Art History 42B: Final
Sun Zixi (b.1929), In Front of Tiananmen, oil on canvas, modern China, 1964
-"A Picture of the Whole Family," "Art must serve the masses," Socialist Realism, Communism; masses=worker, soldier, peasant; propaganda, National Art Museum of China; Great Leap Forward -painted vermilion, with a double roof in golden tile and festive red lanterns hung in the side bays of the facade -Different groups within modern Chinese society appear in the foreground, emphasizing how China's imperial past has been superseded -At the center, awe have a group of workers posing for a commemorative photo in front of Chairman Mao's portrait on the gate; -Mao is depicted larger than them and appears to look benevolently upon them -at right is group of sailors in uniform -at left is group of people in ethnic dress, representing China's minority populations -he is trying to convey harmonious unity and order -message of this painting - large collection of people representing people from different parts or regions of China -wearing clothing - distinguishable -the masses, the common people or workers (industrial workers, soldiers, peasants, sailors, children, ethnic minorities) -celebration of new society Communist China -China is picture: image of Communist society(its vision of a happy Communist country, very hierarchical image - pyramid) -Chairman on top, the rest in bottom - ^ suggests Confucius ideals
Song Dynasty (960 - 1279)
-Arts produced by Northern Song court often have political significance in keeping with the agendas of the patrons - typically the emperor, members of the imperial family, or court officials -at the very least, courtly arts tend to reveal superior skills of artists and high status of patrons
Fachang Muqi (c.1200-1279), *Evening Bell From Mist-Shrouded Temple*, from series "Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang River," 13th century, ink on paper, handscroll, Southern Song dynasty
-Chan Buddhism, chan/ "dhyana" (Sanskrit)/zen (Japanese) = "meditation"; splattered or splashed-ink technique - Souther Song painting showing how new form of Buddhism Chan, incorporated paintings into their religious devotion -Chan is school of Mahyana practice that approaches the original teachings of the historic Buddha yet also incorporates Daoist concepts -word represents Chinese pronunciation of the Sanskrit "dhyana" which means "meditation" - the primary practice in Chan, thought to lead to spontaneous enlightenment - a painting could be a focal point for meditation, and sometimes the act of making a painting as understood as meditative -this painting appealed to Buddhists as a representation of the journey towards enlightenment -in this painting, Fachang Muqi uses gradations of ink wash over almost the entire surface to indicate mist; a band of light cuts across the center of the painting -in one area, the dark but still indistinct forms of trees and roof lines emerge: this must be the location of the mostly hidden temple of the title -Because mist obscures light, in a Buddhist context, it refers to obstacles to enlightenment -the evening bell of the title is meant to evoke sound; here, we imagine its clear tone piercing through the mist and signaling the temple's role in enlightenment
Liu Guandao (active c.1275-1300), *Khubilai Khan Hunting, Yuan dynasty*, ink and color on silk, hanging scroll, 1289 CE
-Empress Chabi, kesig military formation, hybridity, multi-ethnic, steppe -Liu Guandao - a court painter under the Mongols -from his surviving works, appears to have been primarily a figure painter -in his paintings, he shows an imperial hunting party out in the desert -the emperor, wearing an ermine-trimmed robe, sits on horseback besides Empress Chabi (white robed woman) -they're surrounded by several mounted hunters (archers, falconers); one of them rides with a cheetah sitting behind him -their dress reveals them as Mongols; wear garments with slits under the sleeves, to allow them to slip an arm out for greater mobility, and boots with decorated covers -camels laden with supplies wait in the background -unlike more formal imperial portraits, this painting reminds the viewer that one of the great advantages the Mongols possessed was their superior horsemanship, while at the same time signaling the political status of the ruler and indicating his nomadic ancestry
Guan Zilan (Violet Kwan, 1903-1986), *Portrait of Miss L.*, oil on canvas, 1929 CE, modern China
