著者

定金 計次

出版者

美学会

雑誌

美学 (ISSN:05200962)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.46, no.3, pp.1-11, 1995-12-31 (Released:2017-05-22)

---

There is the general misconception that all Indian art is religious. In India, however, secular painting achieved development equal to that of religious sculpture. If we survey the history of Indian painting from the Ajanta murals through pre-modern miniatures, it becomes evident that a consistent pattern permeates the tradition. While down-playing natural surroundings, Indian painting invariably focuses around human figures, especially those with the procreative powers of youth. The mithuna, or generative young couple, appears repeatedly as primary subject matter and is often expressed as the young Radha and Krsna in pre-modern paintings. An auspicious symbol of procreation, the mithuna dates back to primitive religions, thus linking Indian secular art and religion. The idealization of youth is also evident in Indian sculpture. Throughout history, most Indian divinities have been represented in the forms of young people-the Indian people regarded age sixteen as their ideal. This tendency influenced not only the growth of Tantrism in Indian religious thought but also the propagation of cults of boy-gods in Indian religions. Adoration of youth thus popularized Krsna and Karttikeya in Hinduism and Manjusri in Buddhism.

著者

定金 計次

出版者

美学会

雑誌

美学 (ISSN:05200962)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.40, no.4, pp.47-59, 1990-03-31 (Released:2017-05-22)

---

Indian painting is believed to have started developing in the post-Vedic period. On the basis of early Buddhist literature, it is certain that Buddhist monasteries began to be decorated with mural paintings in the late post-Vedic or the early Mauryan period. This is the first definite connexion between the Buddhist community and painting. We cannot, however, regard this as the true beginning of Indian Buddhist painting. For mural paintings in early Buddhist monasteries almost certainly consisted of decorative motifs which were not peculiar to Buddhism. Though we have no positive data, it seems that cloth paintings used in narrative recitation were popular in the same period. It may well be that Indian Buddhist painting came into existence in the form of such painting, which depicted Jatakas (stories of the Buddha's former births) and stories from the Buddha's life. Early Buddhist relief sculptures on railings and gateways of stupas probably presupposed these cloth paintings. Buddhist shrines had been developing since the Mauryan period. In the post-Mauryan period, Buddhist mural painting, influenced by Buddhist cloth paintings used in narrative recitation and by mural paintings of royal palaces, appeared in Buddhist stupa shrines.

著者

定金 計次

出版者

美学会

雑誌

美学 (ISSN:05200962)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.29, no.3, pp.51, 1978-12-30 (Released:2017-05-22)

---

The reliefs on the railing and the gateway at the Bharhut Stupa and those on the four gateways at Stupa No.1 in Sanchi are representative of the early ancient art of India. The reliefs at Bharhut and those in Sanchi, however, are different in style. In the former, the individual figures are clearly represented, attached to the ground and separated from one another. Hence their composition is based upon a plane, not a space. In the latter, the figures are overlapped and joined together in an organic and spatial relationship. It is generally accepted that the Bharhut reliefs were made prior about a century to the Sanchi ones. Accordingly, many scholars have hitherto explained the difference in style by that of the dates. But from our view point the gap between them in terms of style is too great to be explained by the hundred years distance ; rather, they belonged to the two quite different schools. Such an interpretation will lead to a clearer comprehension of later development in the ancient Indian art following that of the Bharhut and the Sanchi.