AHIS 125 Final

Archaism

the use or conscious imitation of very old or old-fashioned styles or features in language or art Example: _______

Incense burner in the shape of lotus throne

- 12th century goryeo, celadon - open holed top knob, releases incense - rabbits at bottom, act as legs supporting burner - lotus is popular plant to imitate - body is shaped by lotus petals, maybe Buddhist reference - Artisans keen on themes from nature into the shapes like plants and rabbits into shapes and translate nature into patterns, none of these are seen in song dynasty ceramics and it is special to celadon

Goryeo Dynasty

- 936-1392 - known as "Korea's Age of Enlightenment." - Dynastic founding by Wang Geon -- Capital: Songdo (Gaeseong) - International relations -- Song China and the Khitans (Liao) -- Mongol invasions, 1232-1257 --- Yuan China and the Mongols, 1260-1368 - Goryeo dynasty celadon or green-glazed wares are world-renowned for their technical artistry, subtle beauty, and originality. - Example: Maebyeong vase with inlaid designs of figures, plants and garden rocks, celadon, Goryeo dynasty

Sanggam

- An inlaid greenware technique for celadon pieces - The design is carved into the moist clay body, then filled in with a white or black substance before glazing and firing - Potters would engrave semi-dried pottery with designs and place black or white clay materials within the engraving - Carved areas filled with clays of different color - Multiple firings - Example: Wine pot with bowl, Goryeo, celadon.

Portrait of Khublai Khan

- Anige, Yuan Dynasty - ink and color on silk - cloth style hat with flap on back signifies Mongol ethnicity, typical mongol hat - shows braids, mongol men have shaven front of head, braids in back - even if China's ruler, still proud Mongolian - 2 pointed goatee-signal of manhood - very round man, status as ruler, he is fed properly, and his facial structure is wide, bulky round body as leader to show power and wealth - civilian role of the emperor, simple white robe

Portrait of Yoritomo, early 13th century copy of an earlier painting

- Attr. Fujiwara no Takanobu - Kamakura period, Japan - hanging scroll with ink and color on silk - Interest in portraiture with a similar roster of subjects is also a hallmark of Kamakura painting. - Warrior-statesman Minamoto Yoritomo, this time as a younger man. - Traditionally the portrait has long been confidently identified as the young Yoritomo and its painting attributed to the courtier Fujiwara no Takanobu, a well-known portraitist. - Recently, however, scholars such as Michio Yonekura have argued that it instead depicts a figure from more than a century later, Ashikaga Tadayoshi, the brother of shogun Ashikaga Takauji. - Whether the painting is of Yoritomo or of Tadayoshi—and whether it dates to the twelfth or the fourteenth century—it skillfully combines formality with individuality in stark contrast to the stylized, expressionless facial types popular in the Heian era. - Dressed in dark patterned court robes accented with a red inner collar, the subject's crisp form is sharply silhouetted against an austere background. - Emblems of authority—the ceremonial shaku and hilt of his sword—protrude from his carapacelike garments. - He is the embodiment of the disciplined warrior. - At the same time he is an individual, a fact communicated through his distinctive, subtly shaded facial features, such as full lips, fleshy nose, wispy facial hair, and lidded eyes.

Murasaki

- Author of Tale of Genji, Heian Period - belonged to a literary family of respected scholars and poets. - She studied Chinese literature by sitting next to her brother when he was being taught the Chinese classics, lessons considered unsuitable for females. - Entries in her diary show that she was a bright student who surpassed her brother in memorizing Chinese characters. - Her intellectual abilities did not go unnoticed by her father, who uttered the words "What a pity she was not born a man!" - Example: Tale of Genji scrolls

Dadu

- Built by Khubilai Khan - First founded as Yuan capital in 1267 - Very Chinese-style design - A triple-walled city whose concentries boundaries each had a perfect or nearly perfect geometric form - The outer wall had three gates at each face except the northern one, which only had two - City avenues emerged from each of the gates - Only the flow of water and one diagonal street impeded the regular division of the city outside the second walled enclosure - The size of the Dadu was predetermined by geographic features-- waterways in particular - Within the three building complexes of the palace-city, Khubulai and later Mongolian emperors of China gave audiences, conducted other court ceremonies, and occasionally held more private events

Plan of Dadu (Beijing), first founded as Yuan capital in 1267

- Built by Khubilai Khan - First founded as Yuan capital in 1267 - Very Chinese-style design - A triple-walled city whose concentries boundaries each had a perfect or nearly perfect geometric form - The outer wall had three gates at each face except the northern one, which only had two - City avenues emerged from each of the gates - Only the flow of water and one diagonal street impeded the regular division of the city outside the second walled enclosure - The size of the Dadu was predetermined by geographic features-- waterways in particular - Within the three building complexes of the palace-city, Khubulai and later Mongolian emperors of China gave audiences, conducted other court ceremonies, and occasionally held more private events

leftover subject

- Chinese who remained loyal to Song regime but outlived it - artists through their art were trying to deal with social and cultural trauma. - worked in the wake of drastic upheaval and historical change Example: __________________

Li Cheng

- Considered the best landscape painter of early Song Dynasty - Li Cheng's work was widely admired, although no existing painting can be securely attributed to him. - He did many landscape paintings with diluted ink, known as "treating ink like gold", which gives the appearance of being in a foggy dream. - Got some scholarly criticism for only representing elements visible from his subjective vantage point. - Example: A Solitary Temple amid Clearing Peaks, hanging scroll.

