Oriental Studies (Apr 2018)
Ornamental Motifs in the Samples of Buddhist Icon-Painting from the Collection of the Kalmyk Scientifi c Center of the RAS
Abstract
The article provides an overview of Buddhist paintings stored by the Kalmyk Scientific Center of the RAS. The object of research is the traditional pictorial art of Kalmykia. Buddhist iconography is characterized by certain compositional fundamentals, iconometry, symbolism of lines and properties of the canonic images that were implemented taking the form of a religious ceremony. Since icon-painters never autographed their works, monuments of Buddhist fine arts are basically anonymous to meet the canonical requirements. An image created by an ordained icon-painter zurachi or sculptor urun with due account of the traditional (canonical) performance technique - naturally became sacred. When it comes to historical and cultural studies of the 19th - early 20th century art of Kalmykia, one should keep in mind the regional peculiarities of religious life mainly determined by the actual ethno-cultural landscape. The mass and official conversion of the Oirat-Kalmyks to Buddhism in the 16th - early 17th cc. was followed by quite a long period during which corresponding professional knowledge and skills were acquired and accumulated by representatives of Kalmyk khuruls - Buddhist monasteries. Development of the national style was accompanied by transformation of the Tibetan iconographical canon through the prism of indigenous ethnic aesthetics and view of the world. This determined the structure of the Kalmyk Buddhist pantheon which proved an ethnic Central Asian version of the latter - largely common for Tibetans and Mongols but containing separate local distinct features. Kalmyk monasteries gave rise to the regional school of easel hieratic painting and sculpture. The study aims to identify and describe the peculiarities of Kalmyk icon-painting which introduced ornamental motifs into Buddhist iconography. From the perspective of the canon, the paper reveals the local features of composition, proportions, color and attributes of Kalmykia’s Buddhist art objects. Decorativeness of paintings consisting in application of ornaments around canonical images and plots is inherent of the ethnic hieratic art. This was mainly characteristic of the late period of its development and was often accompanied by certain breakaways from conformities of Buddhist pictorial art. The long artistic process of acquiring and accumulating professional knowledge in the sphere of Buddhist pictorial art was due to the two trends, namely the canonical and folklore ones which are perceivable enough in the context of iconography. The folklorization of the canon originating from the active interactions of the diverse traditions reshapes the style-developing process in Buddhist art which is influenced by ethnic culture. The interaction between the canon and the national tradition set forth in the local peculiarities of artistic process determines the emphasized decorativeness of a picture. This is expressed by introduction of ornamental motifs and, in particular, in the interpretation of the conventional landscape of hieratic paintings. The comprehensive study of the mentioned works comprises methods of art criticism, history, ethno-cultural studies within the framework of museology and characterizes the local Kalmyk school (tradition) of icon-painting. The subject of research are pieces of Buddhist pictorial art from the collections of the Zaya Pandita Museum of Kalmyk Traditional Culture created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Keywords
