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Western Pure Land
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Western Pure Land
CHINA; Qing dynasty (1644–1911); By Ding Guanpeng; Ink and color on paper; 295.8 x 148.8 cm; National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
At the bottom of this painting by Ding Guanpeng, peacocks and cranes stand beside jeweled trees below a banister that surrounds a pond. In the water, beings rise from lotuses, newly born in the Western Pure Land. As they ascend the steps out of the pond, they are welcomed by groups of Bodhisattvas. Three red seals are stamped along the path leading up to the majestic Amitabha Buddha Triad in the middle of the painting. The three figures sit on lotus thrones within ornate pavilions decorated with hanging ornaments. Amitabha is in the center, wearing a red robe and likely forming the middle grade of the highest class mudra. A curving trail of light rises from the Buddha's usnisa, coils upwards past a heavenly palace, and then raidiates outwards in beams filled with small Buddha images that cover the upper register. The symmetrically arranged figures, intricate details, and harmonious colors make this a particularly vivid representation of the splendor of the Pure Land. |
