East Asian Art II Midterm

Su Shi (1036-1101)

-China's Renaissance man -Official-scholar, essayist, poet, calligrapher -"The purpose of painting was not representation but expression." -"To discuss paintings in terms of 'form-likeness' is like talking art with a child." -"Borrowing" the forms of rocks, trees, or bamboo to find "lodging" for the thoughts and feelings. -Gentlemen, poets, and scholars first, and painters only second -Be at the highest level of literary achievement and then be a painter--> looking down on artisans + craftsmen who were not educated -Preferred to paint in ink only on paper -Northern Song

The Yuan Dynasty

-Khubilai Khan was the grandson of Chinggis -Yuan means "primordial" or "original" --the first time the dynasty was not named for the geographic region relating to the ruling family, but a symbolic meaning -Established the capital at Beijing Yuan painting -Continuation of the Song tradition -Archaism and eremitism -Use of painting as autobiography -Symbolism: horse, bamboo, plum blossom -Buddhism and Daoism Yuan government respected artisans, whose social status was elevated Horse merges Mongol interest in horses with Chinese symbol