-Fauvism (Fauve=wild beast); Henri Matisse, Yasuo Sotaro; Tokyo Institute of Culture, qipao, "modern girl", bobbed hair -this work, executed in oil on canvas, recalls the art of the Japanese painter Henri Matisse -like many artists of his time developed an interest in the style of the Japanese woodblock prints that began to appear in France in the late 19th century -this painting focuses on the figure of young woman with bobbed hair and bangs sitting in a chair and cradling a lap dog, dressed in a modern Chinese dress called a qipao and a vest, adorned with jewelry that advertises her high status -the artist juxtaposes areas of flat, vibrant color with areas of abstract pattern, using bold outlines and gestural brushstrokes -painting reflects fashionable elements within Shanghai society -modern Chinese woman - beauty -wearing non-traditional Chinese clothing - qipao (like school uniform) -sign of educated woman -hair style is shorter w/ bangs (very 20th century) -has dog or puppy (lap or pet dog) (1) shows Chinese traditions of nature (2) fashionable pet or maybe just a stuffed toy animal -intense make-up - rue & bright lipstick -kind of like photography studio; she is ready to take her picture -intense colors (pigments suspended in oil) - Fauvism -intense visual style that uses bright, unnatural colors
Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining, 1688-1766), *Pine, Hawk and Ganoderma*, ink and color on silk, hanging scroll, Qing dynasty, 1724
-Ganoderma = lingzhi fungus, hawk = ying = hero, Yongzheng Emperor (r.1723-1736), realism, Jesuit priest, bird-and-flower-subject -bird-and-flower painting -hawk symbolized as hero (military strength - animal symbol) -collection of auspicious symbols: (1) pine = long life, immortality (2) hawk = heavens approve or mandate of heaven, approved rule by the heavens (3) ganoderma = life-long immortality
Guo Xi (c.1020-c.1090), *Early Spring*, 1072 CE, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty
-Guo Xi, Advice on Landscape/Lofty Message of Forests and Trees; Emperor Shenzeng (r. 1068 - 1085); Daoism, "crab-claw trees", "cloud-like rocks," and "devil's face rocks" -not stark or as severe as Fan Kuan -more detailed, ornate -use of fog and clouds to depict scale -imperial painting made for the court -image of China, full of life -Guo Xi was a favorite painter at court of Emperor Shenzong of Northern Song -painting titled, dated, signed by artist at left margin, and imperial seal is impressed over it, suggesting that Shenzong commissioned the work -another example of 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 t 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 reveals a concern with temporality, evident in representation of 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 -Guo Xi and his son wrote a landscape text "The Lofty Message of Forests and Streams" -> they assert dominting mountain represents the emperor and the foothills of his advisors -In Early Spring, Guo Xi makes a case for the absolute political authority of the emperor, presiding over humble citizens (the fishermen, travelers, and scholarly and religious institutions
Lang Shining (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1768), *Inauguration Portraits of Emperor Qianlong, His Empress, and the Eleven Imperial Consorts*, or *Mind Picture of a Well-Governed And Tranquil Reign (detail)*, ink and color on silk, hand scroll, 1736-1770s, Qing dynasty
-Jesuit priest, bust-length portrait, Confucianism -Lang Shining is best known or his paintings of horses, which remained a metaphor for imperial power, but he also painted the first three bust portraits in... - Chinese painters finished the final ten -his painting combines elements of European and Chinese styles -His composition has a formality common to portraits of emperors and empresses -static, symmetrical figures are positioned frontally, in dress that reveals their status -the bust portrait recalls form used by Nepalese artist Anige for Yuan imperial portraiture -the hint of modeling evidence in the faces is unusual: Lang Shining, by necessity, eschewed the Baroque convention of the half-li face, which the Qianlong emperor rejected on the grounds that it made faces look dirty -So instead, the artist conveyed 3D-ity through subtle gradations of ink wash -the emperor acknowledged the work with the impression of nine of his seals -court art
Wen Zhengming (1471-1561), *Living Aloft*, 1543, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, Ming dynasty
-Liu Lin (1474-1561); "occasional painting," loftiness, urban scholar -he began studying painting with Shen Zhou at age 20 and collaborated with Qiu Ying on more than one occasion, serving in office only briefly and beginning quite late -he most commonly painted landscapes and garden scenes -his painting was made for a contemporary, Liu Lin, on the occasion of Liu's retirement from government service -Wen's long inscription at the top, followed by two of his seals, names the recipient, describes his plans, and provides the painting's title and date -Liu Lin intended to reside in the second story of his house, in order to be farther removed from the troubles of the world -Wen Zhengming painted a resident in a remote location, with a stream in front of it, mountains sdtanding behind it, and a dense thicket of trees overtaking its garden -the house's second story, open to the air on the three sides, rises above the trees -three figures occupy the large upstairs room: Liu Lin (facing outward), a visiting friend (sitting opposite him); and a servant with a tray (at the right) -the foreground includes alum lumps and vegetative dotting of the Dong-Ju painting tradition -the crystalline brushwork visible in the foliage is a feature of Wen's mature style -allusion to nature - forested area, garden, civilized point in nature) -not an inviting place, not accessible though door is open -trees my represent his people -on shelf, there are books and scrolls -a step back from the public: lets drink tea and alcohol
