2023-24

ARTH 2087         Buddhist Art of East Asia

This course studies art and architecture created in East Asia during the important period when Buddhism was introduced to China and then transmitted to Korea and Japan. Focusing on the period c.300-c.1500, it examines selected key sites and significant works in all three countries. Students will become familiar with important figures in the Buddhist pantheon; the iconography, gestures, and postures associated with Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other deities; and popular narratives and architectural features associated with early Buddhist practice. These visual and iconographic features will also be studied in their historical, political, economic, and social contexts.