Introduction to Asian Art - FINAL
12aWORK Ichikawa Danjuro V in Shibaraku Role (1777)
Katsukawa Shunshō, full-color woodblock print; Edo Period Japan Image of a celebrity who is a member of a lineage of actors, people treat event as social gathering and happy to see famous celebs. Family crest prominently displayed on outift, showing actor in moment before climax -->distinct portrait for people to recognize (big nose)
12aWORK "Under the Wave off Kanagawa" (1826-1833)
Katsushika Hokusai, from Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series , full-color woodblock print, Edo Period Japan Domestic Travel culture escalates as samurai are forced to travel often as form of control Makes series that enables his prints to be collectible, people get to see fuji from angles not possible to them previously...anxiety and use of blue crashing down alludes to fear of being invaded by Europe
cenotaph
empty tomb/monument for people whose remains are elsewhere
nihonga
"Japanese-style painting" in modern Japan
yōga
"Western-style painting" in modern Japan
yakusha-e
"actor prints" Kabuki theater -> Shibaraku ("Wait a Minute!") play
kuroi ame
"black rain" that fell after the atomic explosion
hibakusha
"bomb-affected people"
nishiki-e
"brocade pictures"
ukiyo-e
"floating world picture"
mōrōtai
"murky style" or "indistinct style" originating in Japan and also used in Indian modern painting
meisho-e
"pictures of famous places" -> landscape prints
Swadeshi
"self-reliance" movement (1905-1908)
shunga
"spring pictures" Yoshiwara - pleasure district
12bWORK Fallen Leaves (1909)
Hishida Shunsō, pair of six-panel folding screens (byōbu), color on paper. (Japan) Atmosphierc Perspective and Focus on seasons, comparison to autumn rain and summer wind by hoitsu
KEY ISSUES CONTEMPORARY ASIA
How are globalization and global engagement reflected in contemporary Asian art? What role does the body play in contemporary Asian art? How are contemporary Asian artists responding to political issues with their art? How do contemporary Asian artists blend modern and traditional ideas, elements, and styles in their works?
KEY ISSUES POSTWAR/GUTAI GROUP
How did Japanese artists, architects, and amateur artists respond to the events of and after WWII? How did censorship laws established during the Allied Occupation affect art and architecture that contends with the atomic bombs? How did the Gutai group look both to the past and to new ideas for their avant-garde approach to art?
KEY ISSUES OF MAO/CHINA
How do Tiananmen (the gate) and Tiananmen Square reflect PRC government power in conversation with the imperial past? How did the changes made to Beijing's overall urban design after 1949 reflect PRC government power in conversation with the imperial past? What role did public opinion play in the creation of Chairman Mao's final Tiananmen portrait? How did images of Mao contribute to the positive national conception of him during the first few decades of the PRC?
13aWORK China, Roar! (1936)
Li Hua, woodcut print. (China) Graphic, Political graphic references struggle against manchuria and colonial Japan.
14aWORK Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan (1967)
Liu Chunhua, poster Wants to relate to red guard youth, shown with umbrella (connection to current umbrella movement in Hong Kong) Shows practicality, determination, and what mao used to be up to as a wee chap
13aWORK Untitled (Naked Bharat Mata, 2005)
M.F. Husain, , acrylic on canvas (India) Lives as muslim minority and made this extremely controversial painting of mother india, showing her as nude, comparison to standing uma, city names on th ebody are political statements, no hands or feet
egoyomi
"calendar picture"
Tales of Ise
Heian period novel, illustrated and disseminated during the Edo period, inspires rimpa works
Superflat + Kawaii
Styles used in contemp. japan
Partition of Bengal (1905-1911)
-> Bengal school; separates hindu and muslim populations (or tries at least)...leads to great conflict
Diaspora artists/Umbrella Revolution/Movement
2014 Hong Kong
Press Code (1945-1952)
?
12bWORK Mother India (1905)
Abanindranath Tagore, watercolor on paper. (India) Holding different symbols of India, hopes to propogate swadeshi movement. Later appropriated into the shape of India Similar nondescript background/mandorla?
