Art of Champa

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Champa was an Indic civilization that flourished along the coasts of what is now central and southern Vietnam for roughly a one thousand year period between 500 A.D. and 1500 A.D. The original Chams were probably colonists from the Indonesian islands, who adopted as their principal vocations those of trade, shipping, and piracy. Their cities were ports of call on important trade routes linking India, China and the Indonesian islands. The history of Champa was one of intermittent conflict and cooperation with the people of Java, the Khmer of Angkor in Cambodia and the Dai Viet of what is now northern Vietnam. It was to the Dai Viet that Champa finally lost its independence.

The artistic legacy of Champa has been decimated by neglect, war, and vandalism. Much of the damage has been done in the twentieth century. Some French scholars such as Henri Parmentier and Jean Boisselier were able to take photographs, create drawings, and pen descriptions of works which have been destroyed in the meantime. Neglect continues to endanger the legacy of Champa to this day, especially the neglect of the inscribed stone steles, the source of much valuable information on the history of Champa. The participants in the Vietnam War wrought their share of devastation, wiping out for example the vestiges of the Buddhist monastery at Dong Duong (Quang Nam).[1] Willful vandalism and pilfering are an ongoing concern.

The largest collection of Cham art is on exhibit at the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang. Substantial collections are housed in the Guimet Museum in Paris, the Museum of History in Saigon, and the Museum of History in Hanoi. Smaller collections may be found in the Museum of Fine Arts in Saigon and the Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi.

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[edit] Forms of visual art

The remnants of Cham art extant today consist mainly in temples of brick, sandstone sculptures in the round, and sandstone sculptures in high and low relief. A few metal sculptures remain as well.

[edit] Temples of brick

Unlike the Khmer of Angkor, who for the most part employed a grey stone to construct their religious buildings, the Cham built their temples from reddish bricks. Some of these brick structures can be still be visited in the Vetnamese countryside. The most important remaining sites include My Son near Da Nang, Po Nagar near Nha Trang, and Po Klaung Garai near Phan Rang.

This edifice, located at My Son, has been labelled "B5" by scholars. It is a storehouse from the 10th century A.D. The saddle-shapped roof is characteristic of Cham temple architecture.

The temple of Po Klaung Garai near Phan Rang belongs to the Thap Mam style from the end of the 13th century. It is dedicated to the legendary king Po Klaung Garai.

The temple of Po Nagar near Nha Trang was dedicated to the Cham goddess Yan Po Nagar, who is identified with the Hindu goddess Durga. In the 8th century it was looted by Javanese raiders.

The Phu Hai towers near the town of Phan Tiet in southern Vietnam may be the oldest Cham towers in existence. They are dedicated to a daughter of the goddess Po Nagar.

[edit] Sandstone sculptures

The Cham created freestanding sandstone sculptures in the round, as well as haut-relief and bas-relief carvings of sandstone. In general, they appear to have preferred sculpting in relief, and they excelled especially at sculpture in high relief. Cham sculpture went through a marked succession of historical styles, the foremost of which produced some of the best works of Southeast Asian art.[2]

[edit] Periods and styles of Cham art

Scholars agree that it is possible to analyze the art of Champa in terms of distinct "styles" typical for various historical periods and different locations. Several have attempted through their study to set down a classification of historical styles. Perhaps the most influential of these attempts are those of the French scholars Philippe Stern (The Art of Champa (formerly Annam) and its Evolution, 1942) and Jean Boisselier (Statuary of Champa, 1963).[3] Summarizing the conclusions of these scholars, art historian Jean-François Hubert has concluded that it is possible to distinguish at least the following styles and sub-styles:[4]

  • My Son E1 (7th to 8th century A.D.)
  • Dong Duong (9th to 10th century A.D.)
  • My Son A1 (10th century A.D.)
    • Khuong My (first half of 10th century A.D.)
    • Tra Kieu (second half of 10th century A.D.)
    • Chanh Lo (end of 10th century to mid-11th century A.D.)
  • Thap Mam (11th to 14th century A.D.)

Each style is named after a place in Vietnam at which works exempletive of that style have been found.

[edit] My Son E1 Style

The ruins at My Son are not all of the same style and do not all belong to the same period of Cham history. Scholars have coded the ruins to reflect the diversity of periods and styles. The earliest identifiable style has been dubbed the My Son E1 Style. It is named after a particular structure, which scholars refer to as My Son E1. Works of this style reflect foreign influence from a variety of sources, primarily from the Khmer of pre-Angkorian Cambodia, but also from the art of Dvaravati, of Indonesia, and of southern India.[5]

Perhaps the most famous work of the My Son E1 style is a large sandstone pedestal dated from the second half of the 7th century A.D. Originally, the pedestal had a religious function, and was used to support a huge lingam as a symbol for Siva, the primary deity in Cham religion. The pedestal itself is decorated with relief carvings featuring scenes from the lives of ascetics: ascetics playing various musical instrument, an ascetic preaching to animals, an ascetic receiving a massage. To the Cham, the pedestal symbolized Mount Kailasa, the mythological abode of Siva which also accommodated numerous forest- and cave-dwelling ascetics, just as the lingam it supported represented the god himself.[6]

Another important work of the My Son E1 style is the unfinished sandstone pediment that was once affixed over the main entrance to the temple at My Son E1. The pediment shows the dawn of the present era according to Hindu mythology. Vishnu is reclining at the bottom of the ocean. His bed is Sesha the serpent. A lotus grows upwards from Vishnu's navel, and Brahma emerges from the lotus in order to recreate the universe.[7]

An unfinished pediment shows the birth of Brahma from a lotus growing from the navel of Vishnu.

