 previous article in this issue | next article in this issue  |
Preview first page |
Document Details : Title: Comparing Buddhist Meta-Images Subtitle: On Representations as Objects, Likeness, and Presences Author(s): HUNTINGTON, Eric Journal: Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies Volume: 47 Date: 2024 Pages: 105-171 DOI: 10.2143/JIABS.47.0.3294222 Abstract : Meta-images, or images of images, are a remarkable window into the nature of representation as a visual process. Beyond the writings of theoreticians or ritualists, they can provide insight into what even anonymous artists thought of their own creations. This article highlights the significance of meta-images by showing their relevance to one key point of scholarly debate about Buddhist visual and material culture – whether artistic representations of sacred figures should be understood as constructed objects or as living presences. The analysis proceeds in two separate registers of a comparative framework. On one level, looking at single artworks and cultural contexts, images are compared to other kinds of entities with better-known ontological statuses, such as living beings or relics of the deceased. On another level, looking at multiple traditions from diverse cultural contexts together, meta-images are compared with each other to reveal a rich variety in the ways that artworks can be understood in Buddhist visual culture. Detailed investigation across Buddhist history shows greater variety and nuance in conceptions of representation than a simple polarization between object and presence. |
 |
