Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.4, 2019

Formal Aesthetics of White Marble Statues in the Late Northern Dynasties

(Abstract)

Wang Minqing

The white marble statues was unique among the statues in the late Northern Dynasties. Those white marble statues unearthed from Yecheng in the Eastern Wei-Northern Qi Dynasty and Chang’an in the Northern Zhou Dynasty were typical representatives of Buddhist statues in the late Northern Dynasties. Harmonious proportionality among its different parts is of vital importance for the success of a statue, which is the most basic condition to ensure the continuity of aesthetic appreciation. Meanwhile, superb sculpture skills, ingenious artistic design and full use of the characteristics of material itself are also an indispensable condition for a successful statue. As far as the origin of style is concerned, the Buddhist statue art of the Northern Qi Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty were influenced by the Southern dynasties. However, the statue of the Northern Qi Dynasty was closer to the Gupta art, while the statue of the Northern Zhou Dynasty had more indigenous Chinese characteristics.