Buddhism was one of the dominant religions in Asia that originated in India and spread across the continent such as in mainland China, Japan, and Korea. It also influenced other countries in Southeast Asia that also adopted the culture of China. The fact that Buddhism became a dominant religion even today not only influenced the lifestyle of the societies where it was adopted. The profound evidence of its lasting influence on the art can be found on the sculptures. The purpose of this essay is to conduct a sculptural analysis of the two reliefs from two opposing cultures: the Head of the Bodhisattva of the Kusana period (320-550 A.D.) and Head from Jemaa from Nigeria in Africa.
The artist who sculpted the bodhisattva remains unknown; however the materials used to create the relief were based from the readily available during the ancient period. Stucco or sometimes known as plaster cement was usually used as an outside coating for the walls. But in this case, the stucco was used as a material that can be also molded into a semi-human face. Also this work is not free-standing because the neck is attached to a supporting base; probably the head was actually a full sculpture of a bodhisattva but the circumstances that lead to its ruination is still disputed and unknown, yet it most likely that it was once a part of a full scale sculpture relief. The prevailing axis is vertical; the volume is irregular because it follows the organic structure of the human face; hence, all facial features are proportioned and scaled properly; the eyes, nose, lips, and the whole face are equal and balanced without any excess designs. This work also exhibit an open form space which allows the audience to view all the sides of the sculpture from top, sides, front, and back. The color is a plain brown pigment; the sculpture also utilizes the effect of light and the deep etches of the facial features creates balanced chiaroscuro. Carved lines emphasize the depth of the work.
Furthermore, fig. 3 is the Head from Jemaa originated from the 5th century B.C in Nigeria specifically from the Nok culture. This sculpture was made centuries earlier than the Head of the Bodhisattva and contrasts greatly the African sculpture. In this case, the sculpture is free-standing since it is not attached to base; however, it is severely damaged and probably belonged to an original life-size statue. Unlike the previous work, this sculpture was not detailed and most the facial features seemed etched and flat and less realistic. The head have a prevailing vertical axis; there is also an implied cylindrical volume on the work. The Nok style was less detailed and there was a less emphasis on the portrayal of the subject. For example, the face may seem irregular and organic but it was abstract and not realistic. The head was round and the facial features were created by etching these lines onto the surface of the terracotta. Facial features were not proportioned in size and depiction. For example, on the left side of the face, the eyelid was distinct and the line was evident as well as the eyebrows. But on the right side, the depiction was different. The right eyelid was not etched properly since the rest was quite distorted and mutilated in appearance. The left brow was fading and seems to appear only as a low relief carving on the face. The nose also lacks depth and appears flat. On the other hand, the mouth was protruding, with thick wide lips but the opening is not proportioned and realistic. The lips were distorted and not balanced to either side. In this aspect, the lack of attention to the details on the facial depiction certainly explains the lack of depth found on the face. Altogether, this sculpture somehow emphasizes proto-abstract depiction of the human face. Experts believed that this sculpture were supposed to represent the pagan deities and figures from the myths; this works were probably used by people as part of the ritual rites for funerals. Similar to the previous sculpture discussed, the artist was anonymous. The material used in this sculpture was terracotta which a common material available to the people of the ancient times. The sculpture has a dull brown color and due to the flat surface of the face, the depth is minimized and therefore, chiaroscuro was only possible on certain parts such as on the inner eyes, the bottom of the nose, and the mouth. The rest of the sculpture’s had an engraved design which contributed to the diminished illusion of depth. On a final note, the sculptures presented in this paper have different portrayals of they actually perceived the human body. The Greek version of the Buddha was more realistic and humanized in contrast with the rather abstract depiction of the human face on the Nok terracotta. However, both these sculptures showcase the man’s genius and artistic capability amidst the lack of information about the artistic elements.
REFERENCES
Head of the Bodhisattva. (5th century A.D.). [Stucco with traces of pigments]. Asian Art Gallery.
**Head from Jemaa. (N.d). [Terracotta]. National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria. In M.K. O’Riley, Art Beyond the West (p. 248).
**Note:
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