Wintry Groves and Layered Banks

- Dong Yuan, Southern Tang - hanging scroll, ink and color on silk - Dong-Ju Tradition - includes seasonal elements: Tree branches are bare, the brushwork suggests overcast conditions, and the luminous quality of the forms in the foreground and middle ground suggests a dusting of snow. - The painting represents low hills and broad rivers punctuated with modest buildings. - The recession into depth is exaggerated: The believable angle of recession seen at the bottom of the composition becomes a tipped-up picture plane at the top, creating the impression that distant plains blend seamlessly into lowering clouds. - Certain elements of Dong-Ju tradition appear: -- long, ropy brushstrokes layered one atop another, known as hemp-fiber strokes and apparent at the bases of the hills -- the liberal use of dotting to indicate vegetation, on the hills and tree trunks.

Yamato-e

- Early term for Japanese style painting - Heian period - Paintings in the yamato-e style depict Japanese narratives or landscapes in a Japanese fashion, as opposed to images in the kara‐e (Chinese painting) style, which feature Chinese subjects executed in a Chinese manner. - Heian paintings in the classic yamato-e tradition are characterized by: -- flat planes of bright color -- rich patterns -- codified pictorial elements such as figures with minimal facial features or interiors with "blown-away" roofs - Example: Tale of Genji Scrolls

Gu Kaizhi

- Eastern Jin painter, poet, and calligrapher - Known today through copies of several silk handscroll paintings attributed to him. - Example: Admonitions of the Court Instructress to the Palace Ladies, Attr. Gu Kaizhi, handscroll, ink and color on silk

Five-Colored Parakeet on Blossoming Apricot Tree

- Emperor Huizong, Northern Song Dynasty - handscroll, ink and color on silk - Pairs a painting in the bird-and-flower genre with an inscription important in both content and form: a poem and preface celebrating the parakeet and fine calligraphy executed in an angular style known as "slender gold." - The scroll commemorates the gift of the parakeet, and although it bears Huizong's cipher and seal, the painting may have actually been executed by unnamed court artists. - Because five-colored birds had been considered auspicious omens since Han times, the scroll is a visual document confirming that Huizong retained the mandate of heaven, crucial given that natural disasters troubled his reign. - His inscription calls attention to the parakeet's cultured speech, dignity, and yellow and purple colors—all attributes of the nobility. - The bird is shown in profile and appears unmoving, creating a sense of formality befitting art that functions as a political instrument.

Daruma

- Founder of Zen Buddhism - taught that intense meditation was the pathway to enlightenment. - By the late twelfth century his teachings, transmitted to China in the sixth century, had taken root in Japan. - Example: Red-Robed Bodhidharma (Daruma), hanging scroll with ink and color on paper

Emaciated Horse

- Gong Kai, Yuan dynasty, China - hand scroll with ink on paper - imperial collection, signified by stamps - monochrome ink - ordinary horse has 10 ribs, more ribs means noble steed - make ribs visible, make emaciated high quality horse, but not taken care of - dynastic change-not taken care of all imperial stables (symbol of good or bad government) - critique of Mongol rule - crisp lines

Ewer in the shape of bamboo shoot

- Goryeo Dynasty - Celadon-glazed stoneware with incised decoration - Lustrous blue-green color - Designed to contain either wine or water, all parts the ewer are integrated to suggest the vitality of a bamboo shoot. - The main body of the vessel is decorated with leaves in relief, their veins are incised with fine lines. - Neatly crowning the vessel, the lid, in the shape of a sprouting shoot, has a hole for a cord to connect it to the handle. - In turn, the handle and spout also resemble bamboo segment

Maebyeong vase with inlaid designs of figures, plants and garden rocks

- Goryeo dynasty - celadon - Inlaid with four scenes depicting two people in a garden setting - Was clearly meant to be appreciated for the pictorial quality of its decoration - The pair may be husband and wife, in which case the scenes perhaps portray idealized tableaux of marital bliss. - The figures are shown playing musical instruments, viewing a painting, and writing calligraphy. - In the fourth scene, one figure holds up a mirror in front of the other. - All of these activities take place in an elegant garden setting, with ornamental rocks and plants, including chrysanthemums, peonies, and bamboo. - The large scale of these landscape elements in relation to the figures distinguishes them as separate decorative moments.

Wine pot with bowl

- Goryeo dynasty - very ornate, with decoration symbolizing material wealth and an abundance of male offspring. - Images of energetic children pulling on grape-vines are inlaid in the surface. - Bunches of grapes, highlighted with underglaze copper oxide, provide accents of reddish color. - The handle resembles a twisted vine while the spout suggests a bamboo stalk. - Both handle and spout are decorated with tiny white spots. - The decoration on the bowl's exterior echoes the grapevine motif, and lotus leaves incised on the bowl's interior complete the design.

