Khmer sculpture

Khmer sculpture refers to the stone sculpture of the Khmer Empire. The most celebrated examples are found in Angkor, which served as the seat of the empire.

Origins in Indian art

The myth on which the saga of the ruling class in Cambodia is based speaks of a hero called Kaundinya who, coming from India, founds the capital Fu-nan, the ancient name of the pre-Angkorian kingdom, and marries the daughter of the local king of the Naga, the original people of the region. It is interesting to note how all of the rulers that follow in Cambodia, even the usurpers of the throne, try to show, in some way or other, that they are descents of the legendary Kaundinya, or they marry into this lineage, as though that relation provided definitive legitimization. We do not know how much truth there is to this legend, but we can deduce that some immigrants of noble blood left India to seek their fortune in the area of Southeast Asia, where they settled. There, finding little or no resistance on the part of the local inhabitants, they secured their superiority and domain in very little time. With them came the religions and the priests to practice their rites, as well as the intellectuals, educators, artists and sculptors to build the temples and make the sacred images. They created an empire that reached its highest splendour in the 12th century, and they lived in marvellous palaces, isolated and at a distance from the people, over whom they exercised a benevolent but absolute control.

Chu Ta Kuan, a Chinese traveller from the 13th century, left us an impressive description of the pomp and splendour of the court as the retinue of soldiers, standards, musicians, servants, wives concubines, and a multitude of ministers and nobles left the palace in long processions. All riding on elephants decked out in gold and protected from the sun by parasols and canopies made of red silk. But, Chu Ta Kuan also commented, “I wanted to say that there were marvellous places within the royal palace, but the prohibitions are so severe that it has been impossible for me to see them.” By means of these descriptions, but above all by means of the images of the statues and bas-reliefs which have been preserved, we can see how important “appearance” was in that society and how taste evolved into a hedonistic search for beauty, which despite its end as the self-glorification of the royal family, soon became a component of Khmer art.

Probably the good economic conditions of such a fertile country and the generous nature of its people were among the main factors contributing to the development of this fortunate culture. Answering the demands of its nobility, a legion of weavers, jewellers, engravers and architects inspired new fashions and created new styles which sculptors later illustrated with taste and skill in these stone images.

Movement away from Indian models

By the 7th century, Khmer sculpture begins to drift away from its Hindu influences – pre-Gupta for the Buddhist figures, Pallava for the Hindu figures – and through constant stylistic evolution, it comes to develop its own originality, which by the 10th century can be considered complete and absolute. Khmer sculpture soon goes beyond religious representation, which becomes almost a pretext in order to portray court figures in the guise of gods and goddesses. But furthermore, it also comes to constitute a means and end in itself for the execution of stylistic refinement, like a kind of testing ground. We have already seen how the social context of the Khmer kingdom provides a second key to understanding this art. But we can also imagine that on a more exclusive level, small groups of intellectuals and artists were at work, competing among themselves in mastery and refinement as they pursued a hypothetical perfection of style.

The gods we find in Khmer sculpture are those of the two great religions of India, Buddhism and Hinduism. And they are always represented with great iconographic precision, clearly indicating that learned priests supervised the execution of the works. Nonetheless, unlike those Hindu images which repeat an idealized stereotype, these images are treated with great realism and originality because they depict living models: the king and his court. The true social function of Khmer art was, in fact, the glorification of the aristocracy through these images of the gods embodied in the princes. In fact, the cult of the “deva-raja” required the development of an eminently aristocratic art in which the people were supposed to see the tangible proof of the sovereign’s divinity, while the aristocracy took pleasure in seeing itself – if, it’s true, in idealized form – immortalized in the splendour of intricate adornments, elegant dresses and extravagant jewelry.

The sculptures are admirable images of a gods, royal and imposing presences, though not without feminine sensuality, makes us think of important persons at the courts, persons of considerable power. The artists who sculpted the stones doubtless satisfied the primary objectives and requisites demanded by the persons who commissioned them. The sculptures represent the chosen divinity in the orthodox manner and succeeds in portraying, with great skill and expertise, high figures of the courts in all of their splendour, in the attire, adornments and jewelry of a sophisticated beauty.

