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Mathura
was an area that started off at the beginning of the period
with a style totally different than that of Gandhara. Mathura
just like Gandhara had gone through a lot of leadership changes
over the years. Before the Kushan dynasty began and after the
Mauryan dynasty the period was known as the Shunga Dynasty.
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Pushyamitra Shunga was a military
officer for the last known Mauryan king. The Shunga dynasty
extended form the second century B.C. to the first century B.C.
and brought forth art, which included lots of sculpture. Mathura
gained its importance in the day because it was a place that
connected important trade routs of the day. The merchants passing
through would stay for longer periods of time and leave behind
money just as they did in Gandhara.
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Mathura was a flourishing city of
time that had a wide diversity of religions all living there.
The art of the area picked up during the Kushan dynasty until
the third century when the Kushans were taken over.
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Several types
of Buddhist architecture existed during the time, which included
stupas, vigaras, and caityas. What really became popular in
the area during the period though was sculpture. The artists
formed the sculptures of Buddha and of bodhisattvas in two ways,
they made them free standing or they made them as part of buildings.
The ones placed into the architecture were most commonly found
in stupas.
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The sculpture of the time follows
the traditions of the indigenous Indian people of the Shunga
and Mauryan periods. The sculpture of the time evolved so that
the figures were moved into real positions and were made to
look a little bit smoother.
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They were still along way from the
world of realist art, which is what Gandhara had more recently
adopted. The goal of their art was not to try to make it look
real but to try to convey the important message behind the symbols
of the sculpture.
The material used by the people
of Mathura for their sculpture was reddish sandstone. It was
very common in the area and they acquired good techniques for
carving it. The figures they would carve often were wearing
no cloths. When they were wearing cloths it was given the impression
that they transparent so that the beauty of the human body could
be appreciated. The models for these statues were frequently
larger or plump males and females. Their faces were always carved
to look very animated. Some other materials used for art in
the time were metals or cotton.
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Summary
