Schools of Art

1. Gandhara School of Art

• This new school of  Indian sculpture developed in the region, which extended from Punjab to the Afghanisthan borders, an important centre of Mahayana Bhuddism up to the 5th century.
• Due to the proximity of this region to the foreign influences like the Persian, Greek, Roman, this art represents a fusion of foreign and native elements.
• There are two stages in the development of tis school: The first in stone( and the second in stucco(from 4th century).
• Chief charecteristics of Gandhara sculpture are : (i)Most of the Gandharan icons portray episodes from the life of Bhuddha or scenes from Bhuddhist saints. The buddha images resembled the portrayal of God Apollo.(ii) Use of rich carving, elaborate ornamentation and complex symbolism.  (iii)Natural display of folds and turns of dresses and physical features like muscles, etc.  (iv) The images have a gentle,compassionate and graceful look. Therefore, more attention is given towards refinement and polishing
• However, the buddha images lack the spirituality of the  images of the Gupta period.
• Examples: Dharmarajika Stupa(Taxila),Hadda monastic cluster, Afghanistan.       

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