Schools of sculptural art: There were three major schools of sculptural art which emerged after the Maurya empire. These were 

(i) Mathura school of art.

(ii) Gandhara school of art.

 (iii) Amravati school of art.

(i) The Mathura School of Art: The most prominent contribution of the Mathura school to contemporary art was the images of Buddha which were carved for the first time perhaps in this art form. The Mathura artists used local red stone with black spots to make the images. Mathura has also yielded large numbers of sculptures of Jaina deities besides the ayagapatas or stone slabs to place objects of worship. The Brahmanical influence on the art school of Mathura is also evident. During the Kushana period a number of sculptures of brahmanical deities were carved, which included Kartikeya, Vishnu, Kubera. 

(ii) The Gandhara School of Art: The Gandhara region was situated in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. This region was successively ruled by the Greeks, Mauryas, Sungas, Shakas, and Kushanas for many centuries. The school of art which developed here around the beginning of the Christian era has been called variously Graeco-Roman, Indo Greek or Graeco-Buddhist, This is perhaps because this school has all the influences-Roman, Greek and Indian. The theme of sculptures is predominantly Buddhist but their style is Greek. The chief patrons of Gandhara art were the Shakas and Kushanas.

The stone used for making idols of Buddha and Boddhisattavas was predominantly blue-grey schist. The chief characteristics of Gandhara school of art lies in its beautiful portrayal of human figures with distinguished muscles of the body. Buddha is depicted with a garment draped in Graeco-Roman fashion, and with very curly hair. These beautiful images of the Buddha are ranked among the best pieces of sculptures.

(iii) The Amravati School of Art: The Amravati school of art flourished in the region of Andhra Pradesh between the lower valleys of rivers Krishna and Godavari. The important main patrons of this art form were the Satavahanas but it carried on even later, patronised by their successor Ikshavaku rulers. This art is said to have flourished between 150 BC and 350 AD. Sculptures of this school are mainly found on the railings, plinths and other parts of stupas. The thematic representations include the stories from the life of the Buddha.

An important characteristic of the Amravati school is the ‘narrative art’. The medallions were carved in such a manner that they depict an incident in a natural way. For example one medallion depicts a whole story of ‘taming of an elephant by the Buddha’. Another important feature of Amravati art is the use of white marble like stone to carve out the figures. There is prominence of human figures rather than of nature.