Celadon

- Goryeo dynasty celadon or green-glazed wares are world-renowned for their technical artistry, subtle beauty, and originality. - Made in kilns - Decorations: paint, incised patterns, inlays - Prototypes from Song China - Early Korean celadons closely follow Chinese models - Were used by people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds; however, the finest ceramics were reserved for members of the royal family, aristocracy, and Buddhist clergy. - Goryeo potters made celadons for both utilitarian and ritual purposes out of clay and glaze containing small amounts of iron. - During the firing process, the iron transforms to create the translucent bluish-green glaze that characterizes celadon ware. - Example: Maebyeong vase with inlaid designs of figures, plants and garden rocks, celadon, Goryeo dynasty

Khubilai Khan

- Grandson of Ghenghis Khan - conquered the Southern Song dynasty, reuniting China under his reign. - Established the Yuan Dynasty, or "origin," adopting certain aspects of Chinese governance and culture. - He moved the capital to Dadu (present-day Beijing) - Promoted Esoteric Buddhism - Example: Attributed to Anige, Portrait of Khublai Khan, Yuan, ink and color on silk

Admonitions of the Court Instructress to the Palace Ladies

- Gu Kaizhi, Eastern Jin - handscroll painting - Numerous seals identify its collectors over the centuries, several of whom were imperial. - The scroll is a visualization of Zhang Hua's poem of the same title. - The images, with snippets of the poem's text interspersed, teach the proper behavior of imperial consorts and concubines. - represents images of historical figures and several idealized scenes that demonstrate the importance of virtue, cultivation of character, trust, and family. - Zhang Hua wrote in a female voice, possibly that of Ban Zhao, the female author of a didactic text titled Instructions for Women. - The painting's final scene depicts the lecturing lady of the poem writing out her recommendations for two waiting court women. - The painter expertly translated the poem into a visual format, selecting key passages for illustration. - He represents the sparsely rendered yet dynamic figures in even, controlled lines, with little or no sense of the setting in order to emphasize their interaction. Their tranquil postures suggest qualities of reflection and forbearance even as their fluttering scarves create a sense of animation.

Early Spring

- Guo Xi, Northern Song - hanging scroll, ink and color on silk - The painting is titled, dated, and signed by the artist at the left margin, and the imperial seal is impressed over it, suggesting that Shenzong commissioned the work. - Monumental landscape, with a tall mountain in the background, lower hills in the foreground, and tiny figures appearing throughout the composition - Two fishermen at the bottom right; two more fishermen and a child at the bottom left; multiple travelers clambering up a steep path at the center left; and a donkey rider and two attendants crossing a rickety bridge at the center, possibly approaching the temple complex situated halfway up the mountain. - Artist's concern with temporality: evident in the representation of the eroded landscape and his precise rendering of the season, especially the bare trees with their crab-claw branches. - What the painter wrote about the significance of landscape encourages the reading of the painting as a Confucian hierarchy. - Dominating mountain should represent the emperor, and the foothills his advisors. - Makes a case for the absolute political authority of the emperor, presiding over humble citizens (the fishermen, travelers, and scholar) and religious institutions.

Byodo-in

- Heian Period, Kyoto, Japan - A Buddhist temple that once was a country home for Fujiwara Michinaga - Main building: Phoenix Hall, which houses an Amida Buddha statue - Hybrid style: interior of temple is native Japanese style, Chinese style exterior (shows high status) - Sliding doors, open space because kyoto is hot in summer, need air movement - Each quarter of hall occupied by concubine - Garden is central meeting place - Domestic furnishing (lacquer toilet box, lacquer tray table) - Murals in hall show moments when Amida would take you to Pure Land

Fujiwara clan

- Heian Period, the Fujiwara family dominated the political landscape. - This powerful, aristocratic clan monopolized senior government positions, occupied prime lands, and created tax-exempt estates. - The Fujiwara attained power in part through matrimonial alliances-- their daughters were married into the imperial family, and a succession of male Fujiwara relatives assumed political control as imperial regents. - Drained of political power, the emperor's role was reduced to that of ceremonial figurehead presiding over court rituals. - In addition to dictating matters of state, the Fujiwara also became great patrons of the arts. - Example: Portrait of Yoritomo, Attr. Fujiwara no Takanobu, hanging scroll with ink and color on silk

Scene from the Suzumushi (Bell Cricket) chapter of the Tale of Genji

- Heian period - hand scroll with ink and color on paper - Oak tree chapter - Shows Genji, and 3rd princess, daughter of Genji's 1/2 brother and he was asked to marry her while she was having affair with a man named Kaoru - Scene after she gave birth to his child, marriage of convenience - Genji married her due to status - Blown off roof feature: can look inside w/o being inside

Scene from the Minori (Law) chapter of the Tale of Genji

- Heian period - handscroll with ink and color on paper - Blown off roof feature: can look inside w/o being inside - Prince Genji is pictured visiting his favorite consort shortly before her death. - Beautiful, graceful, and refined, Murasaki was unable to become his primary wife as her family belonged to the lower aristocratic ranks. - Genji, with bowed head, sits at the base of the sloped plane with his back to the garden. He is overcome with sorrow and cannot bear the idea of living without Murasaki. - Genji's sorrowful state of mind and hunched form are reflected in the wind-blown foliage of the neglected garden. - The season is fall-- indicated by the the bush clover, the season associated in aristocratic circles with melancholic feelings of impending loss. Murasaki dies in the fall after a long illness. - Murasaki's adopted daughter is tucked into a corner between the curtain - Despite their emotional turmoil, the faces of both Genji and Murasaki show little individuality, a pictorial convention that allowed viewers to identify psychologically with the characters portrayed in the paintings.

