About Buddhist Art
Representations of the Buddha, bodhisattvas and other figures use gestures, attributes and arrangements that vary between traditions. Narrative scenes, sacred landscapes and symbolic forms provide further routes into the subject. Material and original setting can be central to interpretation.
Avoid treating all Buddhist imagery as one interchangeable visual language. Read the documented tradition, region and date wherever possible. A later image inspired by Buddhist art belongs to a different context from a work made for a particular historical devotional setting.