The Art of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its History and Meaning

by Denise Patry Leidy

As its teachings spread from the Indian subcontinent in all directions across Asia, Buddhism influenced every culture it touched—from Afghanistan to Korea, from Mongolia to Java. Buddhist art is a radiant reflection of the encounter of the Buddha’s teachings with the diverse civilizations that came under their sway. It is also an intriguing visual record of the evolution of Buddhist practice and philosophy over a period of more than two millennia.



More than two hundred photographs provide the visual context for this tour of the world of Buddhist art. Included in the rich variety of forms are architecture and monumental art, statuary, paintings, calligraphy, fresco, brushwork, and textile arts. Denise Leidy’s guide is the perfect introductory text for all those intrigued by this splendid aesthetic tradition. It is also an essential resource for all who seek to understand Buddhist art as teaching.

Genres: Buddhism, Art, Nonfiction, Asia, Spirituality, School

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 2008

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book had a few basic issues.
1. No glossary. A glossary would have been extremely useful for a book like this.
2. There were a good number of typos and places where words were cut strangely. It seemed like the text block had been re-sized at some point, and someone hadn't caught all the times when words needs dashes removed or added.
3. There were a few times when the picture being described didn't seem to exactly match the image in the book. It's not like a different image was being described, more like the book would say "there are 5 figures in this painting," and I would only see 4. This happened enough times that I was very confused. Not sure if this is on me being very dumb, or on the book. But I have to believe I can count the number of figures in a painting correctly.
4. Word usage was sometimes strange. I noticed this especially in the case of the word "soul." Buddhists don't tend to believe in a soul, or atman. Anatman is a major tenant of Buddhism. I wish a different word had been used, or if the author really did mean that these artists had believed in a soul (unlike most Buddhists) that that had been discussed.
5. Often there just wasn't enough information given, either about the history, symbolism, or art itself. It felt very rushed. I was hoping for a book that would explain the symbolism of Buddhist art, but instead it was often just description--"this statue depicts a bodhisattva holding a vajra, a skull cup, a sword, and a human skin," and then no explanation of what a skull cup or a flayed human skin symbolized in the context of the piece. Certain major symbols were explained (lotus, vajra). But the more complex ones that look stranger to Western eyes (like flayed human skin) were not explained. The "why" also wasn't covered well. Why did one culture do things one way, another a different way? Sometimes there were very brief explanations, but often there weren't any.
6. The order of the writing was odd. The chapters generally start off with a very brief history of the several hundred years covered in the chapter, then the images are generally given in chronological and geographical order. But the history is so briefly told that it gets confusing which art pieces were made during which times period. I thought it would have made more sense to tell the history as the art pieces were introduced.
7. More charts would have been helpful. Charts of the various mudras and what they mean, a chart summarizing the various Bodhisattvas and Buddhas mentioned many times, more charts laying out the art work. There is one mandala that includes a line drawing with numbers for each figure, and the text refers to the numbers (number 1 is Manjushri, number 5 is a monk, etc.). That was extremely helpful, and I wish they had included more charts like that.

All that said, I did read the book straight through, it covers a great deal of info, and the images are great. I think it would be a tough read for someone who had very little knowledge of Buddhism, because the background isn't explained very deeply. The book did introduce me to a few art styles I didn't know much about, and I look forward to finding more in-depth books just covering Zen art, or Tibetan art.

[Zhen Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book that teaches people the cultural influences of Buddhism in Asia based on the time line of its development as well as its impacts geographically. There is not much content about the religion itself; it mentions some basic ideologies, but most of its emphasis is on the cultural representation, literature and art form that people in different Asian regions express about the religion. For that reason, I recommend reading books on the religion itself, meaning its beliefs and principles, before reading this book. That way you can get a more comprehensive picture of the history and influence of this dynamic and fascinating religion (or philosophy depending on how you look at it). This books definitely sparks your desire to travel to all these ancient countries to see all the beautiful sculptures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Very pleasant read overall.

[Chet Taranowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a whole lot here. More than anyone can digest at one reading. Buddhism is complex, with many sects and epochs and each of these is accompanied with varied styles of art. I appreciate that the author attempted to give a bit of historical background as the book unfolded. I wished that the illustrations were larger, as it is often difficult to see the figures the author is trying to point out and explain.

[tinywhale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is thousands of years in 300 pages. With that comes an expectation of certain omissions and a very generalized depiction of history. That being said, as a book focused on the evolution of iconography and style in Buddhist art, I thought the history provided in each chapter was just enough to contextualize each example.

I read this book to accompany a course on Buddhist art history, so many of the things I read about were often elaborated on or explained during lecture. It is very fast-paced and often jumps through centuries or millennia within a single chapter, but it offers a great baseline for further reading/research if desired. It solidified my knowledge of basic iconography to the point where I could recognize certain things before reading descriptions in the latter parts of the book.

Overall, this is a really beautiful book to flip through just for the images as well.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!

As someone who was new to Buddhism, I found this (along with some extra research) to be a wonderful tool for exploring the origins of Buddhism along with its different facets. Quality photos and works chosen. Highly recommend!

[Kiely · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a textbook required for a class, this was a good reference and introduction to Buddhism and Asian art; I just wish that the explanations were sometimes a bit clearer.

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the kind of book you can read all the way through, but a very very good reference nonetheless. even though i didn't know a lot about buddhism, the author was skillful at presenting enough background information to be able to explain the details in the artworks. would be a great book to refer back to as i learn more about buddhism and get exposed to more buddhist art.

[Todd Mayville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not "just another boring art book" at all. My full review: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/0...

[Redruth1955]

Great resource for art and history.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written book filled with lots of beautiful pictures and many points of reference.