ARTH3019

This class provides an introduction to Buddhist art and architecture, from the sixth-century BCE to the present. Beginning with the life of the historical Buddha (563-483), it will follow the development of Buddhist art in India before tracing it across the Silk Road to China, Korea, and Japan. The class will consider how art and architecture evolved to serve the needs of Buddhism as its doctrine and practice evolved. At the same, we will consider how Buddhist cosmology and metaphysics were translated into culturally specific modes that served the multifarious cultural and artistic traditions of Asia.

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