Tang Dynasty Buddhist Plant Decorative Patterns

Decorative arts of plant patterns in Buddhism are important cultural phenomenon which gradually formed during the process of Indian Buddhism's dissemination, undergoing continuous development and evolution Buddhism after Indian Buddhism entered in China, reaching its peak in the Tang Dynasty, and became an integral part of the Sinicization of Buddhism. This way, while it not only has an important affection in the buddhist culture history, but also shares the process of status in the cultural exchanges between China and India, which can not be ignored. So it is worth studying.In this paper, the author analyzed the transformation, characteristics and historical origins of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty through the methods of history, religion, archeology, and art etc, trying to grasp the evolution process, the role of cultural and historical connotations of decorative arts of plant patterns in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty, in order to provide useful references for revealing relations between buddhist art and society, philosophy, religion free, civilization contact and so on.In the first chapter, the author studied the traditional decorative patterns of plants and analyzed unique aesthetic tendency of the Indian nation in the field of decoration as well as its different embodiment in Buddhism and Hinduism through the typical relics of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism left in all different parts of Gandhara, Mathura, Amaravati of different period in ancient India, such as the Phoenician Dynasty, Kushan Dynasty, Sunda kingdom Galerkin, Gupta period and so on, which is the exotic origin of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty.In the second chapter, the author illustrated the basic characteristics of decorative arts of plant patterns in Buddhism of China before the Tang Dynasty, and revealed the basic characteristics in the civilization contact between China and foreign countries, through describing traditional decorative patterns in China before Buddhism was introduced in East territory and decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism after Buddhism was introduced, before the Tang Dynasty, especially Honeysuckle and lotus pattern in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the two typical of decorative plant patterns in Buddhism, which is to say that Indian decorative arts is a parent cell body, and profound Chinese civilization is a hotbed nurturing and shaping some kind of new arts, this configuration of civilization contact between China and India determines the basic historical process and the cultural personality of decorative arts of plant patterns in Buddhism before the Tang Dynasty.In the third chapter, the author focused on the analysis of the transition and characteristics of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty. Firstly, the author described the social and cultural background for the transition of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty, that are sroll design and Po-phase pattern; secondly, the author studied the emergence and application of the typical patterns decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty, then divided the period of transformation of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty into three stages: imitation, combined and innovation, finally, the author grasped the basic characteristics of decorative patterns of plants in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty, summed up the features such as the diversity of subject, the realism of modeling, rich and flexible of style, etc.In the forth chapter, the author analyzed the affection of decorative arts of plant patterns in Buddhism in Tang Dynasty Buddhist on the theory of artistic creation, creative skills, and the trend of Chinese aesthetic of decorative arts of plant patterns in China. The author believes that subjects of Chinese decorative pattern arts had been enriched, creation theory of decorative pattern arts had been developed, and creative skills had been achieved epoch-making progress since Buddhism came to China until the Tang Dynasty, because of the participation of lots of foreign artistic style, and the resulting arts of Buddhist decorative plant pattern in the Tang Dynasty has a profound impact on the trend of Chinese aesthetic.In the conclusion of this paper, the author put forward some basic knowledge about the development of the arts and cultural exchanges between China and India on the basis of the study above-mentioned. This paper holds that it's an inevitable trend that any artistic style circulated in different cultures experienced nationalization and localization during the interaction. The formation of any art form has come from different aspects of the complex factors, in addition to alien civilizations, the basis of the role of local civilization also can not be ignored; Furthermore, there are rules of art according to their own development and evolution. All of these embody the culture, the times, as well as the Rheology under the Buddhist decorative plant patterns in the Tang Dynasty, and other important characteristics such as dialogue and integration between civilizations contact.