Zhu Da (Bada Shanren), *Moon and Melon*, Sept. 27, 1689; ink on paper, hanging scroll, ink on paper
-Mid-Autumn Festival (moon cakes), anniversary of anti-Manchu uprising, moon=Ming emperor; melon: Marquis of Dongling (Han dynasty); melon as symbol of loyalism, royal lineage; loyalism, eccentric, individual, originality -Zhu Da is an individualist; work is strong in loyalist themes -he enter Chan monastic life just after the establishment of the new dynasty and remained a monk until 1680, probably the best means of withdrawing from society -he further isolated himself by feigning madness and refusing to speak for a number of years, communicating primarily through gestures and wiritng -he usually inscribed his paintings with cryptic poems that, upon careful study, often reveal political themes -this painting was painted after his return to his hometown -working in ink on paper, he painted a watermelon in the foreground and a large, circular outline behind it that represents the moon -at the top of his painting was is a quatrain (used obscure variations for some of the characters) -it was an allusion to round mooncakes, eaten at the Mid Autumn Festival -he painted this on the evening of the 1689 festival, which also marked the anniversary of an unsuccessful revolt against the Manchus in Nanchang that culminated in the execution of its two Chinese leaders -Mooncakes further evoke the Chinese rebels who overthrew the Yuan and carried the cakes as proof of affiliation with the insurgents -the moon stands for the Ming emperors; the character "ming" consists of the radicals, or components, for sun and moon -the melon has two political meanings: (1) it alludes to fall of status of loyal Marquis of Dongling, a Qin aristocrat who became a melon farmer under the Han, and (2) its seeds (as implied by the notion of ripening in poem) refer to multiple imperial descendants -Chinese words for "seed" and "son" are identical -this simple painting expresses the impossibility of reinstating the Ming
Ren Xiong (1823-1857), *Self-portrait*, ink and color on paper, hanging scroll, 1850s, Qing dynasty
-Ren Xiong = an educated professional painter, workedin Shanghai -several members of his family became painters, and he took lessons in portraiture in his youth -he painted this near the end of his short life -this painting is a study in contradictions, reflecting Ren Xiong's refusal to adhere to convention -Roughly life-size, depicts the artist's head and shoulders, sensitively and naturalistically rendered, emerging from voluminous, boldly, straight, sharp jagged outlined garments that seem cartoonish in their execution (can indicate tension); clothing seems to have a life of its own -on left margin, he has inscriptions and it fills most of the available negative space, demanding attention -inscription clearly refers to his sense of disconnection from a tumultuous world -figure is shown frontally, with his hands clasped in an aggressive pose, mouth set, and eyes lifted to meet those of the viewer -Another contradiction: the artist confronts his audience, seeking to forge a connection where he feels none -art not categorized -represent his inner turmoil or conflict
Wu Wei (1459-1509), *Lady Carrying a Pipa*, 15th century, ink on paper, hanging scroll, Ming dynasty
-Nanjing (Qinhuai); "Little Immortal," bohemian; Bai Juyi, Song of the Pipa, 816 CE; poem and Ming play; palace lady poetry, pipa=lute -Wu Wei specialized in figures and landscapes -alternated between serving as a painter-in-attendance underserving Ming emperors and working as a professional painter in the formal capital, Nanjing -Training was unusual: had education for an official career and learned to paint by studying his father's art collection -in Nanjing, he gained notoriety for drinking and dalliances with courtesans -the painting focuses on a beautifully dressed female figure, shown in profile, with bowed head and downcast eyes -Wu Wei renders his subject minimally, in ink on paper, but with virtuosity, particularly visible in the flowing modulated brushwork that evokes the woman's movements -the musical instrument wrapped around woman's shoulder, with only its tuning pegs visible - strongly evokes courtesans -this painting may depict a courtesan that Wu Wei knew personally
Gong Xian (c.1619-1689), *A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines*, handscroll, Ink on paper, c.1679, Qing dynasty
