In response to a group of six Buddhist figures in the Harvard Art Museums, this display takes the viewer back in time and showcases the beauty of nature and the importance of appreciating pieces of art in their original forms and environments.
Located in the Early East Asian gallery of the Harvard Art Museums, a collection of five Buddhist carvings and one statue attract many visitors every day. Although these sculptures are curated together in a harmonious fashion, they actually originated from three separate caves in the Tianlongshan mountain range in Shanxi, China. These carvings can be traced back to slightly different time periods as well, ranging from some time between the years 534-500 to the early 8th century. While the Harvard Art Museums provides a scholarly and aesthetically pleasing arrangement of these objects, I hope to restore them by returning them to their original environments in China. …show more content…
I also researched the colors of Buddhist sculptures during the time, and added some vibrant yellows, reds, and greens to these pieces of art. The sculptures are presented in three separate locations on the model, and the ones that came from the same caves are grouped together. Recognizing that these figures were part of a much larger and expansive set of divine figures, I also added the silhouette of other carvings near these six objects. Throughout the creation of this project, I used primary and secondary papers and photos, consulted experts at the museum, and a Harvard undergraduate student who concentrates in East Asian Studies. I nevertheless, experienced some problems in during the creation of the project: it was difficult to find out the exact colors of these sculptures, and I was also unable to obtain real sandstone for the
Located in the Early East Asian gallery of the Harvard Art Museums, a collection of five Buddhist carvings and one statue attract many visitors every day. Although these sculptures are curated together in a harmonious fashion, they actually originated from three separate caves in the Tianlongshan mountain range in Shanxi, China. These carvings can be traced back to slightly different time periods as well, ranging from some time between the years 534-500 to the early 8th century. While the Harvard Art Museums provides a scholarly and aesthetically pleasing arrangement of these objects, I hope to restore them by returning them to their original environments in China. …show more content…
I also researched the colors of Buddhist sculptures during the time, and added some vibrant yellows, reds, and greens to these pieces of art. The sculptures are presented in three separate locations on the model, and the ones that came from the same caves are grouped together. Recognizing that these figures were part of a much larger and expansive set of divine figures, I also added the silhouette of other carvings near these six objects. Throughout the creation of this project, I used primary and secondary papers and photos, consulted experts at the museum, and a Harvard undergraduate student who concentrates in East Asian Studies. I nevertheless, experienced some problems in during the creation of the project: it was difficult to find out the exact colors of these sculptures, and I was also unable to obtain real sandstone for the