Culture in Nature: Cave Temples of Sichuan
Day-long international conference at USC
Saturday, April 01, 2006
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
USC
Zumberge Hall of Science 159
In this one-day symposium, organized by the USC Deparements of Art History and East Asian Languages and Cultures, eight scholars of art history, archaeology, religious studies, and history will discuss the social and artistic landscape of premodern Sichuan province.
This will be the first ever scholarly conference in the U.S. solely devoted to the material culture of Sichuan. The symposium will feature six papers in two panels, all devoted to exploring various aspects of cave temples as a unique built environment that brings together sophisticated visual forms, local institutions, and the technological advances. The first panel, "Monumental Sculpture and Architecture," examines the fusion of art and engineering in the making of cave temple sites in Sichuan. The second panel, "Art of Syncretism," addresses cross- and intra-cultural exchanges as evident in pictorial images and iconographies found in the region. Each panel ends with commentaries by a discussant.
Symposium Schedule
Panel 1: Monumental Sculpture and Architecture
10:15 am - 12:15 pm
The Cultural Values of Song Buddhist Art: Rethinking Sichuan Stone Sculptures -- Ning Qiang, Connecticut College
Emulating Nature, Carving Landscape: On the Drainage System at Baodingshan -- Li Fangyin, Art Museum of Dazu Stone Carvings
Buddhist Sculpture in the Upper Min River Region and Routes of Cultural Interchange in Southern Dynasties -- Lei Yuhua, Archaeological Institute of Chengdu
Commentary
Sonya Lee, USC
Panel 2: The Art of Syncretism
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Into the Clouds: The Mount Yuntai Parish and Early Medieval Daoist
Imaginations of Sacred Space -- Stephen Bokenkamp, Indiana University
Baodingshan and Laitan: Buddhist Syncretism and Orthodoxy in Sichuan --
Angela Howard, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
Dao Discussing and Religious Syncretism of the Three Doctrines in
Song-Yuan Art -- Hui-shu Lee, UCLA
Commentary
Richard Von Glahn, UCLA
The symposium is open to the public and requires no prior registration.
Cost: Free
For more information please contact
USC Department of Art History Tel: 213 740-4552
www.usc.edu/schools/college/art_history
