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The Wit of Beauty The Emotions of the Buddha
The figure of the Flying Apsara is rooted in Indian Buddhism. They are adherents of the Buddha, and they are one of the eight non-human races described in Buddhist cosmological texts. They are also known in Chinese as "fragrant deities" or "deities of pleasure." Their elegant images are often found in grottoes. Early on they were depicted in a Western Chinese style, naked from the waist up and wearing a baoguan draped skirt. Later there appeared central plains-style Apsaras: thin and elongated, dressed in loose gowns with a wide girdle. Flying Apsaras soared along the roofs of cave grottoes or in the indents of coffered ceilings. Buddhist figures in the dim lighting combined with the didactic images above produced a mysterious religious environment and a dazzling ambience. Master Yuan Jiaqi's major works contain several beautiful Flying Apsaras. Many goddesses in his religious works are depicted with lithely flying shadows, such as the Flying Apsaras in Buddha's Grace Illuminates All. In this work, they are depicted with lightly coiled rainbow jade, as if they were the banner of the Buddhist saints. Especially in one early work, 1979's Picture of Ultimate Bliss, he carves six Flying Apsaras out of saintly Eastern turquoise, using a large size disparity to offset the stateliness of Guanyin in the realm of the Buddha. The Master studied the spiritual charm and refinement of the Dunhuang caves' Flying Apsaras, appropriating their historical forms to carve six beautiful and charming Apsaras of his own. Their postures are sweet and graceful, whether playing a pipa, plucking a zhongyuan, raising a banner, offering ambrosia, or playing the lute while writing poetry-each appears fresh and lively. Yuan's Flying Apsaras have left their grottoes, appearing mid-flight in a lithe, dancing posture. They bring with them the faintly discernible music of the sages, divine flowers, and ambrosia, sharing with mortals the ultimate pleasures of the realm of Buddha. Theirs is a land where the five tones of ancient Chinese musicology resound-Langyuan, the land of everlasting abundance. They are the couriers of Buddhism made into art, using the language of the body to expound the beauty of the realm of Buddha. They disperse perfumed beauty throughout the mortal realm, using the language of the Great Wisdom to converse with the profane. They use the melodies of the heavenly kingdom to describe p?ramit? and the spiritual world. In the decades since Master Jiaqi has been carving jade, he has used jade to converse with the spirit. He has practiced and obtained such skills as maintaining contradictory thoughts, facing the wall in meditation, and contemplating the Dharma. He bestows his Buddhist sentiment into the soul of his jade works. This is ultimately what gives them their amazing realism and wit.
Multifaceted Imagery Poetry and Painting in Jade Sculpture
The Textural Universe Poetic Gardens
The Artistic Conception of Chan Buddhism Consummate Beauty
Vivid Energy and Charm Style and Spirit
Endowing Form, Molding the Soul The Heavenly Mystery of Jade's Destiny
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