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skywizard
12th October 2013, 15:00
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/assets/images/db_images/db_fengxian-grotto-longmen-7th-century5.jpg
Another amazing piece of work from our ancient ancestors!


What fascinates me is the labor and artistic skills that it took to do something of this magnitude. This is something you don't do in a few days, months, years it took a few dynasties. What kept the people (artists, which had to be many) motivated for so long over that many years? How or who came up with the idea or plan to take a stick of copper (chisel) and a rock (hammer) and take down a side (I guess hanging from a rope?) of not one but two mountains? Then chisel out 100,000 statues and stelae (columns) honoring some God, Creator or Supreme Being. They had to be worshiping something or someone(s) that had a great and strong influence on or in their lives.

Well I could keep going on and on about this but I'll get to the thread we'll never totally solve the mystery of out ancient past. I love ancient archeology as you can tell :)


Longmen Caves are one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art in China. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of present day Luňyáng in Hénán province, Peoples Republic of China. The images, many once painted, were carved into caves excavated from the limestone cliffs of the Xiangshan and Longmenshan mountains, running east and west with the Yi River flowing northward between them.

There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 1,400 caves, ranging from an 1 inch (can you imagine a one inch statue carved out of a piece of rock) to 57 feet in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, whence the name “Forest of Ancient Stelae", as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas. Situated in a scenic natural environment, the caves were dug from a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) stretch of cliff running along both banks of the river. 30% date from the Northern Wei Dynasty and 60% from the Tang, caves from other periods accounting for less than 10% of the total. Starting with the Northern Wei Dynasty in 493 AD, patrons and donors included emperors, Wu Zetian of the Second Zhou Dynasty, members of the royal family, other rich families, generals, and religious groups.

In 2000 the site was inscribed upon the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity,” for its perfection of an art form, and for its encapsulation of the cultural sophistication of Tang China.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ue8CJRC1so


peace...
skywizard

The One
12th October 2013, 15:38
These are just amazing and a massive wow factor Skywizard. I came across these about two years ago but soon forgot about them.

I will just add this video below

China World Heritage List :: Longmen Grottoes


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Nf_ZzgwxrmI

Mark
12th October 2013, 15:53
Absolutley stunning!

I once painted the altar area of a large catholic church, all the figures of holy effigies.

I have to say, I did pay more attention to details and ensured my best efforts, well, you never know... ;-)

Spiral
12th October 2013, 16:07
Do we know why so many were carved ?

Was it a site of pilgrimage & the pilgrims sponsored statues & carvings, the richer people commissioning larger ones to denote their status ? (Educated guess).