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Buddhist Art and Symbolism

X32 (2 semester units in Art History)

Buddhist art has developed a complex language of symbols to express what is, by definition, beyond physical rendering. To understand Buddhist art is to begin to understand the power and appeal of its doctrine.

This course explores the connections between the teachings of the various schools of Buddhism and regional styles of Asian art. Through readings, discussions, slide lectures, and museum visits, the course concentrates on an introductory understanding of Buddhist art and symbolism and examines some of the controversies in the study of Buddhist art history. Issues such as pilgrimage, patronage, persecution, trade routes, and doctrinal differences in the development of styles and imagery are considered.

The course covers India, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and East Asia, and such diverse forms of Buddhism as Tibetan Vajrayana and Japanese Zen.

There are currently no sections open for enrollment.

Sections closed for enrollment

Thurs. March 27, San Francisco