceding periods, are now smaller and less frequently represented, and the crowded scenes illustrating Jataka tales of the Buddha's previous lives are rare. When scenes include one of the major figures and other less important ones, there is a great difference in scale, with the major figures many times larger. This is also the case in representations of incidents from the Buddha's life, which earlier had showed all the figures on the same scale.

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Vishnu, 5th century, Mathura

Mathura school�

• The long-established Mathura school continued as one of the main two schools of Gupta Empire art, joined by the school of Varanasi and nearby Sarnath.Under the Guptas, Mathura remained primarily a center of Buddhist artistic activity and worship, but a few Hindu, especially Vaishnavite, sculptures started to appear. Mathura sculpture is characterized by its usage of mottled red stone from Karri in the district, and its foreign influences, continuing the traditions of the art of Gandhara and the art of the Kushans.
• The art of Mathura continued to become more sophisticated during the Gupta Empire. The pink sandstone sculptures of Mathura evolved during the Gupta period to reach a very high fineness of execution and delicacy in the modeling, displaying calm and serenity. The style become elegant and refined, with a very delicate rendering of the draping and a sort of radiance reinforced by the usage of pink sandstone. Artistic details tend to be less realistic, as seen in the symbolic shell-like curls used to render the hairstyle of the Buddha, and the orante halos around the head of the Buddhas. The art of the Gupta is often considered as the pinnacle of Indian Buddhist art, achieving a beautiful rendering of the Buddhist ideal.

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Standing Buddha, Mathura

Sculptures

Buddha in Abhaya Mudra. Kushana-Gupta transitional period. Circa 3rd-4th century, Mathura.[45]

Standing Buddha, inscribed Gupta Era year 115 (434 CE), Mathura.[4

Vishnu holds the Kaumodaki in his lower right hand; 5th century.

Sarnath school

• The Varanasi/ Sarnath style produced mainly Buddhist art, and "Sarnath Buddhas are probably the greatest single achievement of the Indian sculptor", largely setting the representation of the Buddha that was followed in eastern India and South-East Asia for many centuries, and the general representation of the human body in India. A number of dated examples show that the mature style did not develop until 450–475.It is characterized by its yellowish sandstone from the quarries of Chunar, and lacks the foreign influences seen in Mathura. Folds on clothing have disappeared, and the clothing itself is extremely thin, to the point of being transparent. The halo has become large and is often elaborately decorated. The top edge of the eye-socket is very marked, forming a sharply carved edge.

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• The Sarnath style was the origin of Buddha images in Siam, Cambodia and Java.

The Dharmachakra Pravartana Buddha at Sarnath, a Gupta statue of the Buddha from Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India, last quarter of the 5th century CE. The Buddha is depicted teaching in the lotus position, while making the Dharmacakra mudrā

The Mankuwar Buddha, with inscribed date "year 129 in the reign of Maharaja Kumaragupta", hence 448 CE.[55] Mankuwar, District of Allahabad. Lucknow Museum.

Buddha, standing, inscribed: "Gift of Abhayamira in 154 GE" (474 CE) in the reign of Kumaragupta II. Sarnath Museum.[57]

5th century Sarnath statue, Indian Museum.

Nalanda

• Gupta sculptural qualities tend to deteriorate with time, as in Nalanda in Bihar in the 6th century BCE, figures become heavier and tend to be made in metal. This evolution suggests a third school of Gupta art in the area Nalanda and Pataliputra, besides the two main centres of Mathura and Vanarasi. The colossal Sultanganj Buddha in copper from the area of Pataliputra is a uniquely large survival from this school, but typical in style.In the same monastery two similar but much smaller (and slightly later) figures in stone were found, one now on display in the British Museum.

Sultanganj Buddha in copper, 500–700 CE, 2.3 metres tall. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Udayagiri Caves mukhalinga (Cave 4), described as "pulsating with psychic power".[61]

Head of Vishnu from Vidisha near Udayagiri, Central India, 4th century

Eran

Vishnu in the form of Varaha, Udayagiri caves, circa 400 CE.[62] In front, probable relief of Chandragupta II (380–415 CE) kneeling, paying homage to Varaha.[63]

Vishnu sleeping, protected by Shesha, Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh

• Eran in Madhya Pradesh has a "pillar" or large single column dated 484/5 by an inscription of Buddhagupta, the only standing Gupta example, with two Garuda figures at the top (illustrated below). It had two large Varaha figures outside the ruined Gupta temple. The style of the sculpture is somewhat provincial. Still at the site is a huge and impressive boar on four legs, with no human characteristics, its body covered with rows of small figures representing the sages who clung to the hairs of Varaha to save themselves from the waters. Now moved to the university museum at Sagar is a figure with the same body and pose as that at Udayagiri, "one of the greatest of all Indian sculptures ... nothing can match the figure's air of insolent triumph". Both are dated to the late fifth century.

The Eran Varaha, about 5 metres long, dedicated by Huna ruler Toramana circa 510 CE.

Vishnu, Central India, 5th century

Mother Goddess from entrance of a Hindu Temple, Tanesara-Mahadeva (near Udaipur), suggesting connections with the Art of Gandhara.[72] 5th-6th[73][74] or early 7th century CE.[75]

Thanks

• Dr. Shailender Kumar
• (Assist.Prof.)
• Fine Arts