A Thousand Hands

     Today we are going to be looking at a truly striking piece of work. There are many pieces out there portraying Buddha with multiple heads to represent the cries of the people. There are also pieces with multiple arms intended to aid the people. Today we are looking at a piece of Buddha with many arms reaching around himself for help. By the time this piece was created the Greco-roman influence was no longer popular. Instead, they were creating Indian images of the Buddha, and that is what we are looking at today. The Indian style has become the more classic image of Buddha. This Bodhisattva of Compassion is many times meant to be a woman. Researchers can tell this because of the intentional feminine features in the work. The arms are representing the people reaching out for help. If one is devoted, then they will be freed from danger as well as de-stress. Many pieces hold a similar concept rather it be the cries of humanity or the people reaching out for help. This piece holds incredible detail. Each hand is holding something different. The detail in this piece allows us to capture a more detailed interpretation of the true concept the artist intended to portray.

- Sydney Cruse