Gandhara School of Art 

In Ancient times Gandhara was a famous center of trade along the Silk Road for centuries. Gandhara had a strategic position that attracted many invaders such as the Greeks, Parthians, and Kushans, who brought with them diverse artistic conventions. The Gandhara School of Art originated in the Taxila Valley in the northwest region of India from the second century B.C. to the first century A.D. 

• Major centres: The major locations were Taxila, Peshawar, Begram, and Bamiyan. 
• Influence: Gandhara art was influenced by the conversion of the region to Buddhism by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The origin of Gandhara art resulted from interactions between Greek, Roman, and Indian styles. 
• Golden Age: The Gandhara art style flourished much during the Kushan dynasty, especially during the rule of the emperor Kaniska.
• Buddhist depictions: The first depiction related to Buddhism dates to the early first century A.D. in the Gandhara school of art. This style of art was associated with Mahayana Buddhism and hence the main theme was Buddha and Bodhisattvas. 
• Giant Buddha sculptures: By the late fifth century A.D., the patronage of Buddhist monuments in Gandhara had begun to decline, but in Afghanistan, this artistic tradition flourished until about the eighth century A.D. 
• It was during this late phase in Afghanistan that sculptures of Buddha reached truly monumental proportions, such as the famous Buddhas at Bamiyan.
• More Buddhist sculptures and architecture have been found in Greater Gandhara than in any other part of ancient South Asia.

Gandhara School of Art Features

The Gandhara School of Art represents a unique blend of Indian, Greek, and Roman artistic traditions. It primarily developed in the region of modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly in the Gandhara region. Below are its key features:

• Blend of Indian and foreign traditions: The Gandhara school included many motifs and techniques from the Classical Roman style (such as vine scrolls, cherubs bearing garlands, tritons, and centaurs). The basic iconography, however, remained Indian.
• Materials: The materials used for Gandhara sculpture were green phyllite and gray-blue mica schist in the earlier phase. Whereas stucco was used increasingly after the 3rd century CE. The sculptures were also painted and gilded.
• Idealistic depiction: The Buddha was represented with a youthful and attractive Apollo-like face. Dress/garments resembled those seen on Roman imperial statues.
• Realistic and naturalistic style: A more realistic and naturalistic aesthetic made it possible to depict the human figure in greater detail. Whereas the older Buddhist art tended to be more abstract and symbolic.
• Secular sculpture: The Gandhara School was mainly tied to Buddhism, but it also featured some secular sculptures representing royal and aristocratic people as well as commonplace settings.
• General features of sculptures:
• The Buddha is shown with wavy hair, a long nose, and a slim oval face.
• The drape of his garment was bold recalling the togas of Hellenistic sculpture. 
• The divine figure was sometimes shown with humanistic details such as jewelry and a mustache.
• Greek pantheon figures also appear alongside statues of the Buddha.
• The sculptures were adorned with flowers, fruit trees, and ropes of leaves. So the landscapes and flora of distant lands blended with Indian art.
• Non-Greek features: Many of the images represent Buddha as seated in the typically Indian Yogic posture, a feature completely unknown to the Hellenistic tradition of art.
• Mudras of Buddha: Mostly four types of mudras (hand gestures) are shown in this art. This include Abahaya mudra, Dhyana mudra, Dharmachakra mudra, and Bhumisparsha mudra.

Mathura School of Art

The Mathura School of Art developed on indigenous lines without any major foreign influence. The Buddha''s face exhibits the spiritual feeling which was largely absent in the Gandhara school.

