Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Art
Zen Buddhism
-Zen imported from China, rejects worldliness and physical adornment -centered on austerity, self-control, courage, and loyalty -meditation key -teaches through introspection and intuition rather than books/scripture
Chinese sculpture basics
-enormous scale, sculptures cut from rock in situ, known for intricately designed miniature objects -those made of jade especially prized for beauty, durability, polished to high shine
Japan Style Overview
-influenced by China, Zen Buddhism, Shintoism -Calligraphy large role -painting: elevated viewpoints, diagonal lines, depersonalized faces, Yamato-e, Ukiyo-e -Commodore Perry opened to outside influence, ukiyo-e print popular in Europe and America, looked down upon by upper Japanese classes
Hanja
Chinese characters used in Korean script with a Korean pronunciation
Yin and Yang
Complementary polarities; the yin is a feminine symbol that has dark, soft, moist, and weak characteristics; the yang is the male symbol that has bright, hard, dry, and strong characteristics
Daoism
a philosophical belief begun by Laozi that stresses individual expression and a striving to find balance in one's life
Bi
a round ceremonial disk found in ancient Chinese tombs; characterized by having a circular hole in the center, which may have symbolized heaven
Literati
a sophisticated and scholarly group of Chinese artists who painted for themselves rather than for fame and mass acceptance. Their work is highly individualized
Yamato-e
a style of Japanese painting that is characterized by native subject matter, stylized features, and thick bright pigments
Pagoda
a tower built of many stories. Each succeeding story is identical in style to the one beneath it, only smaller. Pagodas typically have dramatically projecting eaves that curl up at the ends
The Literati
artists that rejected the restrictive nature of court art and developed individual styles. Worked as painters, furniture makers, and landscape architects. Often scholars rather than professional artists and didn't sell works, but gave to friends and connoisseurs
Chinese Porcelain Basics
-originally ceramics made with coiling method, clay rolled onto a long, flat surface so it resembled a long cord -cords wrapped around themselves creating a sculpture, edges often smoothed out with artist's hand or instrument -later clay placed on round tray and made to revolve with pedal, began invention of potter's wheel -process of making pottery on a wheel is called throwing -Yuan Dynasty known for distinctive blue and white vases -cobalt used imported from Iran
Japanese Architecture and Sculpture
-simplicity follow Zen philosophy -buildings single story, made of wood, harmonize with natural environment -wood light so pillars placed at wide interval, open interior to outdoors -floors raised above ground to reduce humidity -eaves long to generate shade -roofs steep to allow runoff snow and rain -interiors use sliding screens to divide rooms -floor overlaid with removable straw mats -Zen gardens arrange raked sand around stones and plants -no water, but rocks suggest rushing water -respect for natural world in culture, Shintoism believe in sacredness of spirits in nature -geography of Japan influence wood/rock prevalence
Nio Guardian Figures (Todai-ji)
1203 wood by Unkei, Tankei, Jokahu -one on either side of Todai-ji south gate -complex joined woodblock construction -masculine, frightening figures that protect Buddha -fierce forbidding looks and gestures -intricate swirling drapery
Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace
1250-1300 Handscroll (ink and color on paper) Form: -narrative, read from right to left as the scroll is unrolled -look down from above onto scene -strong diagonals emphasize movement and action -aristocrats and warriors with animal-like faces -history more common theme Japan than China -shows women committing suicide by jumping into well -swift active brushstrokes -depersonalized figures, many with only one stroke for eyes, ears, and mouth -tangled mass of forms accentuated by Japanese armor -lone archer leads escape from burning palace with Japanese commander behind him Function -hand scroll Context and Interpretation: -military rule in Japan interest in the code of the warrior, reflected in large quantity of war related literature and paintings -shows coup as Emperor Go-Shirakawa is taken prisoner -burning of imperial palace at Sanjo as rebel forces try to capture retired emperor -imperial palace in flames; rebels force emperor to board a cart waiting to take him into captivity -rebels kill those opposed and place their heads on sticks and parade them as trophies -painted 100 years after civil war happened -unrolls like film sequence, as one unrolls time advances