-Nanjing, loyalism, eccentric, individualism, originality -questions of loyalties again coming to the fore, many Chinese identified themselves as leftover subjects of the Ming -some interpreted the landscapes of educated professional painter Gong Xian as embodying loyalist sentiments -His market may have consisted primarily of other leftover subjects -theres a strong contrast between light and dark evidence in his work distinguishes it from that of his peers; he achieved this unusual effect by applying ink in layers, and the dark landscapes suggest the artist's somber mood following the change of the dynasty -Gong sought to convey a quality of strangeness that may reflect his mindset in the early Qing, and he valued observation of nature over the study of historical painting traditions -this painting: craggy rock formations, wisps of cloud, and the stark contrast between light and dark -he takes elements from earlier Chinese landscapes - mountain peaks, mist, waterfalls, streams, rocks, vegetation and a rustic hut - and crams them together, overlapping different forms -minimal use of negative space or atmospheric perspective creates little sense of depth
Xu Bing (b. 1955), *Book from the Sky (detail)*, 1987-1991, hand-printed book (installation)
-National Art Museum of China, Beijing; Song script, conceptual art, string-bound book -installation revolves around Xu Bing's invented "language" of ~4000 characters - ^ he recombined elements commonly used in Chinese characters to create meaningless forms that seem as if they should be comprehensible at first glance -Using the style of script preferred in Song painting, he carved his made-up character son individual blocks and set them in frames in order to hand-print 4,230 sq feet of paper in format of the accordion-folded pages of a traditional Chinese book -he bound most of resulting pages into 120 editions of a four-volume book, laying the volumes on the floor to create one element of the installation -he suspended banners of printed pages from the ceiling exhibition space and made panels of texts for the walls -he states that all audiences experience a loss of meaning when confronting this work -Chinese readers discovered that his characters are actually non-sensical, and others because they assume that they cannot read the language -Possible interpretations: (1)impossibility of communication with the divine (2)protest against political abuse of language (3)critique of meaningless of cultural production -Xu Bing draws upon centrality of writing in Chinese culture, refers to historical forms of writing, and duplicates the authentic woodcut bookmaking process -prints -makes his on form of book -format - traditional Chinese book -form of installation, conceptural work of art -he made up all the characters -people are horrified, frustrated -commentary - shows frustration of the artist -commentary - on tradition, are we destroying our own past? -form of elevated art beyond our understanding?
Shang Xi (active early 15th century), *Guan Yu Captures General Pang De*, screen, ink and color on silk, Ming dynasty, early 15th century
-Romance of the Three Kingdoms, God of War, military values -picture of Chinese General Guan Yu (bravery, ferocity, and loyalty to ruler) -refers to history; stories told about Guan Yu -great facial hair, armor under robe, famous sword (Green Dragon Crescent Blade) -has color in clothing -elevated to God of War -very loyal general to his ruler
Luo Zhongli (b.1948), *Father*, 1980, oil on canvas, modern China
-Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, National Youth Exhibition; Photorealism (Chuck Close) -large work in oil on canva -it is an unstinting close-up of the wrinkled, chapped, and sun-blackened face of a peasant holding a bowl, a pen tucked behind his ear -the artist saw this man outside a public lavatory on NYE and was moved to record his suffering -title of painting is ironic, reminding viewers of the ways that parents and the elderly in general were venerated in earlier eras and positioning this figure in sharp contrast -artist painted his subject in a photorealist style that he had seen in American portraits: this choice gives rhetorical force to the painting, belying the idealized Chinese peasants pictured in earlier eras and emphasizing the desperation of those living in poverty -the scale of the painting is jarring for a representation of a downtrodden member of society; it would be much more appropriate for an icon of a Communist leader -for these reasons, this painting registers as a work of subtle social criticism -death of Chairman Mao -art used to express emotion and criticism of government -a peasant (seems like hard worker as suggested by age, filthy and calloused hands, dirty bandage, very dark tan) -tough labor -missing a few teeth, little unshaven, not really hygienic, very filthy -drinking something (tea or soup) -image of fish - auspicious "pun" for abundance -numb expression -political painting -giving contradictory image to give insight to what happened in Communist China -has common man been prosperous or benefitted? NO