Scene from the Azumaya (Eastern Cottage) chapter of the Tale of Genji

- Heian period - handscroll with ink and color on paper - Part of the earliest Genji paintings that were a series of handscrolls that combined text with images. - Read from right to left - Illustration of an episode from Chapter 50 - Blown off roof feature: can look inside w/o being inside - Places the spectator like a bird hovering over a room, gazing down at what appears to be a peaceful domestic scene inside an elegant residence. - In the right-hand corner, between a hanging screen with ribbons and a sling screen, court ladies sit dressed in long garments. - Further over to the left, Lady Naka no Kimi is having her long, glossy black hair combed by an attendant. - Sitting opposite Naka no Kimi we see her beautiful half-sister, Ukifune, who is examining a picture scroll while a court lady reads the corresponding text. - To the untrained eye this once brightly painted scene appears merely decorative, a light-hearted presentation of the lives of courtly women. - On closer inspection of the left section of the sliding screen, it appears to be slightly open. Prince Niou, a handsome womanizer, has taken advantage of the gap to spy on Ukifune in the intimacy of her room. - According to strict court protocol, the act of being seen by Niou in such a private space signifies a violation of Ukifune. - Although Niou is not visible in the painting, having scuttled back to the imperial palace, his invasive presence is marked by the open screen.

Phoenix Hall, Byodo-in, Uji, Kyoto

- Heian period, Byodo-in, Uji, Kyoto - embodies the aristocrat's desire for rebirth in Amida - Buddha's luxurious Paradise while also enjoying the delights on offer in the earthly life, at the Heian court. - originally built by famous statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga as a country home. - After many years as a country retreat, the estate was transformed by Michinaga's son, Fujiwara no Yorimichi, into a Buddhist temple in 1052, the first year of Mappo. - The main building of Byodo-in, called the Phoenix Hall, was constructed on a small island in the center of an artificial pond shaped like a Sanskrit "A" for Amida Buddha. - Facing east over the pond, the Phoenix Hall, with its stone base, red wooden pillars, upturned eaves, and tiled roofs, is only one story in height, despite its layered appearance. - Viewed from the air, the building's unusual plan suited to the sculptural program of the Phoenix Hall, which focuses on the "Welcoming Descent" (raigo): Devotees believe that when a follower dies, Amida Buddha will descend from his Western Paradise to welcome the soul into Paradise.

Li Gonglin

- Northern Song Dynasty - Worked in multiple pictorial styles. - The paintings attributed to him range across a number of genres, as well. - He became famous for his paintings of horses, then he turned to Buddhism and Taoism religious painting, as well as portrait and landscape painting. His painting style was attributed to the style of Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi. - Example: Five Tribute Horses by Li Gonglin, handscroll, ink on paper

Jocho, Amitabha (Amida) Buddha in Phoenix Hall

- Heian period, Byodo-in, Uji, Kyoto - gold leaf and lacquer on wood - A statue of Amida Buddha housed in the central hall of Phoenix Hall. - Joined-block wood technique: wooden images were commonly carved out of a single block of wood with a few appendages attached separately. - On entering the Phoenix Hall, the worshipper feels privately welcomed by the downward gaze of Amida Buddha. - Sitting cross-legged in the meditative position, his solid form is framed by an intricately carved mandorla (flamelike halo) teeming with small divinities playing music. - The musical theme continues on the walls surrounding Amida Buddha, where carved images of celestial beings on floating clouds play musical instruments or dance.

Genji

- Historical novel written by Lady Murasaki, a lady-in-waiting in the service of Empress Shoshi at the imperial court. - A romantic novel in 54 chapters, centering on the life of Genji, his career and love affairs in the 10th cent. - Two handscrolls dating from the 12th cent., illustrating 19 scenes with accompanying texts. - Format: Illustrated narrative scrolls - Style: "Yamato-e" (Japanese-style painting), "onna-e" (women's painting)

Wang Xizhi

- Jin Dynasty calligrapher, hailed as the greatest in Chinese history - Achievements as calligrapher: the running style (semi-cursive script) - Legend states that the movements of swimming geese inspired his calligraphy. - Examples of his calligraphy survive only as traced copies and engravings in stone of his original writing; collectors through the centuries made rubbings of the engravings and further tracings of the copies. - Example: Letters about Presenting Oranges by Wang Xizhi, ink on paper

Tale of Heiji Scrolls

- Kamakura period - ink and color on paper - a Japanese war epic detailing the events of the Heiji Rebellion, in which samurai clan head Minamoto no Yoshitomo attacked and besieged Kyoto, as part of an Imperial succession dispute, in which he was opposed by Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan. - The Tale exists in three main forms: written, oral, and painted.