A detail from the My Son E1 pedestal shows a flutist playing his instrument.

Another detail shows an ascetic holding a flywhisk and giving instruction to a disciple.

This image of a male dancer is on the riser of a step leading onto the My Son E1 pedestal.

[edit] Dong Duong Style

In 875 A.D., the Cham king Indravarman II founded a new dynasty at Indrapura, in what is now the Quang Nam region of central Vietnam.[8] Departing from the religious traditions of his predecessors, who were predominantly Shaivists, he founded the Mahayana Buddhist monastery of Dong Duong, and dedicated the central temple to Lokesvara.[9] The temple complex at Dong Duong having been devastated by bombing during the Vietnam War, our knowledge of its appearance is limited to the photographs and descriptions created by French scholars earlier in the twentieth century.[10] A fair number of sculptures of the period have survived, however, in the museums of Vietnam, and collectively they are known as the works of the Dong Duong Style. The style lasted until well into the 10th century.

The Dong Duong style of sculpture has been described as a highly original style of "artistic extremism," "with exaggerated, almost excessively stylized features."[11] The figures are characterized by their thick noses and lips and by the fact that they do not smile.[12] Prominent motifs include scenes from the life of the Buddha, Buddhist monks, dharmapalas (guardians of the Budhist law), dvarapalas (armed temple guardians), the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and the goddess of compassion Tara, who was also regarded as the shakti or spouse of Avalokiteshvara.[13]

A sandstone statue of the Dong Duong Style, 2.18m tall, shows a dvarapala stomping on a bear.

Another sandstone dvarapala is shown stomping on a bull, who in turn disgorges a small warrior.

A 9th century sandstone statue shows Tara with a small figure of Amitabha seated in her hair above the forehead.

This seated figure may be a dharmapala. The pedestal below (not pictured) features an image of a kala head.

This statue of a kneeling fat man wearing a mukuta and a mustache is from the 9th century A.D.

The maidens depicted on this 9th or 10th century pedestal show only the faintest of smiles.

[edit] My Son A1 Style

The art of the My Son A1 style belongs to the 10th and 11th centuries A.D., a period of Hindu revival following the Buddhist period of Dong Duong, and also a period of renewed influence from Java. This period has been called the "golden age" of Cham Art.[14] The style is named after a temple at My Son, "the most perfect expression of Cham architecture" according to art historian Emmanuel Guillon, that fell victim to the Vietnam War in the 1960's. Most of the remaining monuments at My Son also belong to the My Son A1 style, including most of the constructions of groups B, C, and D.[15]

As to the sculpture of the My Son A1 style, it is known as being light and graceful, in contrast with the more severe style of Dong Duong. According to Guillon, "It is an art of dance and movement, of grace, and of faces which sometimes wear a slight, almost ironic style, as though surprised by their own beauty." Indeed, dancers were a favorite motif of the My Son A1 sculptors. The style is also known for its fine relief images of real and mythical animals such as elephants, lions and garudas.[16]

The My Son A1 style encompasses not only works of art found at My Son, but also works found at Khuong My and Tra Kieu, though the latter are sometimes treated as representing distinct styles. The works of Khuong My in particular are frequently treated as transitional between the styles of Dong Duong and My Son A1.[17] Likewise, works found at Chanh Lo are sometimes treated as belonging to the My Son A1 style and sometimes treated as transitional between the My Son A1 and Thap Mam styles.[18]

[edit] Khuong My Style

In the village of Khuong My in the Vietnamese province of Quang Nam stands a group of three Cham towers dating from the 10th century. The style of the towers and the artwork associated with them is transitional between the powerful style of Dong Duong and the more charming and delicate My Son A1 style. The style of Khuong My also exhibits Khmer and Javanese influence.[19]

[edit] Tra Kieu Style

Although the Cham monuments at Tra Kieu in Quang Nam Province have been destroyed, a number of magnificent pieces of sculpture associated with the site remain and are preserved in museums. Especially noteworthy are a large pedestal serving as a base for a lingam that is known simply as the "Tra Kieu Pedestal" and another pedestal known as the "Dancers' Pedestal."[20]

The Tra Kieu Pedestal, consisting of a base decorated with friezes in bas relief, an ablutionary cistern, and a massive lingam, is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Cham art. The figures on the friezes are especially beautiful, and represent episodes from the life of Krishna as related in the Bhagavata Purana. At each corner of the pedestal, a leonine atlas appears to support the weight of the structure above him.[21]

The Dancers' Pedestal, likewise, is regarded as a masterpiece. The purpose and function of the pedestal, which has the shape of a corner piece, remain obscure. Each side of the corner is graced by a dancing apsara and a music-playing gandharva. The base underneath these figures is adorned with leonine heads and makaras.[22]

This 10th c. tympanum of the dancing Shiva is transitional between the Dong Duong and Khuong My styles.