Hu Yichuan (b.1910), *To the Front!*, 1932, woodblock print, modern China
-Sino-Japanese war, Lu Xun, Modern Woodcut Movement, Spring Earth Research Center -was designed to mobilize the Chinese following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 (According to some accounts, the Second-Sino-Japanese War began with this incident, others date the beginning of the war (ended in 1945) to the invasion of China proper in 1937 -stark presentation of its subject matter -political message: art should educate, inform, and organize the masses -very dramatic, gets you excited, everyone needs to rise up for their country -modern woodcuts - for political movement -subjects typically political -go to the front and defend China -doesn't depict invasion (large crowd of people - workers due to their cap and ordinary dress/clothing, one emphasized in front yelling, highly contrasted, rough(adds energy and brutality of this message), use of diagonal cuts, mouth magnified - gives us sense of sound)
Xue Wu (Xue Susu; c.1564-c.1637), *Chrysanthemum and Bamboo*, ink on gold paper fan, 1633 CE, Ming dynasty
-Suzhou, Beijing, Nanjing (Qinhuai courtesan district); Han dynasty poet, Tao Qian "Drinking Wine"; "female reviser of books" seal -Courtesans received educations strong in poetry and music, and appealed to the literati because of their artistic inclinations -a courtesan's paintings helped her to construct a public image that revealed facets of her character -painting is a late work, painted in monochrome ink on gold-flecked paper, in the format of a folding fan (originated in Japan and became a popular format in China in the Ming) -the two plants and a garden rock is what makes up majority of the composition -In the right, Xue Wu inscribed a signed quatrain that refers back to a poem by the recluse Tao Qian; it alluded to his chrysanthemum hedge, his view of the southern mountains, and his wine cup, and clearly connecting the fan's imagery with notions of withdrawal from the world -bamboo ( connotation of gentlemen - can bend but doesn't break in the wind) -use of ink wash -imitates scholarly style and writes her own calligraphy -recluse, hermit after retiring from being a courtesan
Dai Jin, *The Hermit Xu You Resting By a Stream*, 15th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Ming dynasty
-Xu You (c. 2250 BCE), Emperor Yao, reclusion -Dai Jin was a versatile painter: figure, landscape, and bird-and-flower painting - receives credit as founder of the Zhe School of painting - not an actual school but a loosely affiliated group of professional painters working in Zheijang who saw Dai as their leader -painting derives from the academic painting of the Southern Song, when the Chinese capital was located in Hangzhou -his painting includes ax-cut strokes and ink wash associated with Ma Yuan and Xia Gui -the painting depicts a Confucian recluse famous for his refusal of high office, merging the genres of landscape and figure painting -Xu You represented as: lots of skin, no fancy clothes, naked chest, casual sitting position (one hand on knee), ready to go hiking (sandals of brass + hiking stick), not formal court headdress, doesn't want to serve government -it is a court painting of someone who reject society: good because he's a moral example -court respects people like this, personable to serve court -a virtuous scholar and recluse -didactic painting -Subject matter: set out in nature, use of ink wash, distant background
Anonymous, *Portrait of the Yongle Emperor*, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Ming dynasty, early 15th century CE
-Yongle emperor, r.1403-1424 (3rd Ming emperor), sumptuary laws, dragons, jewels -similar to Song Dynasty model - "Portrait of Emperor Taizu" -ancestor portrait -use of colors is Ming Dynasty tradition -incredibly yellow robe, suggests imperial power -clearly broadcasting status -nice belt with jewels and other bling (a sign of his level as emperor) -much fancier pedestal, suggesting his importance, prestige, and power -rug pattern, circular -swirl motifs - from Central Asia -multi-ethnic culture -dragons and birds (imperial motif) and in chest of robe -Face: long beard, tufts of hair, long mustache (could be sign of age and authority)
Wang Meng (c.1309-1385), *Dwelling in Reclusion in the Qingbian Mountains*, hanging scroll, ink on paper, Yuan dynasty, 1366 CE
-Zhao Lin, Wuxing, scholar painting -Yuan-scholar official Wang Meng may have received lessons in painting from his grandfather -After retirement, Wang lived as a recule near Hangzhou, then moved to the Suzhou area, where he interacted with other literati -very detailed -twisting mountains take up much of the composition -was reported that Meng had Guo Xi's painting in mind when he made this, although element of the Dong-Ju tradition are visible