Daimyo

- Kamakura period - literally "great name"; Japanese feudal lord - commanded bands of samurai warriors. - Pledging allegiance to the shogun, these military men willingly sacrificed their lives in battle or in ritual suicide (seppuku) to avoid dishonor. - Fascination with bushido (the "way of the warrior") is evident from the many war tales found in Kamakura literature and in the dramatic images decorating screens, hanging scrolls, and narrative handscrolls. -Example: Portrait of Yoritomo, Attr. Fujiwara no Takanobu, hanging scroll with ink and color on silk

Illustrated History of the Mongol Invasions

- Kamakura period, Japan - handscroll with ink and color on paper - Captures scenes from the Mongol attacks - Commissioned by the Japanese warrior Takezaki Suenaga to commemorate his actions in the fierce fighting that preceded any intervention of "divine winds." - Images of Suenaga engaged in battle are often accompanied by his name to ensure his bravery is well documented. - A heavily armored Suenaga on horseback gallops toward three Mongol archers on foot, dressed in long leather coats. - A barrage of Mongol weapons, including poison arrows and exploding ceramic projectiles filled with gunpowder and metal shards, an invention of the Chinese, rain down on the Japanese soldiers. - Both Suenaga and his horse are wounded. Blood gushes out of the terrified animal. - Suenaga escapes a grisly death when other Japanese warriors come to his rescue.

Suit of armor (yaroi)

- Kamakura period, Japan - lacquered iron and leather, silk, and stenciled doeskin - Elaborate suits of armor were constructed to protect warriors—especially those on horseback—from injury and death. - Combined opulence with function - The main body of the armor is composed of overlapping lacquered iron and leather scales, fastened together with leather straps and silk cords. - A lacquered doeskin featuring a stenciled image of the wrathful Buddhist deity Fudo decorates the metal breastplate. - Protected the warrior and enhanced his status - Designed to scare the enemy - In the heat of battle, a fierce warrior encased in full armor complete with metal mask and horned helmet appeared frighteningly demonic

A Solitary Temple amid Clearing Peaks

- Li Cheng, Northern Song - hanging scroll, ink on silk - Li-Guo tradition - The focus is a Buddhist temple located at the top of a hill, before a steep mountain painted with vertical texture strokes - In the foreground, a traveling scholar and attendant approach a village. - Ruled-line style for the architecture, and while the bracketing system beneath the roof is fully described, the tiles on the roof are not - Represents only elements visible from Cheng's subjective vantage point. - The man riding on the donkey, wearing a broad-brimmed hat, is recognizable as a scholar through his attire, mode of travel, and his attendant, who carries his wrapped musical instrument.

Five Tribute Horses

- Li Gonglin, Northern Song Dynasty - Handscroll, ink on paper - represents the genre of horse painting and reveals Li's familiarity with Han Gan's paintings. - Rendered in ink on paper, it shows five horses given as tribute to the young emperor Zhezong between 1086 and 1088, accompanied by their grooms; inscriptions by his friend Huang Tingjian give more information about each. - The sympathy between man and animal is evident, and although the fifth groom appears to be of Han Chinese ethnicity, the first four are not, judging from their dress. - As the horse remained a potent symbol of the military power of China, the painting encapsulates the Northern Song consciousness of China's relationship with the peoples beyond its borders. - While Li dapples the coat of the horse and thus makes some minimal suggestion of its mass, he renders the figure of the groom in the plain-outline style, which originated with him; the painting seems sketchy and the viewer is conscious that this is the artist's interpretation of his subject—a mode of painting in opposition to the more naturalistic work of skilled court painters.

Six Gentlemen

- Ni Zan, Yuan dynasty - handscroll, ink on paper - He frequently used a vertically oriented composition with -- Background: some variation on hills -- Middle ground: negative space—meant to indicate an expanse of water -- Foreground: rocks with a cluster of trees - Used very dry, pale ink, and his compositions are static, resulting in a quality of plainness and blandness (pingdan) that was highly valued in his work. - The painting includes multiple inscriptions; the artist's is found at the center left and reveals how he had traveled by boat to a friend's house only to be met with the demand for a painting as he disembarked. - poetic inscription at the top right provides the painting's title, referring to the six trees in the composition as metaphors for recluses. - The addition of these highly personal inscriptions reveals the connections among the literati and attest to their sometimes spontaneous approach to painting.

Emperor Huizong

- Northern Song dynasty - Emerged as a major patron of the arts in the early 12th century. - A Bureau of Painting had first been established in the Northern Song in 984; Huizong founded a new Institute of Painting that was intended to educate artists, ultimately integrating it with the Bureau of Painting. - The emperor closely supervised his court painters, not only challenging them to illustrate lines of poetry but also rewarding those who were keen observers of nature. - By the end of his reign, the paintings in the imperial collection numbered over 6,000 and were described in an ambitious catalogue. - Huizong him-self painted, and many of the paintings attributed to him have political import. - Example: Five-Colored Parakeet on Blossoming Apricot Tree, handscroll, ink and color on silk

recluse

- One who lives in solitude by oneself - When china under Mongol rule, there became an economic turndown, population decline - literati were disenfranchised, reclusion became social ideal - people skipped registration, went into hiding, avoid taxes, didn't want to participate in new government bc of racial hierarchy, mongols hated intellectuals (literati disenfranchisement) - Example: Wang Xizhi Watching Geese, handscroll, ink and color on paper

Wang Xizhi Watching Geese

- Qian Xuan, Yuan dynasty, China - handscroll, ink on paper - focuses on the figure of Wang Xizhi standing in a pavilion and looking down on geese swimming in the water, their movements the inspiration for his calligraphy. - The choice of Wang Xizhi for the subject is telling: he had also lived in a chaotic period in Chinese history, and Qian Xuan shows him here as an uninhibited recluse at leisure. - The artist's poem indicates that Wang Xizhi is supposed to be copying out the primary Daoist text for a friend. - This and the brilliant blue and green pigments suggest that Qian Xuan deliberately evokes a Daoist land of the immortals and the withdrawal from the world that that implies. - Qian Xuan also references the past through his painting style: the blue-green style recalls the Tang dynasty, and he depicts the distant mountains in layered geometric planes, an archaic method also identified with that style.