The David Vases
1351 white porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze Form and Context: -blue color imported from Iran; Chinese expansion into western Asia made cobalt blue available -vases modeled after bronzes of the same type -neck and foot of vases: leaves and flowers -elephant-hand shaped ahndles -central section: Chinese dragons with traditional long bodies and beards; dragons have scales and claws and are set in a sea of clouds Function: -made for alter of a Daoist temple along with incense burner (has not been found), typical alter set Materials: -made of Jingdezhen Porcelain, same materials found in Ai Wei Wei's seeds Context and Interpretation: -one of the most important examples of Chinese blue and white porcelain -dedication on the side of the neck of the vessels, believed to be earliest known blue and white porcelain dedication -inscription on one of the vases: "Zhang Wenjin, from Jingtang community, Dejiao village, Shuncheng township, Yushan county, Xinzhou circuit, a disciple of the Holy Gods, is pleased to offer a set comprising one incense-burner and a pair of flower vases to General Hu Jingyi at the Original Palace in Xingyuan, as a prayer for the protection and blessing of the whole family and for the peace of his sons and daughters. Carefully offered on an auspicious day in the Fourth Month, Eleventh year of the Zhinzheng reign." -named after Sir Percival David, a collector of Chinese art
Gold and jade crown
5th-6th century metalwork Seoul, South Korea Function: -crown lightweight; had limited use; maybe for ceremonial occasions or perhaps only for burial, made for a queen Context and Interpretation: -stylized geometric shapes symbolize trees -antler forms influenced by shamanistic practices in Siberia -uncovered from royal tomb in Gyeongju, Korea; from the Silla Dynasty
Japanese Painting and Printmaking
-Chinese formats popular--create handscroll, hanging scroll, decorative screen -elevated viewpoints, diagonal lines, depersonalized faces -speciality haboku/ ink-splashed painting to give illusion of paint being splashed on the surface -too much Chinese imagery and painting techniques, reaction=Yamato-e developed with tales from Japanese history and literature depicted on narrative scrolls -depersonalized figures, line indicate eyes and mouth, nose missing/suggested -buildings with roofs missing to see inside, clouds divide compositions into sections -genre painting dominated by ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), allude to transient nature of life so show everyday life -Ukiyo-e represented in woodblock print, can also be seen on scrolls and painted screens -popular with middle class, Americas, Europe, upper class hate -artist and publisher work on printing together (dictate style/subject matter) -polychrome print created, colors subtle and delicate, separated by black lines -each color require separate step in the process -Hokusi: explore connection with ukiyo-e and landscape painting
Chinese and Korean Painting
-East Asian painting scrolls: handscroll, horizontal and can be read on a desk or table vs. ahnging scroll, supported by a pole or hung for a time on a wall and unraveled vertically -no scrolls allowed on permanent view in a home, to be admired, studied, not hung for decoration -handscrolls read from right to left -silks preferred to paper and usually chosen to evoke a specific mood -silk attached to wooden dowels and secured at ends -when unwound title panel appear first, then text and writing intertwined -square red marking identify artist or owners of painting -sometimes commentaries on work (poetry/praise, specifically allowed in Chinese culture) on last panel called the colophon -landscape paintings reflect artist's construct yielding a philosophical idea -intertwining empty and crowded spaces reflects yin and yang/Daoism
Chinese and Korean Art Basics
-traditions/styles exchanged through the civilizations of Asia -ancient belief systems (Indic) spread, eventually becoming Hinduism and Buddhism -Chinese religions stressed living in harmony with nature and one another -architecture best expressed by religious temples, shrines, and rock-cut caves -Chinese art paintings on scrolls with limited color, wide range of materials -calligraphy important -Chinese art use floating line over color, jade/porcelain, cranes, lotus flowers, Buddha common symbols -spread of cultures facilitated through the Silk Road
