Art History
Introduction
The Conquests of Alexander the Great culminated to the establishment of Hellenistic Kingdoms in South-West Asia from 323 BC to 146 BC. This led to the spread of Hellenistic cultures to these regions. The Hellenistic civilization and culture encompasses a blend between the Ancient Greek culture, religion and art and the South-West Asia art, culture and religion. The Head of Bodhisattva contained in the Cantor Museum encompasses the head of a Buddhist being that easily attained Buddhahood, but forgoes his Nirvana with the aim of aiding those in the world to walk in the Buddhist path. This Head was created in the Gandhara Ancient kingdom located in South West Asia. This Head was created using the Gandhara or Greco-Buddhist art that was highly influenced by Hellenistic Art. The Head of Alexander the Great encompasses an art created during the Hellenistic Civilization that spread after the Conquests of Alexander the Great. The fact that both The Head of Alexander the Great and The Head of Bodhisattva were created under Hellenistic and Greco-Buddhist art, cultural, religious and artistic connections can be identified between them.
Cultural Connections Both Heads were created during the Hellenistic civilization whose major characteristic was the Hellenistic culture. This culture was however influenced by the indigenous cultures of the conquests culminating into the Greco Buddhist culture. During the creation of both heads the main language utilized in Alexandria where The Head of Alexander the Great was discovered and Gandhara where The Head of Bodhisattva was discovered was Greek. Essentially in the Greco-Buddhist culture under which The Head of Bodhisattva was produced and Hellenistic culture under which The Head of Alexander the Great was produced, the main type of literature utilized was the Greek literature. The major institutions established under both cultures were the Greek-Style institutions. Both heads depict the cultural syncretism that existed between the Western and Eastern traditions. This clearly connects both head based on their cultural backgrounds.
Artistic Connections The Head of Alexander the Great was created under Hellenistic art, while The Head of Bodhisattva was created under the Greco-Buddhist art that was highly influenced by Hellenistic art. Both heads can be viewed from all angles, a major characteristic of both Hellenistic and Greco-Buddhist art. Initially, Buddhist art was identified under the Aniconic Phase in which a direct representation of Buddha was avoided by the artists. In this case, apace was created to signify the presence of Buddha. This transitioned into the Iconic Phase under which Buddha was directly represented in human form. The Iconic phase can be attributed to the influence of Hellenistic art, owing to the fact that Buddha could be represented in human form as per the Hellenistic portraits of Greek kings. The Head of Bodhisattva encompasses a human representation of a figure that has attained Buddhahood, but decides to forestall his Nirvana to aid other human beings to walk appropriately in the Buddhist path. This head was created during Iconic phase of Buddhist art in which a direct and human representation of Buddha could be made. This creation of that head was influenced by the Hellenistic art under which The Head of Alexander the Great was created. This clearly provides evidence to connect both heads artistically. Both heads represent the character traits of their subjects using forcefulness of details. The forcefulness of details is brought out by the various features incorporated into both heads. The first elaborate feature encompasses their hairstyle. Their hair is raised and curly to depict their enlightened status. This is because Alexander the Great was highly enlightened a factor that made him to be identified as one of the greatest leaders of his time. For Bodhisattva to attain Buddhahood, he had to possess a high level of enlightenment that could not only enable him to be a religious leader but also a person that could aid people to walk uprightly in the Buddhist path. This clearly indicates that the similar artistic style of indicating their enlightened status encompasses one of the major connections between the two heads. The long hair found in both heads indicates their involvement with the world. This is because though Bodhisattva can choose to dwell in the spiritual world due to his attainments, he chooses to live in the world and be involved with the worldly by leading other people in the Buddhist path. Essentially, Alexander the Great was fully involved with the world as evidenced by his conquests and rule. This clearly indicates that an artistic connection exists between the two heads. The form of portraiture utilized in creating both heads encompasses that utilized in honoring gods. This is because while Bodhisattva attained the stature of being a god and being worshipped as one, Alexander was worshipped like a god because he was identified as the Ptolemaic Dynasty forefather. This form of portraiture is linked to Hellenistic art that influenced the Greco-Buddhist art under which The Head of Bodhisattva was created. As such, The Head of Alexander the Great was created under Hellenistic art. Both heads were created using marble or stucco, which could only be attributed to Gandhara art. The original Greek portraits of Alexander were produced using bronze, but due to the influence of Buddhist art, the Hellenistic portraits of Alexander were produced using Marble. This is because Stucco or marble could accord the artist with the great plasticity required for enhancing a high level of expressiveness.
Religious Connections The Head of Bodhisattva was created under the Buddhist religion, while The Head of Alexander the Great was created under the Roman religion connoted by Greek mythological pantheon. Under the Buddhist religion, the Buddhist believed in Buddha as the only god, while believers in the roman religion believed in many Greek gods. Initially, the Buddhist art held Buddha in awe, such that he could not be directly represented in human form. Under original Greek art, the Greek gods could be represented in human form. This factor spilled over into Hellenistic art that later influenced the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, into the representation of Buddha in a youthful Apollo-like face. Both heads have been created in this form, connoting the religious connection between Buddhism and the Roman religion, under which both heads were created. Essentially, in the creation of The Head of Bodhisattva, the Greek mythological pantheon deities are incorporated to create a religious link between it and The Head of Alexander the Great. This is because The Head of Alexander the Great was created in the form of a Greek deity.
Conclusion
The creation of both The Head of Bodhisattva and The Head of Alexander the Great under the Hellenistic and Greco-Buddhist art connotes cultural, religious and artistic connections between the two, owing to the fact that Greco-Buddhist art was influenced by Hellenistic art. Culturally, both were produced in areas where Greek language, literature and institution styles were widespread. Artistically, the model, material and stylistic evolution utilized during their creation ascertain the artistic connection between the two. The religious connection between the two rests on the use of Greek deity in the creation of The Head of Bodhisattva, a factor that was also utilized in creating The Head of Alexander the Great. In conclusion, the fact that both The Head of Alexander the Great and The Head of Bodhisattva were created under Hellenistic and Greco-Buddhist art, cultural, religious and artistic connections can be identified between them.

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