Manuscript text (sheets 3 and 4) from the Minori (Law) chapter of the Tale of Genji

- The calligraphy starts with neat, clean, kana style, but then transitions to being messier, crowded on one sheet, with acceleration in the movement of the hand - The calligraphy reflects the deterioration of Murasaki's emotional state - The text, identified by the title, begins with slow and evenly spaced cursive kana calligraphy transcribing the passage - As the text progresses, the story tells you more about the death of Murasaki, and its calligraphy gets emotional, with more freedom of articulation in characters, which is contrast with the kana style - A device such as this must have been planned carefully, in order to make the composition of the transcribed text meaningful in relation to the emotional content of the narrative as well as prepare for the painting which otherwise remains classically reserved. - The movement from slow to fast tempo in the calligraphic composition of the text as a whole is a calligraphic metaphor for what in later traditional Japanese performing arts became a well-known formula

Anige

- The leading court artist of Khubilai Khan - Was commissioned by Khan to oversee the construction of the monumental White Stupa in the capital, Dadu. - Example: Attributed to Anige, Portrait of Khublai Khan, ink and color on silk

Letters about Presenting Oranges

- Wang Xizhi, Jin Dynasty - ink on paper - a hand scroll of three letters - the short letters contain personal messages by Wang - reinforced the personal relationships between members of the educated elite - connoisseurs and later calligraphers developed a habit of writing their comments about a famous work down on the very work itself - the third letter, which lent the name to the scroll, consists of only two lines and reads, "I present you with three hundred oranges. The frost has not yet come, so I couldn't get more." - suffocating the primary work, around these few lines, a vast and complicated commentary has grown in the course of the centuries, consisting of seals, signatures and art historical remarks. - some signatures between the letters belong to members of the imperial court, whose task was to scrutinize calligraphic pieces that had come into the imperial collection - judged if the piece was a genuine one and of good quality - probably, this work is a copy. It would have made no sense for Wang Xizhi to write three different letters on one piece of paper. - the color and texture of the paper also indicate that it might date from Tang times - close inspection of the characters reveals that the strokes were not written in one single movement of the brush, but that the first outlines of a stroke were drawn then the body of the stroke built up with many tiny strokes.

Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering

- Wang Xizhi, Six Dynasties era - ink on paper - Composed on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month with friends at the Orchid Pavilion - This complicated chain of reproduction attests to the continuing appreciation of Wang's calligraphy. - Wang wrote the Preface for a collection of poems composed by 42 literati of the period at a gathering at the Orchid Pavilion at Lanting, Zhejiang province. - They participated in a poetry contest while drinking wine from cups floated down a stream, with penalty cups for those who did not complete their poems in a timely manner. - This appealing back story suggests the gathering of like-minded scholars to indulge in the literary arts, a practice associated with removing oneself from the affairs of the world. - The calligraphy is an example of running script: The characters are distinct but certain elements flow together, showing the movement of Wang's hand. - The writing is legible, with characters allocated to vertical columns in a balanced manner, but expressive qualities appear in the elegant brushstrokes, which are written more freely than what would be found in standard script. - Considering that this reproduction is at best several steps removed from Wang Xizhi's original manuscript, it is difficult to assess how genuine an example of his writing it is: What is important is that collectors believed it to be authentic and used it as the basis for their own calligraphic practice.

Details from the Thirteen Emperors

- Yan Liben, Tang Dynasty - handscroll, ink and color on silk presents a sequence of emperors of different dynasties, identified in captions. - The emperors appear flanked by attendants, with each emperor the largest figure in his group. - Hieratic scale: the largest emperors in the scroll the most powerful among the 13, and the smallest the most ineffectual. - Pays close attention to faces and historical costume. - The beginning and end of the scroll appear somewhat repetitive, with emperors—some quite imposing—positioned similarly and primarily differentiated by dress. - However, the painter depicts the seventh through tenth emperors, all from the short-lived Chen dynasty, rather differently. - At the right, Emperor Xuan sits flanked by eight attendants, two of whom frame his head with ceremo-nial fans; he usurped the throne from his nephew, and the state lost territory under his reign. - The next person depicted, Emperor Wen, sits on a couch in front of two women, and Emperor Fei faces and essentially mirrors him; depicting both of these emperors with women suggests that they were easily distracted from governance. - The next emperor to the left (not shown here) is Houzhu, or the Last Ruler, who has only one attendant; at the end of his reign, his state fell to the Sui dynasty. - The painter, by focusing on four emperors from such a weak state, appears to emphasize the lessons that their biographies offer, suggesting a court commission for educational purposes

Peace Reigns along the River

- Zhang Zeduan, Northern Song - handscroll, ink and color on silk - The scroll begins with travelers on the outskirts of a city, which may be the capital, and the activities and traffic along a busy river. - Humble farmhouses, modest restaurants, pavilions under construction, crowded storefronts, and the city gate (rendered in the ruled-line style). - "Rainbow bridge," named for its shape, crowded with vendors and sightseers; a sailboat with a stepped mast passes beneath it, guided by men on a towpath. - The painting concludes with a view of people from all walks of life—although remarkably few women—moving through the city streets. - The places they frequent include wine shops, a silk merchant, a barbershop, a barrel-maker's workshop, and a doctor's clinic. - The artist suggests the robust economy of the Northern Song dynasty, reflecting well on the emperor's governance.

