A Study On The Buddhist Statues Of The Back Screen Stone Carving In The Southern Dynasty Of Sichuan

The northern and Southern Dynasties was the first peak of the development of Chinese Buddhist art.There were many large-scale Buddhist activities,and Buddhist statues rose with it.The Southern Dynasty undoubtedly played an extremely important role in the development history of Chinese Buddhism.After the reform of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty,the culture and art of the Southern Dynasty went north,which had a great impact on the northern region.The number of statues in the central area of the Southern Dynasty is small,and most of the existing statues are unearthed in Chengdu,Sichuan and the surrounding areas of Chengdu.Therefore,Sichuan statues are often used to see the whole picture of the statues of the Southern Dynasty.There are 37 stone Buddhist statues of the Southern Dynasty in Sichuan.All the chronological statues belong to the Qi and Liang dynasties of the Southern Dynasty.They can be divided into four periods and six stages according to the form of statues and other chronological statues of the Southern Dynasty.As a part of the statues of the Southern Dynasty in Sichuan,the content and form of back screen statues have important research value.Back screen statue is one of the popular statue forms in the northern and Southern Dynasties.It first appeared in India,and then it can be seen in the bronze statues around the fourth century.At first,it was mostly single statues and one shop and three bodies.In the Southern Dynasty,it developed a distinctive group image combination in Sichuan,which greatly enriched the content of statues.The stone Buddhist statues of the Southern Dynasty in Sichuan show many images such as Buddha,Bodhisattva,disciple,Hercules,Dharma protector,lion,elephant,medicine fork and so on on on the front.On the back screen and on the back of the statues,there are reliefs,Buddhist stories,patrons and so on.Its statue form and style characteristics also show a special development context,and the statue inscription is of great significance to the study of relevant beliefs at that time.The back screen stone Buddhist statues in southern Sichuan Dynasty absorbed many elements of Chinese traditional art.At the same time,influenced by the surrounding areas of Jiankang and the Indian factors transmitted from Jiankang,they also have their unique characteristics.The group image combination,various forms of and wish seal,the combination of flying sky and pagoda,and the image of "pot born lotus platform" are all unique in the back screen stone Buddhist statues in southern Sichuan Dynasty.At the same time,the influence of the back screen stone Buddhist statues of the Southern Dynasty in Sichuan can be seen from the sculpture style,character modeling,flying sky,the combination of flying sky and pagoda,vows and other contents of the back screen statues of the Northern Dynasty.Up to the Sui and Tang Dynasties,the combination of grotto statues,the composition of Sutra paintings and the lotus pedestal with stems can still be seen in the relics of the back screen stone Buddhist statues of the Southern Dynasty in Sichuan.