History of Art 4810 Final

Ma Yuan, On a Mountain Path in Spring, Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279

Album leaf, ink and color on silk. Ma Yuan is known as "one-corner Ma," since his focus was primarily on the bottom left corner of most of his paintings. There is a wide, open space in the other corners. The scholar is standing looking at the landscape. The scholar is accompanied by a servant with a musical instrument, which is common among scholars. Axe-cut stroke. Nail-head brushstroke is used in the garments, which is when the top is flat but goes thinner. It is capturing a moment in time. A status/hierarchy between the two humans is shown.

Li Song, Knick-knack Peddler, Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279

Album leaf. The style is caricature-like. It may be depicting a wet nurse taking care of the children. Peddlers are selling goods and services. The peddler has teeth around his neck, as well as eye-looking things, which may represent that the peddler is offering dentistry or optometry services.

Zhu Da, Two Birds, Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912

An ink wash is used, and a large brushstroke. There are small details, and a lack of clarity.

Ru/Ju Ware Narcissus Planter, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Celadon (earthenware or porcelain that has a glaze of light blue or green, due to iron oxide). These types of pottery were only made during the emperor's reign. The technique was used before in China's history, but it wasn't perfected until then. The color is descried as a "sky blue," but the sky after a rain when the sun and rainbow are coming out. There are cloud-shaped feet. These were rounder vessels that were made on a wheel. When they were created, the walls would be thick, then shaved down.

Cui Bo, Magpies and Hare, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Court painter. It includes a bird and landscape. A hare and two magpies are shown, and they are interacting. Magpies symbolize happiness, and since there are two, double happiness is being shown.

Camel, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.

Earthenware. Color is applied, then the piece is fired, which makes it become part of the vessel and allows the color to be more intact and brighter. It would have underwent multiple, high temperature fires. A three color glaze is used, which is what the Tang Dynasty is known for. Mingqi tomb object. The artist would have purposefully applied glaze and let it drip down. The camel is important because it displays the cosmopolitan ideas of the silk trade, and traders would have seen camels through the silk trade. The camel has a dynamic, realistic movement, as the humps are moving in different directions. Hollow interior.

Tomb guardian, Northern Wei to Northern Qi Dynasties

Earthenware. The tomb guardians would come in pairs to be placed on each side of a tomb entrance in order to guard the tomb. They are similar to gargoyles to scare away people who should not be there. They are an example of mingqi, or spirit goods that accompany the deceased. There was a mold to create the guardians, then details could be added later. The pigment would be placed on after the firing, so it does not stay well.

Dong Yuan, Scenes Along the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, Five Dynasties Period, 907-960 A.D.

Handscroll, ink and color on silk. Dotted brushstroke used for the mountains to create texture. Much blank space may be depicting water, since there is a small boat full of people in it. The people are a small portion of the painting, but there are more people than most landscapes have. The trees are also very textured. The painting illustrates the revolutionary impressionism that he acheived by broken ink washes and eliminating the outline. The contours of the hills are rounded, and there is a mist around the trees. The scene depicts something so peaceful that we can almost hear the people, which shows lyricism in Chinese paintings.

Att. to Yan Liben, Thirteen Emperors Scroll, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.

Handscroll, ink and color on silk. The figures are grouped to show a triad of figures, but the presence of the emperor is still so large. There is a blank background with only figures in the scroll, as well as a short story text. It may have been created as a means of ancestor worship or historical records, or speaks to continuity. Some emperors are known as being distracted, which could be depicted by the emperors with female attendants.

Guiseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining), A Hundred Steeds, Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912

Handscroll, ink and colors on silk. He became a court painter. Preliminary drawings were done before starting the scroll. There is grass instead of open spaces. Foreshortening is used. Painting and strokes are different than other Chinese paintings of the time. Light may be overwhelming on the horses, and shadow is limited.

Att. to Han Gan, Night-shining White, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.

Handscroll, ink on paper. Han Gan is known for his horse paintings, which capture the spirit of the horse. Horse paintings were very popular at the time, because the royal family adored horses. Han Gan was abke to capture the spirit of the horse by looking at real horses in order to paint them, while other artists would look off of older paintings. This painting was commissioned by the emperor of his favorite horse. It is a "white painting," or a monochrome painting with slight shading, which is not exactly realistic but it shows the horse's details. The title is named after the horse's name. The hooves give a sense of movement since they do not touch the ground; the pole stands still while the horse prances around it. The hair is blown back, which gives a sense of movement and free-spirit. The look in the horse's eyes are fearful.

Shen Sixiao, Orchid, Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368

Handscroll, ink on paper. Yimin, or leftover subjects from the Song Dynasty, art. The piece is political. Sixiao changed his name to "xiao" because of the Song Dynasty, and "si" for the Song imperial line. Semi-cursive and standard script were both used in the calligraphy. The orchid represents that the fragrance of Chinese is everywhere you go. Sixiao made his own stamp that says "Southward Old Man," saying he faces south instead of north. If you ask for a painting, you probably won't get one, but maybe I'll grace you with one. Sixiao is without roots, thus, a flower.

Zhang Zeduan, Peace Reigns Along the River, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Handscroll, ink on silk. A bird's eye perspective is used to show the whole city. It probably is not depicting the Qingming festival, but instead, it refers to peace and order. The festival is not occurring in the picture, since it is not even spring. The Qingming festival is when people will sweep the graves of their ancestors, but brooms aren't even shown. Kaifeng probably also is not being shown, because nothing specific to the city is depicted. With all the details depicted, why wouldn't the artist add details from the city? We see a view from under the bridge, which shows technical, architectural aspects of the bridge. It is probably depicting just an ideal city, since primarily men and wealthy people are shown, rather than all the aspects of a city with the poor peasants and women.

