The Gupta Empire - Art and Architecture

Sculpture The Gupta period developed a form of sculpture that was wholly Indian, the foreign influences that had crept in the Gandhara and Mathura schools of arts disappeared. Most sculptures focused on religious and spiritual themes, like the Buddha or Hindu Gods like Vishnu and Shiv. The art had been highly developed and the sculptures were exquisite. They had well balanced proportions and were usually shown wearing close-fitting transparent garments. The artists focused on developing the poses and gestures of the figures. The artists were also able to perfect the technique of making the outer appearance reflect the inner spirit, they were able to create images that actually imparts the emotion it depicts. During the Gupta period the image of the Buddha was refined further. Two prominent types of Buddha sculptures that developed were the Standing Buddha of Mathura and the Sitting Buddha of Sarnath.

Painting

Painting made great advances in the Gupta period. The most famous painting of the Gupta period are the caves of Ajanta. These painting are knwon as frescoes. In the caves of Ajanta the artists observed a particular technique for doing their work. The rock walls of the cave were first covered with a mixture of

clay, cowdung and smashed rock. On top of this a thin coat of lime plaster was applied. It was then smoothened and kept damp. On this surface the outline of the design was first sketched in dark colors like dark brown or black. After this was done it was filled in, using a variety of colors like white, red, blue, dull green and brown. The theme of these paintings was from the Jataka tales, a collection of stories about the life of the Buddha. The paintings depict the Buddha in various stages of his past and present lives.

Architecture

The Guptas focused on temples, unfortunately most of them were destroyed by invaders. A few still survive and are living examples of the architectural standards of the era. The temples of the Gupta period brought the new concept of installing statues of Gods in temples, a practice that did not take place earlier. The temples were constructed on top of a high base which was accessible by stairs that were located on all four sides. The roof and pillars of the temples were artistically decorated but the interior of temple was left undecorated. There was also move towards the use of stone in construction instead of the earlier brick or wood. With the advent of image worship there were changes in the concept of temples. It was no longer considered appropriate to house deities inside caves, and hence the concept of a free standing structure became prevalent. This gave artisans a much greater scope in design and style and Hindu architectures began advancing. In time the temples grew more and more majestic with rich sculptures and ornamentation. The main deity was soon surrounded by several other 'helper' deities. An interesting development was the creation of manuals which described how temples were to be constructed and apparently these manuals were faithfully followed.

Sculpture The Gupta period developed a form of sculpture that was wholly Indian, the foreign influences that had crept in the Gandhara and Mathura schools of arts disappeared. Most sculptures focused on religious and spiritual themes, like the Buddha or Hindu Gods like Vishnu and Shiv. The art had been highly developed and the sculptures were exquisite. They had well balanced proportions and were usually shown wearing close-fitting transparent garments. The artists focused on developing the poses and gestures of the figures. The artists were also able to perfect the technique of making the outer appearance reflect the inner spirit, they were able to create images that actually imparts the emotion it depicts. During the Gupta period the image of the Buddha was refined further. Two prominent types of Buddha sculptures that developed were the Standing Buddha of Mathura and the Sitting Buddha of Sarnath.

Painting

Painting made great advances in the Gupta period. The most famous painting of the Gupta period are the caves of Ajanta. These painting are knwon as frescoes. In the caves of Ajanta the artists observed a particular technique for doing their work. The rock walls of the cave were first covered with a mixture of clay, cowdung and smashed rock. On top of this a thin coat of lime plaster was applied. It was then smoothened and kept damp. On this surface the outline of the design was first sketched in dark colors like dark brown or black. After this was done it was filled in, using a variety of colors like white, red, blue, dull green and brown. The theme of these paintings was from the Jataka tales, a collection of stories about the life of the Buddha. The paintings depict the Buddha in various stages of his past and present lives.

Architecture

The Guptas focused on temples, unfortunately most of them were destroyed by invaders. A few still survive and are living examples of the architectural standards of the era. The temples of the Gupta period brought the new concept of installing statues of Gods in temples, a practice that did not take place earlier. The temples were constructed on top of a high base which was accessible by stairs that were located on all four sides. The roof and pillars of the temples were artistically decorated but the interior of temple was left undecorated. There was also move towards the use of stone in construction instead of the earlier brick or wood. With the advent of image worship there were changes in the concept of temples. It was no longer considered appropriate to house deities inside caves, and hence the concept of a free standing structure became prevalent. This gave artisans a much greater scope in design and style and Hindu architectures began advancing. In time the temples grew more and more majestic with rich sculptures and ornamentation. The main deity was soon surrounded by several other 'helper' deities. An interesting development was the creation of manuals which described how temples were to be constructed and apparently these manuals were faithfully followed.