Yuan Dynasty (1368 - 1644)
-an aspect of Song Song Dynasty court that some Mongol rulers emulated was the use of paintings as cultural capital -Beginning w/ the reign of Khublai Khan, certain members of the Yuan court both commissioned and collected paintings -Even though many of these works have apparent political significance, the paintings a collector acquired also revealed his or her personal interests
Zhou Chen (c.1455-after 1536), *Beggars and Street Characters*, ink and color on paper, album, 1516, Ming dynasty
-an unusual composition by a professional painter; it is difficult to imagine its market -the artist took a more typical route toward his trade, learning to paint both figures and landscapes as n apprentice, and specialized in scholarly themes -Zhou Chen's own colophon for Beggars and Street Characters, now divided into two handscrolls, claims that he spontaneously depicted two dozen of the people whom he saw daily in the streets and markets as a warning to society -it is a detail of six figures: shows them all dressed in rags, barefoot, with unkempt hair and terrible expressions, clearly in desperate straits or trouble or mess or crisis -at the right, a vegetable seller devours watermelon; two other figures lead goats; one of these, a woman afflicted with a goiter and a sore on her swollen leg, attempts to nurse an emaciated infant; other figures include animal trainers, entertainers, and wood gatherers -it was extraordinary to record the suffering of the urban underclass -Zhou Chen's contemporaries believed that he inteded it as a critique of the harsh reign of the Zhengde emperor, known for the influence of corrupts eunuchs and an increase in taxes -absence of seals may reflect uncomfortable nature of the painting's content
Anonymous, *Portrait of Emperor Taizu (r.960-976)*, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty, c.970 CE
-ancestor portrait -ancestor worship for ceremonies -imperial ancestral temple - make offerings there -1st emperor of Song -static, formal, geometricized image -very BIG guy -painting was used to announce his status and prestige -long, formal robe -spotless, long white gown -another robe under - golden color -hat is official's hat - "pingjiao futov" = "hat with two horizontal legs" -thumbs sticking out, hands together = typical court gesture or form -important people sit with foot pedastal - symbolizes his royalty -a religious image, painted after his death; used for ancestor worship -this is someone who is larger than life -blank/absence of expression -use of curves in face, eyes are perfect circles -static and unmoving -formality and monumentality
Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji, 1082-1135), *Five-colored Parakeet on Blossoming Apricot Tree*, 1110 CE, handscroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty
-bird-and-flowery painting, auspicious omens, "slender gold," calligraphy, mandate of heaven -paintings have politicl import -pairs a painting in 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, "slender gold" -the scroll commemorates the gift of the parakeet, and although it bears Huizong's cipher and seal, this painting may have actually been executed by unnamed court artists -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 -Bird is shown in profile and appears unmoving, creating a sense of formality befitting art that functions as a political instrument
Li Song (active 1190-1230), *Knickknack Peddler*, c.1210, ink and color on silk fan, Southern Song
-jiehua = "ruled-line painting" -craftsmanship -series of paintings on working-class people -they are basically mobile store -another screen painting, probably a gift -incredibly detailed -spring time - trees are bearing -Knickknack peddlers - kids and their mom, they are very excited for goods -The MOM - rural class, kids are boys (very male-centric society) - a message of fertility -sales: pots, toys, brooms, ladles, baskets, vases, bowls, cups, teapots (household goods, basically), calligraphy fan, figures, pet birds, banners, pinwheels -necklace of Knickknack Peddlers - teeth and eyes - because they were usually doctors (provided basic medical services) for cattle, horses, and children -painting for the court: prosperity even at the lowest levels of society
Zhang Zeduan, *Peace Reigns Along the River (Qingming shanghe tu) (detail)*, late 11th-early 12th century, handscroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty
