Natural gem photographer

The recent explosions have pushed Sri Lanka to the forefront of the world again. For thousands of years, this tear in the Indian Ocean has been displaced by war, but thanks to the blessing of the Buddha, the dispute has faded, and the lotus is still there. It has achieved fruitful results in the field of culture and art, and countless works with high artistic value have emerged, a large part of which come from Buddhism.

Sitting on Buddha

Material: copper alloy

Time: the end of the 8th century

Size:10.12×114.12 inch.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In such a mysterious and quiet country, its artistic exhibits are also of high value, and countless people are fascinated to witness its artistic works with their own eyes in their lifetime. However, the 25-year civil war led Sri Lanka to ban the taking of artworks out of the island before 2009.

Buddha

Time: Late 8th century

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In fact, the art research in this country should have taken the first step long ago. Until the end of 20 18, the United States finally exhibited Sri Lankan art works spanning nearly two thousand years at the Los Angeles County Art Museum for the first time, that is, the exhibition "Gem Island: Sri Lankan Art".

Sri Lankan mask art in the exhibition

As a melting pot of South Asian culture, the name "Gem Island" is an exploration and celebration of the complexity and ethnic diversity in Sri Lanka.

Opening performance of the exhibition "Gem Island: Sri Lankan Art"

In the exhibition, some artworks express the importance of Sri Lanka as a Buddhist shrine and relic, while other Hindu gods show the long-term interaction between Sri Lanka and South India.

The statue of Shiva, the dancing king in the exhibition, is one of the three main gods of Hinduism.

Perhaps the most fascinating exhibit is the Buddha statue in this exhibition. These works have a real and deep-rooted quality, which is relatively lacking in colonial works.

The earliest record of Sri Lanka and Buddhism is Memorabilia of Ceylon, an epic written in Cuban, which describes the early history of Sri Lanka, from its legendary birth story to the period when Mahasena ruled the holy city of Anura Depreux.

Exquisitely carved Buddha statues in the exhibits.

The kingdom of Anula Depreux lasted from 377 BC to AD 10 17, and Buddhism was introduced into the kingdom of Anula Depreux in the early days. The man who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka was one of the earliest kings in Sri Lanka, Tissa. This is also due to the good personal relationship between King Tisha and Ashoka, the most important missionary of early Indian Buddhism.

The smiling Buddha statue in the exhibit.

As a country where almost all people believe in Buddhism, Sri Lanka's radio stations and loudspeakers broadcast scriptures every morning and evening, and the temples are filled with incense every day.

Lifo

Material: copper alloy, gold plated

Time: 10 century

Size: 23? ×7×4 inches

1993, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, donated by Enid A Haupt.

Moreover, it is close to 65,000 square kilometers, and there are more than 6,500 temples, almost every 10 square kilometer has 1 temple. So some people say that Sri Lanka is "a drop of tears shed by the Buddha".

Sri Lankan Buddha in the exhibit.

These characters rest gracefully, sit quietly or stand confidently, emitting an atmosphere of reverence and piety. However, this flavor seems to have gradually disappeared with the arrival of European colonization and its influence on local culture.

Sakyamuni lies in the Buddha.

Time:18th century

As early as the16th century, the Portuguese formed a close commercial relationship with the Cote Kingdom on the island at that time, and traded many high-grade commodities with each other, such as elephants, precious ebony, precious stones, cinnamon spices, and luxury goods made of ivory and inlaid with gold or precious stones.

There are colorful decorations from Sri Lanka in the exhibit.

Precious gold and silver products in the exhibition

18 ~19th century ship

Bright and colorful figures can be seen everywhere in Sri Lanka's post-modern works of art, just like in Kandy's famous annual Buddha's Tooth Festival, there are gorgeous elephants, a large number of performers in gorgeous costumes, lights and flowers everywhere.

Colorful Sri Lankan paintings

Portrait of Sri Lanka in the exhibition

Exquisite ivory products, textiles and furniture further reflect the miniature of the life of European colonists in Sri Lanka in the past four centuries, the organic interaction between local and foreign painting traditions, and the real living conditions of local people under the multicultural background.

Combs: women and attendants

Material: ivory, paint pigment

Time:18 ~19th century

Donations from Colleen and Don Whitaker

The footprint of Buddha

Time:18th century

Material: cloth, opaque watercolor

Exquisite textile paintings in the exhibit

Exquisite Sri Lankan furniture in the exhibit

Tables and chairs with local characteristics in Sri Lanka

But there are also some examples of the integration of local style and European style that successfully capture the essence of these two worlds.

Tile painting: musician

Material: songkhla, opaque watercolor paint.

Time: 65438+end of 2008

Tile painting: people walking on stilts

Material: songkhla, opaque watercolor paint.