This carving of an elephant is found on a pedestal in the My Son A1 style.

The Tra Kieu pedestal of the 10th c. supports a massive lingam and ablutionary cistern.

A row of apsaras, or celestial nymphs, is depicted on the base of the Tra Kieu Pedestal.

A leonine atlas stands at a corner of the base for the Tra Kieu Pedestal. The figures to the right belong to scenes from the life of Krishna.

The Dancers' Pedestal of Tra Kieu features this apsara or dancer and gandharva or musician.

In the back, a lintel from Chanh Lo represents the royal court. The pedestal in the front depicting the life of Buddha belongs to the earlier Dong Duong style.

[edit] Thap Mam Style

After the 10th century, Cham art went into gradual decline. Both architecture, as exemplified by the temples of Po Nagar and Po Klaung Garai, and sculpture became more stereotyped and less original. Only the sculptures of mythical animals, such as the makara or the garuda, could rival their counterparts of the earlier styles.[23]

The Thap Mam Style of the 11th through the 14th century is named for an achaeological site in Binh Dinh Province. The sculpture of this style is characterized by "a return to hieratic formalism and the simplification of shape, leading to a certain loss of vitality."[24] The sculptors seem to have been concerned more with the detail of ornamentation than with the grace and motion of the figures themselves. Indeed, the style has been characterized as "baroque," in reference to the proliferation of ornamental details that distinguishes it from its more "classical" predecessors.[25]

One of the most original motifs of the Thap Mam period was the sculpting in stone of a row of female breasts around the base of a pedestal. The motif first emerged in the 10th century (the Tra Kieu Pedestal at one point had such a row of breasts) and became characteristic of the Thap Mam Style. It appears to have no counterpart in the art of other southeast Asian countries.[26]

A 13th century sculpture from Binh Dinh shows Garuda devouring a serpent.

This 12th c. leonine atlas is of the Thap Mam style.

The leonine atlas at the corner of this pedestal is flanked by rows of female breasts.

A 12th century sculpture in the Thap Mam style depicts Garuda the man-bird, serving as an atlas.

This dragon or makara of the Tham Mam style may exhibit Vietnamese influence.

This late 11th or 12th century high relief of Shiva belongs to the Thap Mam style.

[edit] References

  • Jean Boisselier, La statuaire du Champa. Paris: École Française d'Extrême-Orient, 1963.
  • Huynh Thi Duoc, Cham Sculpture and Indian Mythology. Da Nang, Vietnam: Danang Publishing House, 2007.
  • Emmanuel Guillon, Hindu-Buddhist Art of Vietnam: Treasures from Champa (translated from the French by Tom White). Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill, 1997.
  • Jean-François Hubert, The Art of Champa (translated from the French by Anna Allanet). USA: Parkstone Press and Confidential Concepts, 2005.
  • Lê Thành Khôi, Histoire du Viêt Nam des origines à 1858. Paris: Sudestasie, 1981.
  • Ngô Vǎn Doanh, Champa: Ancient Towers. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2006.
  • Ngô Vǎn Doanh, My Son Relics. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2005.

[edit] Footnotes

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  1. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.36.
  2. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.31.
  3. ^ Hubert, The Art of Champa, p.39 ff.
  4. ^ Hubert, The Art of Champa, pp.33-34.
  5. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.33 ff.
  6. ^ Ngô Vǎn Doanh, Champa: Ancient Towers, p.50ff.; Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.73.
  7. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.72.
  8. ^ Ngô Vǎn Doanh, Champa: Ancient Towers, p.72.
  9. ^ Ngô Vǎn Doanh, Champa: Ancient Towers, p.73.
  10. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.36 ff.
  11. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.40.
  12. ^ Hubert, The Art of Champa, p.43.
  13. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.81 ff.; Huynh Thi Duoc, Cham Sculpture, p.66 ff.
  14. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.41.
  15. ^ Ngô Vǎn Doanh, My Son Relics, p.140-141.
  16. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.128 ff.; Huynh Thi Duoc, Cham Sculpture, pp.55 ff.
  17. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.45, 105 f.
  18. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.134.
  19. ^ Ngô Vǎn Doanh, Champa: Ancient Towers, Ch.5: "Khuong My," p.95 ff.
  20. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.110 ff.
  21. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.110-116.
  22. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.120-127.
  23. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.54 f.
  24. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.57.
  25. ^ Hubert, The Art of Champa, p.43.
  26. ^ Guillon, Treasures from Champa, p.147 ff.

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