Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

 

 

Buddhist Visions

January 19 - April 13, 2008

Medicine Buddha and his court

Buddhist Visions brings together over 80 works of art---in a variety of media and formats and from numerous different countries---that demonstrate the richness and diversity of Buddhist visual culture as it has evolved over more than two millennia.  The exhibition is drawn mainly from the holdings of the JSMA, though these have been supplemented by a number of important loans from several West Coast collectors.  The oldest work in the show is a stone head of a Buddha from the late first century, while the newest work (done just this year by the artist Chen Long-bin) also appears to be a stone head of a Buddha but upon closer inspection reveals itself to be carved from a surprisingly different material.

Thematically, Buddhist Visions explores both the faces (Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and later followers of the Buddha) and the places (paradise and hell) that sculptors and painters have envisioned for centuries, focusing in particular upon the local variations that visual traditions experienced as Buddhism was transmitted from India to Cambodia, Tibet, China, Korea, and beyond.  Other topics that the exhibition addresses include the polemical use of paintings associated with Chan/Zen Buddhism, the commodification of Buddhist images, and the ritual uses and functions of “Buddhist art.”

Among the highlights of Buddhist Visions are many works that have been recently acquired by the JSMA (several Zen ink paintings, for example) or that were only rarely exhibited in the past (such as a monumental hanging scroll showing the death of the Buddha). For some previous visitors to the museum, the exhibition also affords an opportunity to reconnect with old favorites (such as the popular monumental marble Buddha from the Liao dynasty) that have not been seen since the museum closed for renovation and expansion in 2000. Image Credit: “Medicine Buddha and His Court,” 1477 (MWCH 32:11)

Media Partner: KLCC 89.7 FM

Also on View

 

Buddhist Visions Events

Printable Version

MARCH

Guided Tour of Buddhist Visions

Wednesday, March 5, 5 p.m.

Investigate Buddhist art with a 45-minute tour led by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s College/College Preparatory Student Interpreters (CSIs). Tours enables visitors to gain an in depth look at works of art and concepts conveyed in the exhibition. Tour content will change weekly.

Concert: Chamber Music on Campus

Wednesday, March 5, 6 p.m.

Enjoy an evening of Asian-inspired music performed by students in the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance.

Guided Tour of Buddhist Visions

Wednesday, March 12, 5 p.m.

Investigate Buddhist art with a 45-minute tour led by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s College/College Preparatory Student Interpreters (CSIs). Tours enables visitors to gain an in depth look at works of art and concepts conveyed in the exhibition. Tour content will change weekly.

Lecture: “Marketplace Morality in 19th and 20th Century Chinese Hell Scrolls”

Wednesday, March 12, 6 p.m.

Drawing from Song Dynasty cliff tombs to late imperial operas, from Buddhist sutras explaining underworld logic to modern life-size automatons enacting the torture scenes, K.E. Brashier, Associate Professor of Religion (Chinese) and Humanities (Chinese), Reed College, takes his audience on a colorful fieldtrip to a hell that trades bliss for virtues, torture for sins. “Goodness and evil will be recompensed in the end,” warns one scroll. "It’s only uncertain whether your end will come too early, your regret too late.”

Guided Tour of Buddhist Visions

Wednesday, March 19, 5 p.m.

Investigate Buddhist art with a 45-minute tour led by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s College/College Preparatory Student Interpreters (CSIs). Tours enables visitors to gain an in depth look at works of art and concepts conveyed in the exhibition. Tour content will change weekly.

Guided Tour of Buddhist Visions

Wednesday, March 26, 5 p.m.

Investigate Buddhist art with a 45-minute tour led by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s College/College Preparatory Student Interpreters (CSIs). Tours enables visitors to gain an in depth look at works of art and concepts conveyed in the exhibition. Tour content will change weekly.

APRIL

Guided Tour of Buddhist Visions

Wednesday, April 2, 5 p.m.

Investigate Buddhist art with a 45-minute tour led by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s College/College Preparatory Student Interpreters (CSIs). Tours enables visitors to gain an in depth look at works of art and concepts conveyed in the exhibition. Tour content will change weekly.

Lecture: "The Giver of Sons and Mother of Daoist Goddesses”

Wednesday, April 2, 6 p.m.

Erin Cline, University of Oregon assistant professor of Chinese philosophy and religion, explores the relationships between the stories and images of these beloved Buddhist and Daoist women. Images of Guanyin are the most prominent female images in Chinese Buddhism.  In addition to her role as the goddess of mercy and giver of sons, Guanyin is portrayed in some legends as the mother of two popular Daoist goddesses: Mazu, goddess of the sea and guardian of fishermen, and Lady Linshui, guardian of women and children. 

Guided Tour of Buddhist Visions

Wednesday, April 9, 5 p.m.

Investigate Buddhist art with a 45-minute tour led by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s College/College Preparatory Student Interpreters (CSIs). Tours enables visitors to gain an in depth look at works of art and concepts conveyed in the exhibition. Tour content will change weekly.

 

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