Answer:
The sculpture of Southeast Asia was heavily influenced by Indian religions and artistic styles.
Explanation:
The communities and cultures of Southeast Asia were in direct contact with India through trade routes. Several Indic kingdoms competed for dominance in the region between the 1st and 8th centuries CE, particularly the Cambodian Funan and the Burmese Mon .
Most of the Southeast Asian sculpture of the period 300–600 CE was heavily influenced by the style of the Gupta Empire in India, which patronized Buddhist art in the Greco–Buddhist style.
Southeast Asian Buddha statues of this period were characterized by a purity of statuary and a delicacy in portraying the folds of clothing. Somewhat less attention was paid to the realism of artistic details, and symbolic, shell-like curls were used to render the hair of the Buddha.
The Indic civilization of Champa flourished along the coasts of what is now central and southern Vietnam from 500 CE onward and left an impressive artistic legacy of sandstone sculptures, both in the round and in relief .
In later periods, Chinese influences predominated in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Key Terms
Indic: Pertaining to India or its people or culture; Indian.
Mon: A people living primarily in Myanmar (also known as Burma) and Thailand; one of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, they are responsible for the spread of Buddhism in Burma and Thailand.