Sheep and Goat

- Zhao Mengfu - Yuan dynasty, China - handscroll, ink on paper - made playfully and demonstrates how he was able to manipulate meaning. - depicts the long-haired goat, at the right, quite naturalistically - depiction of the sheep on the left, however, is extraordinarily awkward—a difference that was purposeful. - The strangely inflated sheep, standing with its head raised, seems proud - the goat, with its head down, appears deferential. - One could read into this a story of two groups of people, with one submitting to the other, except that a goat lowering its horns could also be preparing to attack. - Artist could have intended it to signal either his acceptance of or his resistance to Mongol rule, depending on his audience. - The fact that the Chinese word for both animals is the same adds another layer of meaning, suggesting that the Mongols and the Chinese were less different than they seemed.

Elegant Rocks and Sparse Trees

- Zhao Mengfu, Yuan Dynasty, China - hand scroll with ink on paper - relies on simple subject matter: he is bringing calligraphy and painting together by incorporating different calligraphic scripts into his painting - the brushwork as references to calligraphic script - early work demonstrating hallmarks of Literati painting - new literati: having calligraphic brush style, good command of brush

Palace Ladies Tuning the Lute

- Zhou Fang, Tang Dynasty - Ink and color on silk - A relatively short handscroll that exemplifies the genre of paintings of elite women, including court ladies, courtesans, or educated women - A copy after the court painter Zhou Fang (late 8th century) - Set in a garden, shows two simply dressed maids—one carrying a teacup, the second a tray of lute strings—at the periphery of the composition, flanking three palace ladies at the center. - The beautifully attired ladies wear ornaments in their topknots, signaling their elite status. - They are also fashionably plump, a beauty standard set in the Tang. - One gazes off into space, another seen from behind sips tea, and a third sits on a rock and tunes the strings of her zither, as evident from her hand positions. - The theme of tuning the lute derives from love poetry: It suggests that the performer tunes the strings as she waits to play a song for her beloved. - This painting conveys the patient longings of the imperial concubines.

Zhao Mengfu

- a Chinese scholar, painter and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty - a descendant of the first Song emperor - accepted Khubilai Khan's invitation of an official position at the Yuan court. - best known for painting landscapes and horses, and many of his paintings suggest that he saw himself as a court hermit. - Example: Sheep and Goat, handscroll ink on paper, Yuan dynasty

Maebyeong

- a Korean term used to describe a type of vessel with a small mouth, broad shoulders, and narrow base. - Example: Maebyeong vase with inlaid designs of figures, plants and garden rocks, celadon, Goryeo dynasty

Handscroll paintings

- a horizontally organized composition on paper or silk, designed to be gradually unrolled and viewed from right to left. - Example: Admonitions of the Court Instructress to the Palace Ladies, Attr. Gu Kaizhi, handscroll, ink and color on silk

Glaze

- a smooth and often glossy finish to a ceramic piece - in the case of vessels, typically helps to make them watertight. - alkaline material added to surface before firing - was applied to objects that had already undergone an initial bisque-firing; the object would be fired again to allow the glaze to melt and bond to the object's surface. - Example: Maebyeong vase with inlaid designs of figures, plants and garden rocks, celadon, Goryeo dynasty

Porcelain

- a type of extremely hard and fine white ceramic first made by Chinese potters in the eighth century ce. - Made from a mixture of kaolin and petuntse, porcelain is fired at a very high temperature, and the final product has a translucent surface. - Example: Plate with scallop-shaped edges, blue-and-white porcelain

Plan of Karakorum, Mongolia, first founded as Mongol capital in 1229

- capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan in the 14-15th centuries. - Stood on an artificial hill composed of alternate layers of sand and clay - An earthen wall some 1,000 meters on the north side, approximately one and a half times the distance on the west, and 2 kilometers on the east surrounded the city - Along the southern portion of the western wall was Ogodei's palace area, itself a walled compound, which was one about a meter higher and 15 to 18 meters thick. - Most noticeable in the scheme is the orientation of the city on an axis roughly 45 degrees off due north. - Inner-walled area can be considered a palace-city. - Architectural fragments found at Karakorum attest to the Chinese character of the first Mongolian imperial city. -- Regularly spaced implanted pillars -- Tortoise bases from imperial stelae -- Ceramic roof pieces, including Chinese dragons - Every timber structure at Karakorum had a Chinese-style roof

Palace Ladies

- conveys the patient longings of the imperial concubines - Example: Admonitions of the Court Instructress to the Palace Ladies, Attr. Gu Kaizhi, handscroll, ink and color on silk

