Statue of "the Buddha calling the earth to witness," the most common representation of the Buddha. The Buddha's hands are in the bhūmisparsa mudrā (subduing Māra) position. (Ho Phra Kaeo temple, Vientiane, Laos)
Lao artisans have, throughout the past, used a variety of mediums in their sculptural creations. Of the metals, bronze is probably the most common, but gold and silver images also exist. Typically, the precious metals are used only for smaller objects, but some large images have been cast in gold, most notably the Phra Say of the sixteenth century, which the Siamese carried home as booty in the late eighteenth century. Today, it is in enshrined at Wat Po Chai in Nongkhai, Thailand, just across the Mekong River from Vientiane. The Phra Say's two companion images, the Phra Seum and Phra Souk, are also in Thailand. One is in Bangkok and the other is in Lopburi. Perhaps the most famous sculpture in Laos, the Phra Bang, is also cast in gold, but the craftsmanship is held to be of Sinhalese, rather than Lao, origin. Tradition maintains that relics of the Buddha are contained in the image.
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Perugia, Fonte Maggiore, figure della vasca superiore
Figlio di Nicola Pisano, si formò nella bottega del padre assieme ad Arnolfo di Cambio.
Durante gli anni in cui lavorò a fianco del padre collaborò al Pulpito del Battistero di Pisa (dal 1260) ed il Pulpito di Siena (1265-1269), anche se l'attribuzione delle diverse sculture che compongono queste opere è controversa e complessa. Ebbe un ruolo sicuramente più attivo nella Fontana Maggiore (1275-1278), la fontana tuttora visibile nella piazza del Comune a Perugia, dove firmò accanto al nome del padre (ultima opera documentata di Nicola Pisano). Le figure del registro superiore, pur nella totale incertezza nelle attribuzioni, sono in genere riferite a Giovanni Pisano per la loro tendenza ormai esplicitamente gotica, con i loro scatti, bruschi movimenti, che si allontanano dallo stile aulico di Nicola Pisano. READ MORE...
Acrylic Paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with the other media.
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