page_title: History of Asian art
section_title: Indonesian art
hierarchical_section_title: History of Asian art / Southeast Asian art / Indonesian art
caption_attribution_description: English: This panel is part of the same (unidentified) Avadana tale as I.b114. In this scene, a princely figure draws his bow in the presence of forest hermits on the right. The action is observed by a group of deities, with jewels and crowns, on the left.
context_page_description: The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions and religions across the continent of Asia. Developments of art in Asia historically parallel those in Western art, in general a few centuries earlier. East Asian art had significant influence on Western art, and vice versa.Near Eastern art and South Asian art also had a significant influence on Western art. Excluding prehistoric art, the art of Mesopotamia represents the oldest forms of art in Asia.
context_section_description: Indonesian art and culture has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures.
  Indonesia is not generally known for paintings, aside from the intricate and expressive Balinese paintings, which often express natural scenes and themes from the traditional dances.
  Other exceptions include indigenous Kenyah paint designs based on, as commonly found among Austronesian cultures, endemic natural motifs such as ferns, trees, dogs, hornbills and human figures. These are still to be found decorating the walls of Kenyah Dayak longhouses in East Kalimantan's Apo Kayan region.
  Indonesia has a long-he Bronze and Iron Ages, but the art-form particularly flourished from the 8th century to the 10th century, both as stand-alone works of art, and also incorporated into temples.
  Most notable are the hundreds of meters of relief sculpture at the temple of Borobudur in central Java. Approximately two miles of exquisite relief sculpture tell the story of the life of Buddha and illustrate his teachings. The temple was originally home to 504 statues of the seated Buddha. This site, as with others in central Java, show a clear Indian influence.
  Calligraphy, mostly based on the Qur'an, is often used as decoration as Islam forbids naturalistic depictions. Some foreign painters have also settled in Indonesia. Modern Indonesian painters use a wide variety of styles and themes.
caption: Relief sculpture from Borobudur temple, c. 760–830 AD
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