Minamoto Yoritomo

- established a military government (shogunate) at Kamakura - To confirm his authority, Yoritomo ordered the emperor to give him the new title of "shogun" (general-in-chief), opening a fresh chapter in Japanese history based on military dominance. - After the Genpei War, initiated a reconstruction program, with the rebuilding of Todai-ji an immediate priority. - He authorized a public fundraising campaign: Members of the aristocracy and warrior elite contributed funds, as did the emperor and Yoritomo himself, who provided a very generous donation. - Example: Portrait of Yoritomo, Attr. Fujiwara no Takanobu, hanging scroll with ink and color on silk

Red-Robed Bodhidharma (Daruma)

- mid 13th century (Kamakura) - hanging scroll with ink and color on paper - founder of Zen Buddhism - taught that intense meditation was the pathway to enlightenment. - By the late twelfth century his teachings, transmitted to China in the sixth century, had taken root in Japan. - promotes the idea of Buddhahood in one's present lifetime, whereas in Pure Land Buddhism the goal is rebirth in Paradise after death. - enlightenment is attained from within, via meditation, self-reliance, and restraint, not through faith in an external being such as Amida Buddha. - in Zen practice, not worship of devotional icons, study of religious texts, or observance of complicated rituals that may obscure the truth - Zen's emphasis on rigorous self-discipline appealed to the military elite

Jar (ping) with pair of peafowls

- mid 14th cent., - blue-and-white porcelain - porcelain invented in Jingdezhen - Kaolin & cobalt pigments

Plate with scallop-shaped edges

- mid 14th century - blue and white porcelain - Arabic influence - porcelain invented in Jingdezhen - Kaolin & cobalt pigments

Mongols

- mobile pastoralists, rely on pastures for livelihood, lots of animals, rely on agriculture, use own products for trade - In the thirteenth century, became a new threat to China as they were to the rest of Asia and even eastern Europe. - Began with the rise of Genghis Khan as overlord of the Mongol empire. - The horsemen of his army subjugated much of northern Asia, including the Tanguts' Western Xia state - Example: Illustrated History of the Mongol Invasions, Kamakura period, handscroll with ink and color on paper

literati

- painting that reflects the taste of educated peoples as a social class; amateur ideal - highly educated scholars of some distinction, typically belonged to the official class of men who served in the government bureaucracy - Categories of political art: poetry, calligraphy, painting - Painting style/subject = painter's social status - commoners not allowed to paint in this style - Su Shi (1037-1101), leading theorist of literati painting; renowned poet, calligrapher, and statesman. - Example: Five Tribute Horses by Li Gonglin, handscroll, ink on paper

Amida

- principle buddha of the Pure Land School - Pure Land Buddhism taught that at the time of a believer's death, Amida Buddha himself, accompanied by celestial beings, would descend from the heavens to escort the departing soul into Paradise. - Only prerequisite for salvation was faith in Amida Buddha and the diligence to recite his name - Example: Jocho, Amitabha (Amida) Buddha in Phoenix Hall, Byodo-in

Grass/cursive script

- probably the 'messiest' of Chinese writing systems, hard to read, irregular - developed during the Han Dynasty, and was most popular during the Tang Dynasty. - many strokes merged together while others are simply left out, giving it an overall messier look than the other scriptures. - Also often used for calligraphy, doesn't really have any 'standards', giving the calligrapher/writer plenty of freedom when forming the characters. - Example: Letters about Presenting Oranges by Wang Xizhi, ink on paper

Kamakura period

- the first in a series of military administrations that lasted until 1848 - frequent civil wars as various clans competed for the title of shogun. - Rise of the warrior class ---> the emperor's political power decreased - known for its military culture, founded on loyalty, obedience, and honor. - The shogun ruled Japan with the assistance of powerful lords (daimyo) who commanded bands of samurai warriors. - Although stripped of political power, the imperial institution remained intact, with the emperor functioning as a ceremonial figurehead. - Members of the imperial court, finding refuge in what remained of their elegant past, continued to patronize the arts despite dwindling sources of revenue. - The new patrons of the arts were the military elite as well as powerful Buddhist priests. Kamakura leaders rejected the constrained actions and emotional sensitivity characteristic of Heian art in favor of a robust, dynamic style tinged with realism that complemented their active lives as warriors. - This innovative style drew inspiration from the artistic legacy of the Nara period, cultural developments in Song dynasty China (as relations between China and Japan were renewed), and Zen Buddhism. It was also shaped by heavy doses of martial spirit. - Civil war in late Heian - Conflict between Minamoto and Taira clans - Minamoto Yoritomo appointed first shogun in 1192 (Kamakura) - Shogun, daimyo, samurai Example: Portrait of Yoritomo, Attr. Fujiwara no Takanobu, hanging scroll with ink and color on silk

Otoko-e

- work of professional painters of the imperial court and was notable for its ink-line drawing and action packed scenes - masculine style - contrasted with onna-e (women's pictures) - Example: Tale of Heiji Scrolls

Landscape painting

-dominant genre in Chinese painting -painters of Southern Tang & Northern Song specialized in this -relied on observation/exaggeration to create composition -alternative to figure painting (social superiority of aristocracy) -rise of this genre can be linked to social changes, rise of meritocracy - Example: A Solitary Temple Among Clearing Peaks Attr. Li Cheng