12bWORK "Yoroi Ferry, Koami-chō" (1857)
Andō Hiroshige, from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo , full-color woodblock print (Japan) Impacted heavily by Japan opening its ports in ultimatum. Combines previous use of atmospheric blue european ink with european linear perspective Part of 100 series guidebook, focus less on natural sights and more on commerce Fancy print pattern of kimono
14aWORK Portrait of Chairman Mao (1967-present)
Anonymous, oil on canvas, Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) Sam spot as emperor used to do the lowering of Golden Phoenix, but the difference is Mao is now visible; continually updated to feature him in the best light
mokkotsu
Boneless Technique - describing form through only outline
14aWORK Ten Great Buildings Campaign (1959)
Chang'an Avenue expansion (width and length) Tiananmen additions: two slogan placards, emblem, portrait of Chairman Mao Tiananmen Square creation East side: National Museum of China West side: Great Hall of the People South side: Monument to the People's Heroes 1976: new southern border with addition of Chairman Mao's Mausoleum Adds new east west axis and makes travel through city easier
Important Dates in China/India
China -1927-1949: Civil War - Nationalists vs. Communists -1937-1945: Japanese Occupation -1949: People's Republic of China (PRC) established India -1905: proposed partition of Bengal, start of swadeshi -1918-1947: Gandhi and swadeshi -1947: Partition
Socialist Realism
Clear Subject, Positive, Emotionally moving Themes, Workers/Peasant/Soldier, mostly oil on canvas and framed
14aWORK The Founding of the Nation (1955)
Dong Xiwen, oil on canvas. Shows Mao announcing founding of PRC, later edits out figures and adjusts composition to balance Follows rules of Yan'an Talks...chosen by mao as an exemplar for art furthering political cause "Socialist Relaism"
tarashikomi
Dripping In - add paint to already wet layer to create soft rippling effect for waves, trees, flowers, etc.
14bWORK River Sight Pagoda (Portrait of Xie Tianxiao) (2016)
Du Kun, oil on canvas, China Rock Gods are the new thing to worship-->use previous religious architecture in the likeness of a rock "GOD" to worship
byōbu
Folding Screen that stands
Yan'an Talks on Literature and Art (1942)
Forecasted future public art policy: Art should: serve the masses and be visually accessible to them. only be produced for state service serve the Revolution, but must be of highest quality Artists (intellectuals) should: abandon former privileged status and align themselves politically and culturally with the masses use ordinary activities of masses as inspiration and subject not make art just for self-expression Art and politics must be unified in motivation, content, and form to serve the workers, peasants, and soldiers
KEY ISSUES MODERN ASIA 2
How does the tension between modernization and Westernization play out differently in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian painting? How does the body become a site for modernization? What role do new representational technologies and materials play in modernization? How do the intra-regional interactions between China, Japan, and India affect their modern art? How do the political changes of the first half of the twentieth century affect Asian art?
13bWORK Genbaku dome (1945) and Memorial Cenotaph (1952)
Isamu Noguchi/Tange Kenzō, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Dome was still standing despite proximity to WWII bomb in Japan, seen as symbol of longevity? Interest and reference to DOGU, prehistoric prebuddhist fertiility figures Reject of StL arch competition Haniwa "clay circle", little adornments for gravesite
13aWORK Horse and Rider (n.d.)
Jamini Roy, gouache on board. (India)
12aWORK "Snipe" (1788)
Kitagawa Utamaro, from Poem of the Pillow series, full-color woodblock print, Edo Period Japan Luxurious print for private patrons, "backstage access" to brothel...subtle form of shunga but all involve voyeurism, supported by literary reference
12bWORK Wisdom, Impression, Sentiment (1899)
Kuroda Seiki, oil on canvas. (Japan) Combination and fusion of Japanese and European practice. Uses soft color palette, western painting technique, and western naming convention Attempts to make the nude un erotic like Europe Black Outline is Japanese (connection to rimpa mokkotsu technique)
14bWORK Umbrella Man (2014),
Milk, plywood over wood armature, Admiralty, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, China
KEY ISSUES WOODBLOCK PRINT
Multi-step process with 4 different groups, only original designer credited Shunga and use of celebrity to make a print more desirable for purchase-->make subjects about scandalous things people like that are distinct to city Multi block enables more inks to be integrated Closed country policy (sakoku) and alternate attendance (sankin kotai) increase interest in landscape prints How do the egoyomi, yakusha-e, shunga, and meisho-e that we studied reveal both the evolution of print technology AND important aspects of Edo-period cultural trends?
11bWORK Red and White Plum Blossoms - Early 18th c.
Ogata Korin: pair of two-panel screens; ink, colors, and gold (and silver?) on paper.; Edo Period Japan summer rain and autumn wind reference, different seasons reflecting duality, extremely graphic, unafraid to crop (similar to future works)
11bWORK Irises - Early 18th c.
Ogata Kōrin; pair of six-panel screens, ink and color on gilt paper; Edo Period Japan Not outlined like his rendition of wind and thunder god, repetition of nature forms
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
Old ass mao tries to appeal to red guard youth running movement Eliminate academic authorities, transform into revolutionary culture, little red book
12bWORK Ravana Abducting Sita (c. 1900)
Ravi Varma, oil on canvas. (India) Self Taught artist, uses hindu epics people already know; super naturalistic and non descriptive background. Part of Swadeshi Movement to cut off reliance on british import
13aWORK Self-portrait (before 1857)
Ren Xiong, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper. (China) Ancestor Painting, reference to chan buddhist abbreviated brush technique and liang kai
KEY ISSUES OF RIMPA
Rimpa School was a style of painting inspired by japanese interest in domestic artistic styles (yamato-e) and was characterized by use of screens, focus on nature, patterns, and draws from literature Painted on Screens and used gold/silver leaf, used dripping in technique Became very graphic in nature as well as allowing for duality messages with its format Natural forms repeating heavily and focus on compositional balance contribute to them being very graphic
11bWORK Summer Rain and Autumn Wind - 1822
Sakai Hoitsu; pair of two-fold screens, ink, color, and silver leaf on paper (on back of Hoitsu's Wind God and Thunder God.; Edo Period Japan On back of wind and thunder god, showing figural and then nature together. seasonal changes through small detail. movement through two tone on leaves. signature.
