The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

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THE LATER ANDHRA PERIOD •
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dramatic character of some of the scenes like the
Submission of the elephant Nalagiri, with its
surging crowd of terrified spectators, contrasted
with the static calm of the group of the Buddha
and his followers [147]. These two new factors -
the way in which the whole composition is
unified through the rhythmic lines provided by
the movements and directions of the figures and
the dramatic content - seem to lead direct to the
reliefs of the Pallava and Chalukya Periods.
These later carvings give the impression of
being inspired by spectacular stage productions
and are likewise integrated by dynamic movement.
Presumably this likeness is not entirely
accidental, since the later Hindu dynasties of
the Deccan continued the artistic traditions that
flourished in these same regions during the
centuries of Buddhist domination.
Stylistically the Amaravati sculptors have a
fondness for a very complicated and perhaps
un-Indian arrangement of figures and settings
in a number of planes. This deep cutting that
transforms panels and medallions into stage
boxes might be regarded as a natural development
of the technique of the Sanchi carvers
the frequent use of overlapping figures and an
equally confident handling of foreshortened
forms is perhaps a basis for suspecting Roman
influence. The panel of a battle scene from
Nagarjunakonda [148] is like a translation of a
Trajanic relief into Indian terms. In such
respects as the deep pictorial space and the
composition in multiple planes, the conception
appears markedly Roman. At the same time,
the wiry, ferocious figures whirling in a wild
crescendo of action introduce us to a new phase
148. Battle scene and mithuna from Nagarjunakonda
New Delhi, National Museum