• Origin: Mathura art developed during the post-Maurya period (mainly during the Shunga period) and reached its peak during the Gupta period (AD 325 to 600).
• Major centres: The traditional centre, Mathura, remained the main art production site. Over the centuries, Sarnath and Kosambi also became important centres of art production.
• Dominance of Religion: The Mathura School of Art, noted for its vitality and assimilative character, was a result of the religious zeal of Brahmanism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
• Themes: Themes may vary from Buddhist, Jainism, Brahmanical to sometimes secular. Several Brahmanical deities were first given forms of idols by this school.
• Depiction in Human form: Earlier at Sanchi, Barhut, or Gaya, Buddha was never depicted in a human form but was represented only as a symbol of either two footprints or a wheel. Under the Mathura school of art human image of Buddha appeared, which was independent of other schools of art.
• Famous statues:
• It is famous for the headless erect statue of Kanishka whose name is inscribed at its lower end.
• Several stone images of Jain Tirthankaras (especially Vardhamana Mahavira) were produced.
• Its pre-Gupta sculpture ignores lord Krishna, however later his sculptures are also found.
• The images of Siva and Vishnu and their consorts Parvathi and Lakshmi were produced.
• The figures of Yakshinis and Apsaras were beautifully carved.
• Spread: The sculptural tradition of Mathura gradually spread to other parts of northern India. One example is the stupa sculptures found at Sanghol, Punjab.
• Export: Mathura exported Buddhist images to various places, such as Sarnath and even as far as Rajgir in Bihar. Images in the mottled red sandstone from the nearby Sīkri quarries are found widely distributed over north-central India, attesting to Mathura’s importance as an exporter of sculpture.

Mathura School of Art Features

The Mathura School of Art can be called a significant turning point in Indian art history. It is here that the symbolic representations were replaced with iconographic forms of deities. Under Mathura School of Art, images of the Buddha, Yakshas, Yakshinis, Shaivite and Vaishnavite deities, and portrait statues are profusely sculpted. 

• Native style: The Buddha images were modeled similarly to earlier Yaksha images whereas in Gandhara they had Hellenistic features. The Mathura style evolved with native elements such as lotus feet, meditative gaze on the face, etc. 
• Naturalistic style: The features are naturalistic rather than realistic. The Greco-Roman realistic features found in Gandhara school were not adopted in Mathura school. 
• Major features of sculptures:
• Mathura has produced Buddha images of various dimensions. However, there was an inclination towards carving large images.
• The volume of the images significantly projected out of the picture plane.
• The faces were round and smiling, and the heaviness in the sculptural volume was reduced to relaxed flesh.
• In these images, the overall effect was of enormous energy.
• Vishnu and Shiva were represented by their ayudhas (weapons).
• The entire figure was clothed. The transparent quality of the robes was also evident.
• The robes are visible and they cover the left shoulder.
• Images continued to depict folds of the drapery.
• The halo around the head of the image was profusely decorated.
• Vaishnavism and Shaivism: Images of Vaishnava (mainly Vishnu and his various forms) and Shaiva (mainly the lingas and mukhalingas) faiths are also found at Mathura but Buddhist images are found in large numbers. 
• Later Evolution of Mathura school:
• By the second century CE, images got more sensual, rotundity increased and became fleshier.
• In the third century CE, the fleshiness of images was reduced, movement was shown by increasing distance between the two legs as well as by using bents in the body posture.
• In the late fourth century CE, the massiveness and fleshiness was reduced.
• In the fifth and sixth centuries CE, the drapery was integrated into the sculptural mass and the volume of the drapery was also reduced.
• Material used: Spotted red sandstone has been used as primary material in this school.
• Features of Buddha images:
• The shoulders and the chest were broad.
• The head was shaven; the Usanisa (protuberance on the top of the head) indicated by a tiered spiral; a round smiling face; the right arm raised in abhaya-mudra (gesture of reassurance) and the left arm resting on the thigh.
• Presence of the lion throne rather than the lotus throne.
• Later, the hair began to be treated as a series of short flat spirals lying close to the head.
• Other religious images: Jaina and Hindu images of the period are carved in the same style as Buddhist images. The images of the Jaina Tīrthaṅkaras were very similar to contemporary images of the Buddha, except for iconography.
• Non-religious images: The dynastic portraits produced in Mathura school are of special interest. Figures of Kushan kings are dressed in Central Asian fashion, with long tunic, high boots, and conical caps.
• Female images: The female figures are carved in high relief on the pillars and gateways of both Buddhist and Jaina monuments. These resembled the Yakshi (female nature deity) seen at other Buddhist sites, such as Bharhut and Sanchi. They were auspicious symbols of fertility and abundance that had a popular appeal.