Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c14.25

c14.25

Until quite recently, the art of Gandhara was considered by the authorities of the time as a form of expression of marked merit, due entirely to its Hellenistic character. This was a period when all styles of art were tested by the Attic standard. Now that a broader view is taken this Graeco-Buddhist movement has been relegated to its proper place, its productions being regarded as indefensibly hybrid. Yet its plastic and painted forms influenced to no little degree the arts of Asia, chiefly on account of their emotional significance and the definite message they conveyed. On the other hand, on the architecture of those countries which accepted Buddhism, however, and particularly on the building art of India, the Gandharan style had little effect, owing to its lack of power. Its monasteries and stupas were the result of a remarkable current of religious fervour and passionate feeling, but such qualities, in themselves, do not necessarily create a great art. There are evidences that although the art of Gandhara was conveyed by means of the Buddhist teaching to many parts of India, its aesthetic character moved the people but little. Latent within them was a much greater art of their own.