O.C. Art : Buddhism Show: Where’s the Big Picture?

Gleaming in gilded brass, several dozen Buddhist sculptures--made in China between the 13th and 17th centuries--are spending the summer (through Sept. 18) at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.

Secretive little smiles on many of the faces encapsulate the serene ultimate wisdom of Buddhism. In fact, each of the figures’ anatomical oddities, poses and accouterments (multiple arms, crossed legs, open-palm gestures, elaborate headdresses, swords, books, lotuses) is in some way emblematic of the vigilance and virtues needed to acquire the highest level of enlightenment.

Unfortunately, it takes some extracurricular digging to begin to get a grip on the bigger picture--the significance of these figures and their relevance to the larger cultural milieu of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The lack of wall labels or an explanatory brochure is not satisfactorily remedied for the lay viewer by a rapid-fire summary of historical and iconographic material packed into two pages of the catalogue ($10 in the bookstore). It was issued by the Chang Foundation in Taipei, which loaned all the pieces in the show.

Now that the Bowers has given education chief Janet Baker the additional title of curator of Asian art, one hopes that such major information gaps will be remedied in future exhibitions loaned by outside institutions.

Some of these sculptures are idealized images of the historical Buddha--Siddhartha Gautama--identifiable by his distinctive hairstyle (a knob of tight curls) and extra-long earlobes (stretched by the heavy jewelry he wore during his princely youth).

Siddhartha was a wealthy, pampered 29-year-old Indian who left his wife and child one fine day in 594 BC, in search of the meaning of existence. How, he wondered, could humankind escape from the endless cycle of rebirth that (according to Hinduism) was the destiny of all living things? For six years, he fasted, meditated and consulted wise men. Eventually, he achieved enlightenment in profound meditation while seated under a bodhi tree.

The following morning a revelation came to him: that life involves continuous suffering caused by craving, lust and desire, but it is possible to break out of the karmic cycle and merge with the eternal spirit by dint of proper conduct, belief and meditation. He preached and acquired disciples during the final 45 years of his life. During the following centuries, Buddhism spread to Tibet, China, Korea and Japan.

At first, the Buddha was represented only in the form of symbols, such as footprints (representing his wandering teachings) or the bodhi tree. But once Buddhism became accepted by the Indian masses (in the early 1st Century), a demand apparently arose for more human-looking devotional images, similar to those used by Hindus.

Generally speaking, while Indian artists concentrated on building up the vibrantly modeled, three-dimensional qualities of the figure, Chinese artists stressed the rhythmic qualities of line in the flow of drapery and ornamental detail.

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The sexy little Indian-style twist in the torsos of some of the sculptures can be explained by their distinctive purpose: They were imperial gifts to a Tibetan Buddhist sect.

Sculptures of Buddha symbolize the style and content of his teachings (such as preaching, meditating, giving gifts and reassuring humankind) by means of distinctive hand gestures as well as the symmetrical equilibrium and serenity of his appearance.

There are a few variants: One Buddha image in the show portrays him as a big-bellied monk with a cloth sack supposedly containing enough money and jewels to satisfy the entire world.

Other sculptures depict bodhisattvas, androgynous personages who postpone their own enlightenment in order to bring aid and comfort to humankind.

One of these is Guanyin, a goddess of mercy, whose appearance apparently evolved from a combination of the popular Indian god Avalokitesvara, his feminine counterpart, Tara, and the ancient Chinese mother goddess. In one 17th-Century sculpture in the show, the goddess wears an elaborate headdress and holds a willow branch and a vase for ambrosia.

The bumptious exceptions to the calm pantheon of Buddha images and bodhisattvas in this show are the fierce-looking Heavenly Kings. These minor divinities, who are said to defend the four frontiers of Buddhism, include the popeyed, armor-clad figure of Vaisravana, controller of heavenly wealth, and Virudhaka, whose flaming sword keeps evil at bay.

It comes as something of a shock to realize that the time frame represented by this show encompasses late medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. In Europe, dramatic changes in the expressivity and plastic form of sculpture during these centuries mirrored equally dramatic changes in society and religion.

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But in China, where imitation was the highest form of flattery, centuries of political upheaval and intellectual ferment touched art in relatively subtle ways. In any case, the attributes of devotional figures like the ones in this exhibition were highly codified, permitting little variation.

As the catalogue essay points out, the works on view are either well-crafted objects with an imperial pedigree or standardized popular images. The stable, affluent Ming dynasty (1368-1644) is known for producing elaborate goods suited to the taste of the court and wealthy patrons.

During the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), technical refinement was the most prized attribute of art--a restrictive state of affairs for painting, but a boon to the production of lacquer and metal wares, porcelain and carved jade.

Qing emperor Qianlong (1737-96) was particularly addicted to decorative opulence. It gives one pause to read in the catalogue that the Amitayus figure enclosed in a halo of fire in the exhibition was one of a mostly identical series of more than 9,000 mostly identical images he presented to his mother for her 70th birthday.

So it comes as no surprise that the objects in the show are not “masterpieces” or even prime examples of the long and distinguished history of Chinese art--and there’s nothing wrong with that. The world of art embraces far more than isolated examples of greatness.

But for that very reason, the most fruitful way to deal with such objects is in the context of Chinese culture, society and religion. The Bowers’ frequent habit of showcasing objects as if they were ineffable treasures obscures their true value as windows onto another world.

* “Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal From the Chang Foundation,” through Sept. 18 at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Thursday nights until 9. Admission: $4.50 adults, $3 students and seniors, $1.50 children 5 to 12, under 5 free. (714) 567-3600.