Time: 65438+end of 2008

Size: 5.34×7. 12 inch

Donated by Marilyn Walter Grenze.

The picture below shows an exhibit from the18th century, entitled "Sakyamuni Buddha and His Attendants". Within the ebony framework, the lush ivory carving scene was successfully reproduced. In this work, the local sculptor adopts the European style, combining the rectangular frame adjacent to the front relief with the pure image of Sri Lanka: an elegant Buddha statue is located under the ornate arches on both sides, while the other two are floating above the clouds.

Buddha of Sakyamuni and His Followers

Material: ivory and pigment, ebony frame.

Time:18th century

Size: 7.38× 5.12×1.14 inch.

Christian human (Christian human) donation

At the same time, ivory statues such as the perfect conception of the Virgin Mary reveal the influence of British rule and Christian missionaries on the artistic theme and style of the island.

The perfect idea of the virgin Mary

Materials: ivory gilded and painted.

Time:17th century

Size:10.14× 2.34× 2.18 inch.

From the Walters Museum of Art in Baltimore

In this exhibition, there are also some wooden shrines in 17 and 18 centuries, and their paintings depict the combination of Indian gods (some of whom are Hindus) and Sri Lankan Buddhist figures to protect the Pantheon.

Buddha of Sakyamuni

Material: gold-plated copper alloy, partially black-plated.

Time:18th century

Size: 41.91× 36.2× 21.13cm.

However, the exhibition also shows that despite various external influences on this small land, Sri Lanka has always maintained its unique identity and heritage.

In addition to Buddhist works of art, there is also a group of very important exhibition works-temple wallboard remains, which is the best proof that Buddhists have incorporated Indian gods into the Pantheon. Masks and painted pottery vessels used in festivals and therapeutic ceremonies further confirm the important position of religion in folk daily life.

Exhibition boards from Buddhist holy places (the following two pictures are two of them)

Exhibition board of Buddhist holy land

Material: wood, opaque watercolor paint.

Time:17 ~18th century

Size: 59.12×11×12 inch.

Donation from Mr. and Mrs. james coburn (james coburn)

Exhibition board of Buddhist holy land

Material: wood, opaque watercolor paint.

Time:17 ~18th century

Size: 59.34× 13× 12 inch

Donation from Mr. and Mrs. james coburn (james coburn)

An important clue that runs through this exhibition comes from the photos taken by British colonists at the end of 19. Archaeological and architectural photos are important records of the "country of Ceylon" under British rule.

Chief Kandy

Material: protein silver printing

Time: 1870

Size: 10. 14×7.34 inches

Donations from gloria katz and willard huyck

They show the importance of Sri Lanka in Southern Buddhism and indirectly describe the face of Sri Lanka during the colonial period.

The entrance to the Temple of Saint Tooth Relic was built in Kandy, Sri Lanka in the early19th century.

As a contrast with the photos taken by British colonists about Sri Lanka, a wall near the exit of the exhibition hall shows the photos of the 20th century photographer Reg Van Coulomb. During the period from 1949 to 1988, he traveled many times in Sri Lanka, and recorded the places he had been, the different festivals he witnessed and the people he met with. His photos reflect the happy years since Sri Lanka's independence after 1948. The following works are portraits of a dancer in the annual Buddha's Tooth Festival parade, depicting the unique cultural traditions of Sri Lanka.

Dancers March in the annual "Buddha's Tooth Festival".

Time: 1957

Venue: Kandy, Sri Lanka

Michael Govin, CEO of the Museum and director of the Wallis annenberg Museum, said that the Los Angeles County Art Museum has a long history in the art collections in South and Southeast Asia, and its Sri Lankan collection is more extensive and diverse than any other American collection.

Unique artistic statues in the exhibits.

"Gem Island: Art of Sri Lanka" is an excellent opportunity for the world to explore and get familiar with the art and history of this Asian country, which is not vast, but extremely rich.

The ritual mask of Mahakola Sonny Yansha

From the Fowler Museum at UCLA.

Svaner Guna Ratni, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles, said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Gem Island: Sri Lanka" that culture is the most important moral value of human beings, which promotes the development of human aesthetics. Culture improves interpersonal communication and stabilizes social peace and stability. It also expresses and reflects people's dreams and wishes, traditions and customs in specific forms and ways.

Among the exhibits are works of art from the European colonial period.

As the core value of a nation's existence, art culture is the foundation of a nation's existence and the extension of human self-expression. The role of art and culture as catalysts of progressive multiculturalism is increasingly recognized. The cultural relics in this exhibition show us the history of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan art statues in the exhibition.

It is precisely because of the cultural heritage of each country that we can always remember their beliefs and cultural expressions, as well as their contributions to social development.