Dynamics of Interregional Exchange in East Asian Buddhist Art, 5th–13th Century

Professor Dorothy Wong’s “Dynamics of Interregional Exchange in East Asian Buddhist Art, 5th–13th Century” succeeds in presenting a series of complicated topics in a well-considered, approachable format. Arranged around three themes, this edited volume of nine essays brings fresh new perspectives to the field of Buddhist art history, making it a must-read for those interested in current scholarship. Featuring research by both emerging and established scholars, each essay complicates discussions within the field of Buddhist cultural studies, whether through revisiting received histories, reconsidering Buddhist works in light of new discoveries, or positing new methodological strategies. Multidisciplinary in nature, each essay brings together considerations of religious texts, historical documentation and previously disconnected works to shed new light on iconographic programs and related ritual practices. All of the essays take into account the movement of texts and images and draw upon this transmission to analyze changes that occur across time and space in the imagery produced and the impact these works have had. With more than one essay devoted to singular changes manifested in Buddhist imagery created after transmission has occurred, each a perfect example of the importance of close observation, this volume serves as a series of case studies on the various approaches possible for coming to better understand Buddhist visual culture.

Dr. Karil Kucera

Professor of Art and Art History & Asian Studies

St. Olaf College

The edited volume, titled “Dynamics of Interregional Exchange in East Asian Buddhist Art, 5th-13th Century”, represents new scholarship on the subject of interregional exchange that focuses on three themes, namely “transmission and local interpretations,” “Buddhism and the State,” and “iconography and traditions.” It includes nine essays that deal with a wide variety of materials, ranging from miniature pagodas, sculpture, rock carvings, and woodblock prints to silk paintings and murals. What unites the essays is a common interest in adopting the time-honored approach of formal analysis and iconographic studies to analyze the dynamics of interregional exchange. Collectively these essays challenge the conventional model of linear transmission and emphasize the multifarious modes of reception as well as the agency of the recipients. The end result is a book that accentuates the transmission of art forms without losing sight of art’s role in the process of disseminating the Buddhist faith across geographical and cultural boundaries.

Dr. Hsueh-Man Shen

The Insitute of Fine Arts

New York University

This volume brings together an international group of scholars to reconsider the tradition, transmission, and transformation of Buddhist art in East Asia between the fifth and thirteenth centuries when China exerted a profound influence on neighboring regions and countries, and when the prominent characteristics of East Asian civilizations were formed. The strength of the volume is that all nine essays, instead of discussing the one-way process of Sinicization, choose to look eastward from China to explore cultural disseminations and exchanges. In addition, the essays are all connected to one another in discussing the central discourse of early medieval art: words and images; art and politics; art and state; sacred text and ritual practice, especially repentance rituals. These are central issues not only in art history, but also in East Asian studies as a whole. The volume therefore is a valuable contribution to the field.

[…]

All the contributors in this volume explore divergent art forms and related textual materials in their social, political, and art historical contexts and discuss the cultural exchanges and influences in East Asia at historically important moments. Well researched, the essays are richly informed by literary sources and archaeological material. […] the essays contribute greatly to our understanding of the movement of texts and images in premodern East Asia.

[Extract from book review appearing at the journal 'Early Medieval China', Volume 2024, 2024 - Issue 30. Reviewer: Joy Lidu Yi (Florida International University, USA). https://doi.org/10.1080/15299104.2024.2389747]