-jiehua = "ruled-line paintings"; rainbow bridge, bird's eye view, perspective, microcosm, cityscape (Kaifeng?) -a painting that presents a detailed version of an idealized Chinese city -several theories on how the painting should be interpreted -scroll begins with travels on the outskirts of the city, which may be the capital, and the activities and traffic along a busy river -humble farmhouses give way to modest, restaurants, pavilions under construction, crowded store fronts, and the city gate (rendered in ruled-line style) - "rainbow bridge" is highlight, named for its shape, crowded with vendors and sightseers; a sailboat with a stepped mast passes beneath it, guided by men on a tour path - the painting concludes with a view of people from all walks of life- although remarkable few women - moving through city streets -Frequent places: wineshops, silk merchant, a barbershop, a barrel-maker's workshop, and a doctor's clinic -the artist suggest the robust economy of Northern Song Dynasty reflecting well on emperor's governance -rivers are economic lifelines, used to execute trade
Fan Kuan (active c.990-1030 CE), *Travelers Amid Mountains and Streams*, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty, c.1000 CE
-monumental landscape, host/guest peaks, three distances, cun = brushstrokes, realism, Guo Xi -commissioned by the Court -originally a screen painting? -massive space, combination of mountains & water -three distances, emphasized & exaggerated -figures in the bottom show scale -land of fog and dividing waterfall also gives us a sense of scale -symbols of China, emperor, and the court -host peak is "like a great king..." -guest peak is like "hundred grandees" -not really a place, but a metaphor
Ma Hezhi (active c.1130-1170), *"The Seventh Month" from the Odes of the State of Bin*, c.1160s, handscroll, ink and color, gold & silver, on silk; Southern Song dynasty
-one purpose of court patronage in the Southern Song period was to support imperial authority -The Odes were a section of a Zhou Dynasty anthology of poetry, the Book of Songs, counted as one of the Confucian classics -handscroll includes excerpts from the illustrated poetry, written in the style of Emperor Gaozong and suggesting a connection with his court -"The Seventh Month" concerns the workings of the feudal society that existed in the Zhou Era, with peasants laboring in support of their aristocratic lords -a grove of mulberry trees appears at the right, with women harvesting the leavs - ^ this is a reference to feminine work of "sericulture", or the various processes involved in the production of silk textiles -Its masculine counterpart, agriculture, also appears here, with men plowing the furrowed fields at the center of the composition -the scene culminates with a feast, shown at the left, which takes place in the home of the feudal lord -The painting affirms Gaozong's political authority in two ways: (1) illustrating well-known poem from a Confucian classic making a case for the legitimacy of the Southern Song dynasty (2) comparison of emperor to lord of poem, to whom people pay fealty
Ma Yuan, *Apricot Blossoms*, ink and color on silk, Southern Song dynasty, early 13th century
-painting, poetry, calligraphy -one corner composition and use of negative space -affinity for the arts: p, p, c -gift of invitation (role of producing an heir) -subject appropriate for female patron -flowers are more feminine, husband is Son of Heaven -link to female subjects and beauty -idea of fertility
Ma Yuan (act.1190-1225), *Viewing Plum Blossoms by Moonlight*, 13th century, ink and color on silk fan, Southern Song dynasty
-qin = zither, one-corner compositions, ax-cut stroke -Ma Yuan painted figures, flowers, and architecture, and many of his painting have inscriptions or seals that attest to his interaction with Emperor Ningzong -a round fan, now mounted as an album leaf, which depicts a scholar and his servant in a mountainous landscape -the seated scholar holds a staff and gazes in the direction of the full moon -the servant waits respectfully a few steps behind him, holding the scholar's wrapped zither - one-corner composition, heavily weighted toward the bottom left - it shows some facility w/ ink wash, particularly noticeable in the silhouette of the distant mountain -the painter suggests mist through combination of diluted ink wash and negative space -Ma Yuan uses a distinctive brushstroke to render the eroded landscape: the ax cut stroke, triangular in shape, and so named for suggesting the texture of wood chopped by an ax -the painter emphasizes the gnarled, angular branches of the blossoming plum trees that dominate the foreground -one-corner composition creates an area of negative space that is ideal for an inscription -get in touch with nature, admire it -cosmic rhythms, practice forms of self-cutivation -bamboos - symbol of gentlemen - sense of microcosm - small within the large (from blossom to full moon) -use of void gives melancholy, romantic feeling
Ni Zan (1301-1374), *Six Gentlemen*, ink on paper, hanging scroll, 1345, Yuan dynasty
