1. Gandhara School of Art:
The next important stage in the growth of art is associated with the name of Gandhara in the north-west. By this time the worship of the image of Buddha had become common. After the Greek invasions and during the period of the Kushanas, many artists from West Asia had settled down in the north-west of India. They were deeply influenced by the Graeco-Roman Art. Mahayana Buddhism encouraged image worship. The Kushana kings, particularly Kanishka, encouraged the Gandhara artists.
2. Mathura School of Arts:
The artists at Mathura used spotted red sandstone as the material for making images and statues. The early images of the Buddha (the one who has attained enlightenment or supreme knowledge) and the Bodhisattva (the one who is still a candidate for enlightenment) are happy, fleshy figures with little spirituality about them. The creation of the images of the Buddha was a conspicuous feature of the Mathura School of Art but they also made statues of Jain Tirthankaras and Brahmanical gods and goddesses. Besides they also handled secular subjects.