Afghan art

The Bodhisattva and Chandeka, Hadda, 5th century CE

Afghan art has spanned many centuries. One of the most famous kinds is the Gandhara art between the 1st and 7th century based on Greco-Buddhist art. Since the 1900s, the nation began to use Western techniques in art. Afghanistan's art was originally almost entirely done by men but recently women are entering the arts programs at Kabul University. Art is largely centered at the National Museum of Afghanistan, the National Gallery of Afghanistan and the National Archives of Afghanistan in Kabul. There are a number of art schools in the country. The Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in Kabul provides young people an opportunity to learn contemporary painting..

Fine Art

Afghanistan fine art was protected during the Taliban times by art masters at the Senai Art School. The professors often hid "un-Islamic" paintings from the Taliban when they would visit and inspect. Other artists used water color over oil paintings to conceal faces and images not approved by the Taliban. Since 2002, the Afghan fine art master painters have been able to conduct many more exhibitions within Central Asia and Europe. Their oil and water color paintings are often found in the realism style, as that is what most Afghans prefer.^[1]

Jewelry

Afghan art includes jewelry and gold pieces. A famous collection of this art is in the Bactrian Hoard, which was found in burial mounts in Sheberghan in Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan. Some of these artifacts were briefly displayed in the United States.^[2] The artifacts are a mixture of coins, necklaces, bracelets, and other assorted gold jewelry. Some of these treasures date from the Bronze Age.

Sculpture in Afghanistan

Art in Afghanistan includes sculpture as well, with ancient works such as the Buddhas of Bamiyan. These works were destroyed by the Taliban after they denounced the works as idols.

Taller Buddha in 1963 and in 2008 after destruction

Greco-Buddhist Art

Greco-Buddhist art was prevalent in Afghanistan from the 4th Century BCE to around the 7th Century CE due to the Islamic Conquest. Many of these art forms have been found in the archaeological site of Hadda, Afghanistan.^[3]

Islamic Art

After the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan, Afghan art changed dramatically from previous Greco-Buddhist works, due to the adoption of Islam. Afghan local materials such as lapis lazuli were adapted for use in Islamic Art. Mosques built in Afghanistan and in the Arab world are built with elaborate tiling styles. Many of these styles were influenced from Chinese ceramics ^[4] Afghanistan served as a conduit for introduction to these Chinese ceramic styles and techniques due to its strategic location on the Silk Road.

Performance Art

Buz-baz is a form of musical puppetry found in Afghanistan. The puppeteer manipulates a markhor marionette while simultaneously playing a dambura.

Destruction of Art

While Afghanistan has been home to much art of different forms, it has also been a site where much art has been destroyed as a result of conflict, poor preservation, and ongoing social turmoil.

References