Patronage and Artistic Life Japan
-worked on commission from royal court/religions, masters ran workshops (usually family-run businesses) -assistants make paper/ink, master create composition and assistants add color and details -painting highly esteemed, aristocrats learned
Fan Kuan, Travelers among Mountains and Streams
1000 Ce ink on silk Form: -complex landscapes -different brushstrokes describe different kinds of trees; coniferous, deciduous, ect. -long waterfall on right balanced by mountain on left; waterfall accents height of the mountain -not a pure landscape: donkeys laden with firewood driven by two men; small temple in the forest; people seem small in vast natural world -mists (ink washes) silhouette roof of temple Function: -hanging scroll Context and Interpretation: -artist isolated himself to be with nature and study it for his landscapes; Daoist philosophy -reflects aspects of Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism -might be only surviving work; signature hidden in bushes on lower right -piece Neo-Confucian beliefs, based on principles, orders, vital force and substance of physical world -composition created with 3 stages: rock outcroppings, road/waterfall, background with mountains -shifting perspective show his view of the universe -mountains may represent Confucian ideas about relationships and behavior: middle emperor with advisors, may be Buddhist (Buddha and Bodhisattva) -different strokes for different elements
Great South Gate (Todai-ji)
1181-1203 wood with ceramic tile roofing -main gate of Todai-Ji -Nandaimon: great south gate, with 5 bays, 3 central bays for passing, and 2 outer bays that are closed -2 stories same size (unusual, usually upper story smaller) -deep eaves support 6-stepped bracket complex, which rise in tiers with no bracketed arms -roof supported by huge pillars -no ceiling, roof exposed from below -effect of proportion and stateliness
Portrait of Sin Sukju
1417-1475 ink and color on silk Function: -hanging scroll Context and Interpretation: -Korean prime minister, scholar and soldier, involved in creating modern Korean alphabet -face unique/body formulaic -exudes wisdom and dignity -continually worked on and revised after death as a symbol of respect -Korean PM and soldier, resume/lay out merits -portrait made when second-grade civil officer: insignia, or rank badge, designed with clouds and a wild goose -Korean portraits emphasize how the subject made great contribution to country and how spirit of loyalty to king and country was valued by Confucian philosophy -repainted over the years, especially 1475 when Sin Sukju died as act of reverence for departed ancestor -painting on silk desired and esteemed product
Ryoan-ji
1480 rock garden Kyoto, Japan -garden as microcosm of nature -design changed over time -view of mountains, 2 gates and a main structure in the back -abbots residence: 6 rooms, 3 to the North and 3 to the South, other side green garden, tea garden, wall paintings on doors (sold) Zen dry garden: -gravel represents water; gravel raked in wavy patterns daily by monks -rocks represent mountain ranges -meant to be viewed from a veranda in a nearby building (the abbot's residence) -fifteen rocks arranged in 3 groups -interpreted as islands in a sea, mountain peaks above clouds, constellations in the sky, a tiger taking her cubs across a stream -no viewpoint entire garden viewable at once, believed if achieve enlightenment can see all -garden serves as a focus for meditation; garden entered by the mind -asymmetrical arrangement -garden bounded on 2 sides, by low yellow wall Wet Garden: -contains a teahouse -plants placed in organized environment symbolizing natural world (appears arbitrary) -water symbolizes purification, used in rituals
Forbidden City
15th century Ming Dynasty stone masonry, marble, brick, wood, ceramic tile Beijing, China Form: -largest and most complete Chinese architectural ensemble -nine thousand rooms -walls 30 feet high to keep people out/ those inside in -each corner of plan has tower representing one of the 4 corners of the world -Focus is Hall of Supreme Harmony, throne room and set of power; wood structure made with elaborately painted beams; meant for grand ceremonies -yellow tile roofs and red painted wooden beams placed on marble foundations unify structures into artistic whole -yellow is the emperors' color -Hall of Supreme Harmony Ceremonies: new year, winter solstice, emperor's birthday Function: -emperor's palace; seat of Chinese power: capital