#Buddhist Art

Artist Stories

Thawan Duchanee: Paintings Are a Way of Expressing Feelings Without Any Explanation

Thawan Duchanee (1939–2014) was a painter, sculptor, and architect from Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. He is Thailand’s most celebrated...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 10 October 2024

Asian Art

The Power of Compassion—Bodhisattvas in Art

Enlightening and radiant bodhisattvas are often depicted in art. With the opening of Buddhist practice to laypeople, active and compassionate...

Marina Kochetkova 30 September 2024

Asian Art

Journey to the East – Buddhist Art Across Cultures

From its beginnings in India, Buddhist art has traveled across cultures. Buddhism developed its character thanks to many pilgrims who made their...

Marina Kochetkova 9 September 2024

Architecture

Sculpting Serenity: Gandhara’s Indo-Greek Buddhist Art

The ancient region of Gandhara, the “Land of Fragrance,” played a vital role in developing Buddhist art and deepening its global...

Maya M. Tola 18 July 2024

Standing Bodhisattva, 3rd century, gray schist stone, Gandhara, Pakistan, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Standing Bodhisattva

Standing Bodhisattva is a great example of Gandharan art and its blended multicultural origins: East meets...

James W Singer 29 April 2024

Art Travels

Masterpiece Story: The Bayon Temple in Cambodia

The Bayon Temple is located at the heart of Angkor Thom and served as the state temple of the Emperor Jayavarman VII. It is a mountain temple built...

Maya M. Tola 7 January 2024

Art History 101

The Art of Mandala – An Artistic Road Towards Enlightenment

The art of the mandala is like a secret language of the soul. It represents both a map of the cosmos and the soul’s progress through meditation...

Marina Kochetkova 8 December 2023

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Venerable Celestial Bodhiruma

Imperial Chinese art has a long history stretching through many dynasties and many centuries. Many social, political, and economic factors have...

James W Singer 8 December 2023

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, ca 1766-1833, lacquered gilt wood, Vietnam, Musée Guimet, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara was donated to the Musée Guimet in Paris, France, in 1889 by French archeologist Gustave Dumoutier. It represents the...

James W Singer 7 December 2023

Art Travels

The Largest Religious Monument in the World: Angkor Wat in Cambodia

The Khmer kingdom thrived in the Cambodian region from the 9th to 15th centuries with an empire that stretched all the way from modern-day Myanmar...

Maya M. Tola 27 September 2023

Seated Buddhas at Vatadage, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. Art Travels

An Artsy Travel to the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Many edifices, shrines, dagobas, and colossal figures attest to the glory of Polonnaruwa, the second (and strikingly beautiful) capital of ancient...

Elsa Vallarino 6 April 2023

Art Travels

Art Travels: Beng Mealea in Cambodia

The Beng Mealea is a large and mysterious temple in the remote Cambodian countryside – about 25 miles from the main Angkor region near the stone...

Maya M. Tola 20 September 2022