When West Met East

When West Met East: Gandharan Art Revisited is based on hitherto unpublished or partly published sculptures and artefacts from Gandhara and Greater Gandhara dispersed in public and private collections across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Its subject is a form of figurative sculpture that emerged in the Gandharan region between the second and fifth centuries ce and reflects regional cross-cultural elements arising from its direct relationship with Buddhism and to some extent Hinduism, as both flourished in India at the time of the Ku]sa]n Empire. The author's 'Introduction' presents the historical foundation of the innovative artistic expressions that characterize the singularity of Gandharan art. The first chapter covers the cross-fertilized nature of the art and examines how Western artistic inspirations were transformed into new forms of art to narrate stories of Indian origin. The second chapter argues that Gandharan artists followed the chronological sequence established in the Sanskrit Lalitavistara, or pre-existing texts which may have inspired this sacred book, when depicting the scenes of the life of the Blessed One starting with the descent of the future Buddha from Tu]sita Heaven up to the first sermon in the deer park. Singling out one particular episode in the Buddha's life, the descent from the Trayastri`msa Heaven to Sa`mkasya, the third chapter focuses on the literary sources that inspired Gandharan artists. The fourth chapter addresses the question of the first depictions of the Bodhisattvas Maitreya and Avalokitesvara in Gandharan art. And, finally, the fifth chapter looks at the symbolism behind the presence of Hindu gods in Gandharan art.