From Pre-Iconic to Iconic 

Anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha began to emerge in the 1st century CE in Northern India. During this new Iconic phase, representations of the Buddha in human form developed for the first time, following centuries of Pre-Iconic art in which the Buddha was represented by abstract symbols. 

The two main centers of creation have been identified as Gandhara, in today’s North West Frontier Province in Pakistan, and the region of Mathura in central northern India. The art of Gandhara had benefited from centuries of interaction with Greek culture by this time, following the conquests of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. This led to the development of Greco-Buddhist art, a specific form characterized by wavy hair, detailed flowing drapery, and shoes or sandals. The Buddhist art of Mathura, in contrast, was based on native Indian traditions. The two styles were characterized by a high degree of realism and strongly influenced each other.

Gandhara Buddha

Representation of the Buddha in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, 1st century CE.

Buddhist art continued to develop in India through the 4th and 6th centuries CE. The pink sandstone sculptures of the Gupta period were particularly influential in Southeast Asia, and it was during this empire that the "ideal form" of the Buddha appeared, becoming the model for future generations. 

By the 10th century, the creation of new Buddhist art in India was waning, and by the 12th century it had largely disappeared due to the expansion of Islam. The initial impact of Islam on Buddhist art was generally destructive, as Muslim invaders destroyed many Buddhist monasteries and artifacts. By the end of the 12th century, Buddhism in India remained only in select regions of the country. It continued, however, to expand through the Himalayan kingdoms and in East and Southeast Asia. A revival of Buddhism began in 1891, when Anagarika Dharmapala founded the Maha Bodhi Society with the aim of restoring ancient Buddhist shrines and temples that had been neglected or damaged.

Expansion of Different Styles

As Buddhism expanded outside of India from the 1st century CE onward, Buddhist art and architecture came into contact with different cultures that were adopting new artistic influences. Central and Eastern Asia practiced Mahayana Buddhism, which formed the Northern branch of Buddhist art. Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka practiced Theravada Buddhism, which formed the Southern branch of Buddhist art.

Northern Buddhist Art

The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism to Central Asia, China, and ultimately Japan and Korea started in the 1st century CE, where the Mahayana branch of Buddhism was developed and practiced. Buddhist art persisted for several centuries in Bactria (modern Afghanistan) and Central Asia until the advent of Islam in the 7th century CE. The art, along with the religion, spread from eastern Central Asia to China, which favored solemn and abstract representations of the Buddha under the Northern Dynasties of the 5th and 6th centuries and more lifelike, classically Indian depictions under the Tang Dynasty until 845. 

Buddhism was introduced in Japan in the 6th century and adopted by the state in the 7th. Numerous temples and monasteries were built in Japan, and countless sculptures and paintings were made under governmental sponsorship. Japan also developed an extremely rich figurative art for the pantheon of Buddhist deities.

Southern Buddhist Art

Buddhism traveled to Southeast Asia through maritime trade routes in the Indian Ocean. The Pali and Sanskrit languages and the Indian script, together with Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism, were transmitted from direct contact, through sacred texts, and through Indian literature such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Theravada Buddhism was transmitted to Burma, Siam (Thailand), lower Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, and Indonesia. This largely influenced the direction Buddhist art would take in Southeast Asia.

Several very powerful empires formed in Southeast Asia between the 9th and 13th centuries. These powers, including the Sri Vijaya Empire based in Sumatra, the Khmer Empire in Cambodia, and the ethnic Thai kingdom of Sukhothai, were very active in Buddhist architectural and artistic creation. The construction of vast Buddhist temple complexes played a particularly important role.