Vocabulary
Shanghai school - Focus on visual style rather than references, spawns after european powers freely melt in shanghai Ancestor portrait Modern Woodcut Movement - response against chinese fears of Japan and were blocky, graphic prints meant to disseminate socially aware imagery patua "scroll painter" Bankura horse - Bengali terracotta folk art horse Partition (1947)
12aWORK Summer Shower (1765)
Suzuki Harunobu, full-color woodblock print; Edo Period Japan Egoyami Calendar Picture, gives semi erotic effect. Clothing and fashion used to describe the body form, accompanied by calligraphy
13bWORK A Woman Driven by Unbearable Thirst Tried to Catch the Black Raindrops in Her Mouth (1986)
Takakura Akiko
14bWORK Oval Buddha Gold (2007-2010)
Takashi Murakami, , bronze, steel, and gold leaf, Japan Duality shown, Superflat technique brought to 3D-->two angles to see basically Reference to bronze gilded of Victorian architecture at Versailles
11bWORK Waves at Matsushima (Matsushima Screens) - 1628
Tawaraya Sōtatsu; pair of six-panel screens, ink, color, and gold leaf on paper; Edo Period Japan Different types of views (aerial and frontal) repetition of nature imagery, dark blotches from oxidation of silver
13bWORK Experimental Outdoor Exhibition to Challenge the Summer Sun, Ashiya (July 1955)
The Gutai Group, Works seen in photograph include: Motonaga Sadamasa, Work (Water) (1956), polyurethane sacs with colored water Kanayama Akira, Footprints (1956), white vinyl with black footprints Body Material and Spirit: experimental and inventive works, want to create something never created before; some are site specific and interactive...koi "action events"
KEY ISSUES MODERN ASIA 1
The various policies of Japan that were so important to art were less of a focus after Com. Perry opened the ports. Focus became much more on commerce and new possibilities with wider color pallete Japan was more focused on using new European techniques as part of its artistic practice while India wanted to use its art to separate its ties with colonial power The Seiki and Mother India both use body to propose new conventions and breaks from tradition in political and artistic ways What role do new representational technologies and materials play in modernization? How do the intra-regional interactions between Japan and India respectively affect their modern art?
11bWORK "Wind and Thunder God" - 1630 orig.
Three pairs of two-panel screens in ink and color on gold-foiled paper by Tawaraya Sōtatsu (c. 1630), Ogata Kōrin (c. 1710), and Sakai Hōitsu (c. early 1820s), Edo Period Japan Funded by Machishu-Rising Wealthy Merchant Class; Gold and Silver usage, decorated with imagery of nature and floating calligraphy...focuses on Chinese folk deity that predates Buddhism
Edo Period Japan
Tokugawa shogunate, 1600-1868 Shogunates really in charge, geographic split leaves emperor in kyoto and shogunate in tokyo (edo)-->known for government sanctioned art colonies, functional door paintings, folded surfaces, and fan paintings.
14bWORK Phalli's Field (1965/2016)
Yayoi Kusama; stuffed cotton, board, and mirrors, Japan Repetition and reference to personality, interest in mirrors
13bWORK Red Circle on Black (1965)
Yoshihara Jirō, acrylic on canvas Reference to 18th c. Ekaku Enso, GUTAI Group
Tools used in Woodblock
baren - tool used to print any inked block key block - main black-line outline block of the multi-block color printing process kento - registration mark carved into all the wood blocks used for multicolor printing
TIMELINE of JAPAN
c. 1500-300 BCE Jōmon Period 300-700 CE Kofun Period 1926-1989: Shōwa period (reign of Emperor Hirohito) 1937-1945: Japanese Occupation of China 1939-1945: World War II 1945-1952 Allied Occupation of Japan
haniwa ("clay circle")
clay figures and objects placed on the surface of a Kofun-period (300-700 CE) burial mound
Gutai Group
kōi - Gutai action event
yamato-e
late-twelfth century (Heian period) Japanese-style painting (as opposed to Chinese-style), heavily favored in edo period and rimpa artists
gentleman painter
new idea of a painter's identity brought from Europe into c. 1900 India; middle-class, educated, male, engaged with and interested in the world, worked as an individual named artist alone in a studio, blended Indian traditions with Western ideas, work often focused on people (rather than landscape)
14bWORK Lennon Wall (2014),
post-it mosaic on Central Government Complex wall, Admiralty, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
dogū
small ritual fertility figures from the prehistoric Jōmon Period (c. 1500-300 BCE)