During the late period, the statues are beautifully created and slim. They are moderate in size and closer to real features. The images begin to show features of people from the central plains. During this period, the excavation center of the Buddha statue was transferred to Longmen of Luoyang. Chinese Buddhist art began to show its own characteristics and the images ensured the spread of Buddhism.
It is possible to see the historical path from the Indian and Central Asian Buddha to the Chinese Buddha. The Buddha statues were gradually secularized in China. In terms of engraving skills, they combined the skills of the Chinese Qin and Han Dynasty and Gandhara art to create unique art, an important step in the history of Chinese sculpture.
Loose Clothes and Broad Strap
The phase “loose clothes and broad strap” originated from the History of Han Dynasty by Ban Gu of Eastern Han Dynasty. Both “loose” and “broad” have the sense of broadness. “Loose clothes and broad strap” means “wearing a loose robe and broad strap,” and it was the common costume of the ancient Confucian scholars and was extraordinarily popular in the Wei and Jin dynasties. The basic form creates a sense of freedom and ease, and is also unique and free from vulgarity.
Longmen Grotto images
Located south of Luoyang, Henan Province, the Longmen Grottoes are concentrated on the east and west cliffs of the Yishui River (known as Yique in ancient times). The grottoes were started around the year 494 when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. They were continuously built throughout 400 years until the Northern Song Dynasty. The scene is 1,000 meters from north to south where there are over 2,345 holes and niches and 100,000 statues. Most of them are the works from the Northern Wei Dynasty and the flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty.
Lots of historical material concerning art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture are kept in Longmen Grottoes. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the excellent representatives of the Longmen Grottoes were the Binyang Grotto and its internal decoration. During the Tang Dynasty, the gigantic Buddha sculpture in the Fengxian Temple was the biggest and best part of the Longmen Grottoes. It represented the highest sculpturing achievement of the Tang Dynasty.
Binyang Grotto
The Binyang Grotto is one of the most representative grottoes of the Longmen Grottoes. It is divided into the North Binyang Cave, Middle Binyang Cave and South Binyang Cave. Started during the Northern Wei Dynasty, the cave was not completed until the Tang.
The Middle Binyang Grotto is the representative work of the Northern Wei. In this cave, the entire design is coherent in thought and stylistically uniform. The exquisite decoration echoes the solemn Buddha statues, showing the magnificence and mystery of Buddhism. The carving of the whole cave engenders a feeling of sublimity, symmetry and orderliness. A Buddhist fairyland was engraved including beautiful lotus and weed wine on the ground, the smooth garments of Buddha and bodhisattvas, gorgeous backlight and clouds and the Flying Grottoes.
The statue of Sakyamuni, the major one in the grotto, has big eyes and a rounded nose. The statute is slim and kindly. The body is well proportioned. The Buddha and bodhisattva images in the cave are slim and elegant with angel sleeves. The style influenced the Buddha images of the late Northern Wei period. As the center of the central plains culture, Longmen had notable differences from the artistic style of the Yungang grottoes. The bold and generous style reflected in Yungang art was replaced by the pretty and amiable style of the Longmen grottoes, another example of how China adopted Buddhist art.
Fengxian Temple
The Fengxian Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty. It is the largest grotto in Longmen Temple. The grotto was started under the reign of Empress Wu Zetian (624–705). The faces of the statues are large and their expressions quiet and kind, hinting at Buddhist tendencies in Tang Dynasty art.
The most impressive figure is the statue of Vairocana Buddha. It is 17.14 meters tall. The Buddha has a well-filled figure, a sacred and kindly expression and an elegant smile. The drapery is smoothly designed. The statue is the best example of a Buddha sculpture from the Tang Dynasty.
The layout of the Fengxian Temple is also the best one among the Buddha sculptures of the Tang Dynasty. The arrangement is completed with clearly demarcated primary and secondary. Two attendants on both sides of the Vairocana Buddha, Ananda and Kasyapa Buddha are gentle and religious with divine grace and a benevolent appearance. The guardian king sits the throne with a martial and cautious expression; the warrior attendants have big staring eyes and appear mighty. The give off a strong sense of integrity.
China’s large-scale grotto statues were sculpted during the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties. Although Buddhists were regularly persecuted, grotto statues still prospered and matured while developing richer content. Following their introduction into China they started combining aspects from northern nomad nationalities and characteristics of the culture of the central plains as Chinese gradually absorbed western Buddhism.