12^th  March 2012

 Zara Fleming

 The sacred art of Mongolia

Mongolia is a vast country of rugged mountains, rolling steppes and awesome desert, lying in the heart of Central Asia. The homeland of Genghis Khan (1162-1227) who founded an Empire which stretched from the Yellow Sea to the Mediterranean. Its people are predominantly nomadic herdsmen and yet they have produced a highly sophisticated artistic tradition which reflects their nomadic and spiritual culture.

The most profound and long lasting influence on Mongolian art is that of Vajrayana Buddhism, which inspired a rich and vibrant artistic tradition. This flourished for centuries under the patronage of the Khans, but in the C20th it was all but annihilated by Soviet-inspired communism. This lecture explores the rich tradition of sacred art and comments on the extraordinary renaissance present in Mongolia today.

Image from Himalayan Art