-scholar painting, Lake Tai, Snail Hut, Daoism -Ni Zan - came from a wealthy family - he had sufficient leisure time to pursue the arts and amass collection of calligraphy, pantings, and antiquities - he sold his lane and became itinerant to avoid paying additional taxes after the government raised them -he lives on a houseboat or relied on others' hospitality -he sometimes gave paintings to his hosts to show his appreciation -this painting is typical of his body of work -he frequently used a vertically oriented composition with some variation on hills in the background, negative space in the middle ground-meant to indicate an expanse of water-and rocks with a cluster of trees in the foreground -he often used very dry, pale ink, and his compositions are static, resulting in quality of plainness and blandness that was highly valued in his work -painting includes multiple inscription; 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 -The six trees in the composition as metaphors for recluses -addition of these highly personal inscriptions reveals the connections among the literati and attest tot heir sometimes spontaneous approach to painting
Huaisu, *Autobiographical Essay (detail)*, ink on paper, Tang dynasty, 777 CE
-wild cursive, monk -written in wild cursive script reveals a completely different style -although his characters align in vertical columns (Read form right to left), they frequently run together -Huaisu's characters vary in size, becoming larger as he approaches the end of his essay and possibly indicating his increasing abandonment -Because may of Huaisu's brushstrokes are exuberantly messy, shorthand squiggles, the essay is very difficult to read -Its content concerns his artistic career: Following mentions his native place and entry into monastic life, Huaisu describes a period of studying calligraphic history in the Tang capital Chang'an, then relates his acquaintances' comments on his calligraphy -Critiques address Huaisu's place in artistic lineages; the merits of his writing, and his habit of writing while drunk, a state of mind regarded as enabling greater authenticity of emotion in the work -Overall, his calligraphy gives impression of spontaneity, but considering that he was in part copying out others' commentary, what the viewers see is not extemporaneous composition, but spontaneous feelings that arose a Huaisu set down a retrospective of his career -Numerous seals indicate the essay's passage through both private and imperial collections since Huaisu's lifetime
Qian Xuan (c.1235-before 1307), *Wang Xizhi Watching Geese*, c.1295 CE, hand scroll, ink and color on paper, Yuan dynasty
-yimin = "leftover" subject, Song loyalist, reclusion, eremetism, blue-and-green landscape, loyalist painting -Qian Xuan, a professional painter, a scholar, one of the Eight Talents of Wuxing, Zheijang province -Connoisseurs regarded him as a "leftover subject," loyal to the Song but outliving it -worked in a number of genres, including figures, birds-and-flowers and landscape, and his painting was popular enough to have been forged during his lifetime -this paiting focuses on the figure of the famous calligrapher, standing in a pavilion and looking down on geese swimming in the water, their movements the inspiration for his calligraphy -choice of Wang Xizhi for the subject is telling: he had also lived in a chaotic period of Chinese history, and Qian Xuan shows him here as an uninhibited recluse at leisure -artist's poem indicates that Wang is supposed to be copying out the primary Daoist text, the Dao de jing, for a friend -this and the blue-and-green pigments suggest that Qian Xuan deliberately evoikes a Daoist land of the immortals and the withdrawal from the world that that implies -ALSO, he 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
After Wang Xizhi (307-365 CE), *copy of Preface to the Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion*, 353 CE, (Three Kingdoms/Six Dynasties), ink on paper (copy by Feng Chengsu, c.627-650 CE)
running script, safe of calligraphy, wine, scholar -Wang Xizhi was inspired by the movements of swimming geese for calligraphy -Examples of his calligraphy survive only as traced copies and engravings in stone of his original writing; collectors made rubbings of engravings and further tracings of the copies -THIS is an example of a rubbing taken from a stone engraving, probably created in the Tang Dynasty (possibly a traced copy of the original that was made by 7th-century calligraphers) - ^ Shows that many appreciated Wang's calligraphy because of complicated chain of reproduction -Wang wrote the Preface for collection of poems composed by 42 literati of period at a gathering at the Orchid Pavilion at Lanting, Zheijang province -they participated in a poetry contest while drinking wine from cups floated down a stream, with penalty cups for those who didn't complete their poems in a timely manner - ^ this suggests the gathering of like-minded scholars to indulge in literary arts, a practice associated with removing oneself from the affairs of the world -Calligraphy i an example of running script: the characters are distinct but certain element flow together, showing the movement of Wang's hand -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 -Collectors believed it to be authentic and used it as basis for their own calligraphic practice