of the empire during Ming and Qing dynasties -originally built to consolidate emperor's power Context and Interpretation: -"forbidden" because no one could leave or enter inner sanctuaries without official permission -throne room symbolically in the center -animals and figures on the roof placed to ward off fire and evil spirits -surrounding wall characteristic of Chinese city: privacy within provides protection; containment part of Chinese culture -Mandate of Heaven: heaven bestows mandate on emperor, rules with divine blessing as Son of Heaven -9,999 rooms, just short of perfection because heaven is perfection -wood with elaborate paint, yellow tiles -buildings follow ideal cosmic order (symmetrical) -bells and drums announce emperor's movement around the compound -was in the shape of a symbol nesther, changed by empress
Ogata Korin, White and Red Plum Blossoms
1710-1716 watercolor on paper Form: -stream cuts rhythmically through the scene; swirls in paint surface indicate water currents -white plum blossoms left, red on right -line in center, could have walked through -worked in vivid colors/ ink monochrome on gold ground -more abstracted/simplified than Ogata's predecessors -old tree on left balanced by new on right Function: -Japanese screen Context and Interpretation: -Japanese rimpa style named for Ogata (Rin, for Ko-rin, and pa, meaning "school") -influenced by the yamato-e style of painting -patrons middle class or feudal lord -gold reminicent -Tarashikomi technique, in which paint applied to surface that has not already dried, creates a dripping effect, useful in depicting streams or flowers -Artist member of Kyoto family of textile merchants that serviced samurai, a few nobility, and city dwellers
Funeral Banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
180 BCe painted silk Form and Content: -painted in three distinct regions top: heaven, crescent moon at left and legend of the ten suns at right -center two seated officers guard entrance to the heavenly world middle: earth with Lady Dai in center on a white platform, about to make journey to heaven with a walking stick found in her tomb -mourners and assistants around her -dragons' bodies symbolically circled through a bi in a yin and yang exchange Bottom: the under world, symbolic low creatures frame the underworld scene: fish, turtles, dragon tails; tomb guardians protect the body Function: -T-shaped silk banner covering inner coffin of the intact body in a tomb -probably carried in a procession to the tomb and then placed over the body to speed journey to the afterlife Context and Interpretation: -lady Dai died 168 BCE in Huan province during Han Dynasty -tomb found with more than 100 objects 1972 -yin symbols at left; yang on right; center mixes the two philosophies
Todai-ji, Nara, Japan
743 rebuilt 1700 wood with ceramic tile roofing Form: -two story building with long, graceful eaves hanging over edges: protect interior from sun and rain -seven external bays on facade -Original Buddha made from copper, eye-opening ceremony (paint on eyes) -lotus pedestal under Buddha with shakyamuni and bhodisattva -bracketing system= no nails, screws, complex, carved system (reverence for nature) Function: -original center of Buddhist faith in Japan, from which ancillary temples around country were served -imperial and political authority carried out/combined with religious overtones -center for training of scholar monks, studied Buddhist doctrine Context and Interpretation: -Burned down and rebuilt, smaller than original -commissioned by emperor Sho-Mu (like Ashoka, many monuments created) -Great Eastern Temple refers to location on eastern edge of city of Nara, Japan -colossal sculpture of seated Vairocana Buddha -temple and Buddha razed several times during military unrest -influenced by monumental Chinese sculptures (Longmen) Great Buddha: copper -largest metal statue of Buddha in the world -made by Emperor Shomu to stabilize Japanese population during economic crisis -Mudra: right hand means "do not fear", left means "welcome"
Mandorla (Italian for "almond")
A term that describes a large almond-shaped orb around holy figures like Christ or Buddha
Hokusai, Under the Wave, Off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
