Since the Neolithic period, manifestations of mythological themes were already prevalent among Chinese paintings with masterpieces from artists such as Jiang Jun Ya’s Ji Shen Chong Bai and Cang Yuan Yan’s Tai Yang Shen, illustrating forms of divinity; it was also not until the Qin and Han dynasties that the concepts of immortals, with works such as stone-carved Buddha, tomb murals and silk paintings came into view. During the Wei, Jin Southern and Northern dynasties Buddhist paintings started flourishing, with paintings that reflected concepts of mythical thinking; sculptural artworks were employed as a medium to spread doctrines on Buddhism, and the concepts of mythical thinking and its semiotics became worth exploring.
The Buddhist paintings of Xia Jing-Shan (1923-) focus on Buddha and Guanyin statues, with teachings of Buddhism integrated into the artist’s works, his vivid paintings which displayed Buddhism are also all-in-one with nature. Chiang Hsiao-Hung (1945-2003), who understudied Xia Jing-Shan, imitated famous ancient Guanyin paintings. Hence, his paintings displayed the teachings of Buddhism, its doctrines and philosophies.
This paper which explores the aesthetics of Buddhist arts, concentrates primarily on the brushworks from the publications: Xia Jing-Shan Chinese Buddhist Art Collections and Brilliant Moon of Compassion – Master Piece of Guanyin by Chiang Hsiao-hung. This is an analysis of the aesthetic qualities behind these paintings. Buddhist art paintings are closely associated with the religious classics, as its wordings clearly state its perspective, “Buddha dwells within the painting, and the words dwell within Buddha”. From the artistic point view of the Buddhist arts, the Universal Door Chapter proclaims: “True Contemplator, Pure Contemplator, Contemplator with Vast, Great Wisdom, Compassionate Contemplator, Kind Contemplator, constant are your vows and constant is our respect”. Here, the artistic achievements of Xia Jing-Shan and Chiang Hsiao-Hung’s Buddhist art paintings, connotations of the mythology behind and its Buddhist philosophy, all provided a source of aesthetic reference to the Buddhist art which have been studied and reviewed.
