2-742-004 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Standing Amitabha, 800s. Buddhist teachings emphasize the pursuit of spirituality, rather than physicality, to achieve enlightenment. This statue’s artist, however, made genuine efforts to represent the divine’s beautiful voluminous body. Inspired by Indian Gupta-period art (AD 300s-500s), this particular artistic style emphasizing soft modeling and naturalism was further developed in China and flourished across East Asia.