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Artistic Interest in Post-Asokan Sculpture

By N. K. Tarafdar

Vol. 2 · No. 4December - 1926pp. 826–831English

Summary

The text discusses the evolution of artistic interest in Post-Asokan sculpture, focusing on the transition from Asokan art's decline to the rise of the Post-Asokan school. It highlights the shift in artistic priorities over two centuries, analyzed through key monuments like the Sanchi Stupa I railing, Barhut, and Bodh-Gaya. The Sanchi railing exemplifies early floral decoration with dynamic scrolls, though human figures remain primitive. Barhut shows a decline in naturalistic plant designs, replaced by human and symbolic figures, with attempts to narrate Buddhist Jataka stories, though the Buddha's image is absent. Bodh-Gaya further illustrates the deterioration of floral motifs and the dominance of human-animal figures. The text attributes the absence of Buddha's imagery to monastic interpretations of Buddhist teachings. Overall, it traces a decline in floral artistry and a rise in figurative representation, emphasizing the artistic and ideological shifts in Post-Asokan sculpture.

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Conclusion

This study of Post-Asokan sculpture reveals a dynamic shift in artistic priorities, marked by the decline of naturalistic floral motifs and the rise of symbolic representations. The Sanchi railing exemplifies early artistic confidence through vibrant scrolls, yet struggles with primitive human forms, highlighting a disconnect between decorative mastery and figurative expression. At Barhut, floral elements become stylized and less organic, replaced by decorative ornaments and symbolic imagery, signaling a conceptual shift in artistic focus. These changes underscore the transition from exuberant, life-centered design to more abstract and conventional representations, reflecting evolving monastic patronage and cultural mentalities. The study underscores the importance of analyzing sequential monuments to trace these transformations, offering insights into the artistic sensibilities of a pivotal period in Indian art history.

Key passages

Chosen by AI from the article's text. Each one is checked word for word against the text before it is shown.

  • “there can be 110 denying that it was to the impetus given by this monarch that the Indian plastic art owes the credit it enjoyed later on, though the school of art with which his name is associated declined with his death आए finally died away.”
  • “The most striking thing about this railing 15 the beautiful scrolis on some of the upright members of the structure.”
  • “Thus we see the change. From plant-life the interest of the artist gradually moves towards animal life and towards man and to the Buddha.”

Works cited in this article

  1. C.H.I, vpl 1, chap. xxvi
  2. Datea of Votive Inscriptions on the 510045 of Sanchi (M.A.S.1, No. 1, 1919)
  3. Guide to Sanchi, 9. 139.
  4. Vicitra Natak, viii. 38.

Discussed in this article

Texts & works

  • Maha‘parin'ibba'gasutta

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In this issue

Vol. 2 · No. 4
673–689Outlines of the History of Buddhism in Indo-ChinaLouis Finot690–697Administration of the Bahmani KingdomJogindra Nath Chowdhuri698–709The Jaina References in the Buddhist LiteratureKamta Prasad Jain710–720Old Words and New WillC. A. F. Rhys Davids720–737Rasatala or the Under-WorldNandu Lal Dey738–760PatanjaliPrabhat Chandra Chakravarti761–771The Gita Literature and its relation with Brahma-VidyaUmesh Chandra Bhattacharya771–796Indian Literature AbroadPrabhat Kumar Mukherji797–808Siege of Bednore, 1783Surath Charan Sengupta809–825The Philosophy of Dharma (Law)J. N. C. Ganguly826–831Artistic Interest in Post-Asokan SculptureN. K. TarafdarCurrent article831–845The Early Adventures of Guru Govind SinghIndubhusan Banerjee846–848Fourth Oriental ConferenceU. N. Ghoshal848–863On Some Methods and Conclusions in Hindu PoliticsBenoy Kumar Sarkar864–865Evidence of Panini on Vasudeva WorshipUmesh Chandra Bhattacharya865The Greater India Society866–869Manuscript Collection of the Sanskrit Sahitya ParishatChintaharan Chakravarti870–883ReviewsBenoy Kumar Sarkar, Chintaharan Chakravarti, Vidhushekhara Bhattacharya, Bimala Charan Law, Giuseppe Tucci, Ajit Ghose884–887Select Contents of Oriental Journals

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