Comparative analysis in art history

Art History Comparative Analysis

Buddhist Sculpture of the Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty (also known as the Sung Dynasty) in China is known to have produced artwork across a multitude of media. While most often, the pottery and painting are most exalted, sculpture was also produced during this period that spanned the late tenth century to the early twelfth century CE. Among the sculptures produced during the Song Dynasty are a number of boddhisattvas, two of which are under discussion herein. Throughout this period, artistic style varied greatly, even within this subset of sculptures. The two works presented are Seated Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin) (hereafter referred to as Seated) and Boddhisattva Guanyin (Kuan-yin) (hereafter referred to as Kuan-yin. Careful formal analysis, paired with literature on the Song Dynasty artistic styles and goals show Kuan-yin to be a precursor to Seated.

Both of these works show the Boddhisattva seated, with the right arm perched upon the right knee, and the left leg crossed in front. Each sculpture has similar headdress, jewelry and robes. Seated faces down somewhat, with the body formed in such a way so as to suggest that the figure is turned somewhat whereas Kuan-yin sits facing forward, with its shoulders squared to the front as well. The latter is made of poly-chromed wood, and Seated is carved of wood that is covered with gesso, pigment and gilding. Both sculptures are from the eleventh century CE, and on both, the robes follow the same contours though the creases and folds in the fabric are carved deeper in Kuan-yin.

The headdresses worn by each sculpture carry a floral motif, though Seated's appears to focus more on leaves and vines whereas Kuan-yin's headdress is predominated by flowers, with clearly defined petals. Each figure wears a small smile, and Seated depicts a face that appears to be looking down, or perhaps the eyes are closed. Seated shows a graceful positioning of the right hand. Unfortunately, the right hand on Kuan-yin is missing, so a comparison cannot be made. However, one might safely presume that the fingers would be relaxed, yet outstretched, similar to the pose of hand shown in Seated.

Amid all of the similarities between these two pieces, the most striking difference is the lifelike movement of Seated. Though created in the same century, it is clear that Kuan-yin is either an earlier work or of the Southern Song Dynasty tradition as opposed to the Northern Song Dynasty style. "In sculptures, statues of boddhisattvas in wood, clay or stone are more lifelike and less symbolic than those of earlier periods, reflecting the new concept of individual personality" ("Song Dynasty"). The stiff posture of Kuan-yin contrasts against the presentation of Seated, but because both are in the same positions and dressed the same, it is a safe presumption to say that either Kuan-yin is a precursor to Seated, or that Seated is not at the end of the movement trending toward individual personality because it still demonstrates the symbols found in Kuan-yin.

Delving further into writings about artistic styles and ideals during the Song Dynasty, one will discover that the artwork of the Southern Song Dynasty is no less aesthetically inclined than the work produced by the Northern Song Dynasty. "The decorative arts also reached the height of elegance and technical perfection during the Southern Song" ("Southern Song Dynasty"). While a more rigid posture is not necessarily indicative of a lack of elegance or technical perfection, there are other, subtle differences between Seated and Kuan-yin that demonstrate the latter to be of inferior elegance than the former. Consider the drapery of the boddhisattva's robes in each piece. In Kuan-yin, the folds are geometrical and do not vary much in depth of carving, whereas in Seated, the folds are more realistically draped, showing varied depths of carving and more naturally curving lines that suggest a subtle elegance. This increased trend toward such a distinction further supports Kuan-yin as a precursor, stylistically, to Seated.

However, all is not settled upon the aforementioned accounts. In his book the Arts of China, Michael Sullivan says of Song Dynasty artwork, "Some very down-to-earth Sung [Song] religious art was produced for the edification of the masses" (147). Can it be that Kuan-yin is not a precursor to Seated but rather a copy of it, produced with less attention to detail and elegance because it was intended to serve the masses? While that is possible, one cannot completely discount either that, having been created during the same century (with little information to narrow down the exact year or even which half of the century), and with so many symbolic similarities as well as a similar pose, it is possible and even likely that Kuan-yin is an ancestor in the artistic style of Seated.

Drawing conclusions about two works of art created in the course of the same century, with at minimum, similar ideals and societal influences, as represented in the symbolism and postures that comprise the similarities between Kuan-yin and Seated, is a complex and multi-faceted process. One cannot ignore, however, that these two pieces, juxtaposed beside one another, seem to form viable links in a chain following the course of artistic style and trends, connected one right after the other. The real benefit to comparing works within such a long period of time as was the rule of the Song Dynasty is that one can see the subtle and drastic changes alike, and identify them with relative ease because there are some elements which remain the same. By process of elimination, one can easily determine what those changes are and then compare them to extrapolate about the culture which created them, as art history methodology bids one to do. In the case of this study, it becomes possible to see sculptors (and the culture in which they worked) moving toward more lifelike represenation.

Annotated Bibliography

Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's art through the ages: a global history. Enhanced 13th ed. Australia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. In this text, Gardner and Kleiner et al. present a survey of world art, from prehistoric art and onward. In this format, Song Dynasty art is discussed in chronological order, and mostly serves to represent painting and pottery during the period, however, the text does provide contextual background required to understand Song Dynasty sculpture.