But if we go beyond this initial impression, we can pause to observe some of the details of the sculptures, such as the double arc drawn by the eyebrows on the foreheads, evoked below by the wisely sketched curve of the noses and further down, by the double arc which masterfully outlines the lips and the double chin. Following a hypothetical vertical line down still further, we find another double arc outlining the breasts, and then, continuing down from the waist all along the skirts and ending in the ankles, we find almost at the bottom, a twisted double arc intended to represent the other side of the skirts. This detail serves, above all, to eliminate a certain hieratic fixedness, which was relatively common in the Khmer statues of lesser quality. If we observe all this, as I said, it is easy to feel that we are in the presence of a stylistic performance of the highest order, intended for the initiated, like a kind of secret code for those who knew and could capture the subtle pleasure of the pursuit of aesthetic beauty as an end in itself. Perhaps this is the message, or rather, the challenge handed down centuries ago by these unknown sculptors from this Asiatic kingdom, which still excites and fascinates the lovers of Khmer art today.

Archeological exploration

Ever since 1864, when France established a Protectorate in Cambodia, Western travellers have been amazed by the impressive ruins of Angkor. Not long after, once the École française d'Extrême-Orient began to study and catalogue the findings made at the excavations, the growing number of scholars from all around the world, art lovers and admirers of this sculpture, became fervent proponents of Khmer Art.

“Khmer Art, captivating in its civility, refinement and delight, open to all forms of life, is made in the image of the country and its inhabitants. Nevertheless, among the arts of the Far East, few are as accessible to the Western temperament. Its profound beauty impresses itself upon the spirit and sensibility without requiring prior study. Its sobriety, its horror of excess and its sense of balance and harmony allow it to attain universal value.” Thus wrote Madeleine Giteau, the distinguished member of the École française d’Extrême-Orient, in the introduction to her book Les Khmers in 1965. One can sense in these words all of the author’s appreciation of Khmer art. This appreciation goes beyond her profound knowledge, rooted in her painstaking and minute archaeological studies. It is free of any vestige of condescension; it bears no trace of colonialism. Rather, Giteau’s view is full of the admiration, respect and passion that the aesthete feels when contemplating a work of art – any work of art that is recognized as such.

Currently, the largest museums of the West dedicate entire halls to Khmer sculpture, not to mention the enormous exhibition which took place first at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris and later at the National Gallery of Art in Washington in 1997.

ee also

*Architecture of Cambodia
*Angkor Wat
*Khmer Empire
*Angkor
*Sculpture
*Eastern art history
*Culture of Cambodia
*Visual arts of Cambodia

References

Published references:

La espiritualidad del vacio, Khmer sculpture exhibition catalogue, Professor Matthias Barmann, 'Khmer: Men and Gods'

Felice delle Piane (historian), Obrasocial Bancaja, Valencia, Spain.
* [http://www.asianart.com/articles/heitmann/index.html Lord Umagangapatisvara] Annette L. Heitmann, Published: November 21, 2005. Asian Art.
* [http://www.apollo-magazine.com/issue/october-2007/196096/a-cambodian-masterpiece-restored.thtml A Cambodian Masterpiece restored] Jennifer Casler, September 2007. Apollo Magazine.
* [http://www.hachmeister-galerie.de/HACHMEISTER_eng/Khmer_art/khmer_art.html Khmer Art] Doctor Heiner Hachmeister, Felice delle Piane (historian), Hachmeister Galerie, Munich, Germany.
*Les Khmers, Sculptures Khmeres, reflets de la civilisation d'Angkor, Fribourg, Office du Livre. Madeleine Giteau, 1965.

External links

* [http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/cambodia/camrmenter-0.htm Khmer Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia] Millennium of Glory, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
* [http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Sacred_Angkor.htm Sacred Angkor] Sushama Londhe, Hindu Wisdom, A tribute to Hinduism.
* [http://www.asiasocietymuseum.com/region_main.asp?RegionID=3 Asia Society] Museum, Southeast Asia, John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York.
* [http://angkor-empire.com/index.htm Angkor] A Khmer Empire, Angkor Empire.