From "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" 1830-1833 polychrome woodblock print ink and color on paper Form: -personification of nature; seems intent on drowning figures in boat -Mount Fuji, sacred mountain to the Japanese, seems to be one of the waves -design contrasts water and sky with large areas of negative space -imported color: Prussian blue, made print seem unusual and special Function: -Part of series of prints called Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji Materials: -woodblock prints made through collaboration of designer, engraver, printer, and publisher -conceived of as commercial opportunity by the publisher, who may have doubled as a book dealer -publisher determine theme -print designed by artist on paper, engraved copied design onto a woodblock -printer ribs ink onto the block and places paper over the block to make a print -many colored prints made by using a separate block for each color -Prussian blue highly prized in Japan, achieved through trade with Europe Context and Interpretation: -Mount Fuji, highest mountain in Japan, known for symmetrical cone -considered sacred site, in Shintoism, the forces of nature unite as one, as they do in the Hokusai print -first time landscape major theme in Japanese prints -cheap pieces for poor (woodblock) began to be exported -theme of nature dominant, man insignificant
Ukiyo-e
Translated as "pictures of the floating world", a Japanese genre painting popular from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century
Zen
a metaphysical branch of Buddhism that teaches fulfillment through self-discipline and intuition
Coiling
a method of creating pottery in which a rope-like strand of clay is wrapped and layered into a shape before being fired in a kiln
Haboku (splashed ink)
a monochrome Japanese ink painting done in a free style in which ink seems to be splashed on a surface
Confucianism
a philosophical belief begun by Confucius that stresses education, devotion to family, mutual respect, and traditional culture
Tarashikomi
a Japanese painting technique in which paint is applied to a surface that has not already dried from a previous application
Porcelain
a ceramic made from clay that when fired in a kiln produces a product that is hard, white, brittle, and shiny
Colophon
a commentary on the end panel of a Chinese handscroll; an inscription at the end of a manuscript containing relevant information on its publication
Bodhisattva
a deity who refrains from entering nirvana to help others
Potter's wheel
a device that usually has a pedal used to make the flat circular table spin, so that a potter can create pottery
Kondo
a hall used for Buddhist teachings
Chairmen Mao en Route to Anyuan
based on an oil painting by Liu Chunhua 1969 color lithograph Form: -posterlike, vivid colors, dramatic, and with obvious political message -iconic representation of the great leader's career -Mao rises above landscape that contains a power line as a symbol of industrialization Function: -done as propaganda: Mao appears youthful, heroic, and idealized -may be most reproduced image of all time (900,000,000 copies generated) Context and Interpretation: -painted during Cultural Revolution; high art dismissed as feudal/bourgeois; art created in service of the state -Based on oil painting by Liu Chunhua, first appeared at Beijing Museum of the Revolution in 1967 -art done anonymously; individual artistic fame seen as counterculture with collectivism -shows moment in the 1920s; Mao on his way to Anyuan to lead miners' strike -Mao worked for reforms for miners, supported local strike for better wages, working conditions, and education -for many people this action formed a bond with the Communist party -wearing clothes of peasants -shows how man influences environment and promotes industrialization (telephone poles, dams, roads)
Army of Emperor Shi Huangdi
painted terra-cotta 221-209 BCE Qin Dynasty Lintong, China Form: -soldiers are six-feet tall; some fierce, some proud, some confident; taller than the average person of the time -about 8,000 terra-cotta warriors, 100 wooden chariots, 2 bronze chariots, 30,000 weapons -originally colorfully painted -tomb oriented North-South -rectangular double-walled enclosure Function: -Tomb of Emperor Shi Huangdi, founder of the first unified Chinese empire Context and Interpretation: -representation of Chinese army marching into the next world -early form of mass production alluding to power of the state -Daoism seen in the individualization of each soldier even with numbers -discovered in 1974 -pyramid/mound nearby= area where Qin buried
Genre painting
painting in which scenes of everyday life are depicted
Vairocana
the universal Buddha, a source of enlightenment; also known as the Supreme Buddha who represents "emptiness," that is, freedom from earthly matters to help achieve salvation
Throwing
to mold forms on a potter's wheel