Huang Tingjian, Part of a biography, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Handscroll. Over 60 feet of about 1200 characters, which is one of the longest ever executed. Lin Xiangru was a steward that came into the government and rose above the ranks of Lian Po. It was split when pieces of paper were joined together, and seals cover the split. Calligraphy doesn't have to have punctuation, so the letters are done in a dramatic manner to end sentences. The brushstrokes get dryer and dryer as the story goes on. Caoshu, or cursive, script is used, which derives from the clerical script of the Han Dynasty.

Zhao Mengfu, Four Anecdotes, Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368

Handscroll. Semi-cursive script. This tells the story that Wang Xizhi hears a story about these geese, and he goes to the monk who has the geese and asks to buy them, and the monk says no. Xizhi comes back everyday and finally the monk says if he writes him something from a Daoist book, he can have the geese. Mengfu is known for his calligraphy being in different styles. The word goose has two different ways of writing it, which could be written side by side, or on top of each other.

Li Cheng, Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Mountain Peaks, Five Dynasties Period, 907-960 A.D.

Hanging scroll with ink and color. Artists would reflect on landscapes that they see in their work. A tripartite composition is used, which has a background, mid-ground, and foreground. No tree leaves are present, so more of the background can be seen. The viewer is invited into the painting, since they are invited to travel to the people, then eventually to the temple. The people present are scholars and attendants. A ruled line style is used, which implies that tools were used to paint straight lines for the architecture. The temple is the main focus, but it is hidden. An orderly depiction of nature is shown.

Gao Jianfu, Eagle, Republican Era, 1912-1949

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper. Calligraphy is used for a poem, and seals are present. Chinese characteristics include: Dry, textured, brushstroke is used on the rocks. Hanging scroll format with ink. Ambiguity of a light source being around the feet. Mist may be shown, along with water. Ambiguity of the empty space, paper. Subject matter being a bird. The technique of dotting brushstroke. Western influences include: The eagle being depicted, since it is a bird of prey, and a symbol of strength. The size of the bird, since it is the focal point, instead of the landscape being the focus. The bird shows anger, as if he is about to pounce down on some prey. Exaggeration.

Ren Xiong, Self-portrait, Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper. Modernity, as well as an anatomical/realistic aspect is shown. The human figure looks realistic, but the clothing looks cartoonish. The clothing has a huge, bold outline. The "shading" used is a dark gray/blue that follows the contours of the clothes. Xieyi, or loose brushwork, is used. The garments are much larger than the figure, they envelope him. He is a literary figure and scholar. Portraits weren't usually made of young men, but instead, old scholars.

Shen Zhou, Lofty Lu Mountains, in the Manner of Wang Meng, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper. Wang Meng is a Yuan Dynasty artist. Zhou usually has one figure and it is recognizable. He recreates twisting, turning mountains, in the style of Ni Zen. Zhou did not add people, which Ni Xen did, which gives it a mire lonely quality. He looks to other literati artists.

Xu Beihong, Four Horses, Republican Era, 1912-1949

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper. Xeishi, or realism in painting, is depicted. Xin gouhua, or the new national painting style, advocated for realism. He painted realistic anatomy, and added chiaroscuro. He integrated a variety of developed styles into his work. This new expressive style, and light and shadow to show depth, are used. Outlines are still used, though. Foreshortening.

Guo Xi, Early Spring, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Hanging scroll, ink on silk. Guo Xi made his landscapes to be hung in palaces so scholars and royalty could view the landscape as a leisure activity, since court members could rarely go outside. There is a subtle sense of movement with the water flowing, mists, and waterfalls, which are places in a cyclical movement. People are a very small part of the landscape. Pine trees are present, which is a symbol of scholars, since they don't lose leaves and hold their color, or virtue.

Ma Yuan, Banquet by a Lantern Light, Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279

Hanging scroll. It includes a poem that recognizes the empress's family. The imperial family is not shown, but maybe they are the viewers. Dancers welcome the royal family.

Huang Quan, Study of Birds and Insects, Five Dynasties Period, 907-960 A.D.

He gives the painting to one of his sons so he can study it and learn how to paint. The texture of the details are shown through the feathers. Each figure is independent of the others. Looks like a page from a scientific journal.

Att. to Wang Xizhi, Ritual to Pray for Good Harvest, Six Dynasties Period, 265-589 A.D.

He is known for his calligraphy, but none of his works survived, but there are tracings of his letters that come from letters he wrote to his friends. This calligraphy piece is written to a friend about ritual. There are a mixture of calligraphy styles shown; the middle looks to be cursive, while the outside is semi-cursive. Cursive style is quick, expressive, and is an abbreviated clerical script. Semi-cursive uses the legibility of standard script with the speed of cursive script.

Att. Zhou Fang, Court Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.

Ink and pigments on silk. This is an example of a court style of painting, which is an elaborate style that shows success, fanciness, and money. It is believed to be a depiction of the flower morning, in which ladies of the court would make flowers and put them all over the palace and themselves. The ladies are dressed in layers of garments with central Asian patterns, which shows an exchange of ideas. Gold leaf was applied to hair pieces. Cosmopolitan ides are shown. "Mouths like plum blossoms and brows like moths wings." A magnolia tree about to bloom is shown, and a woman has a butterfly in her hand, which is an aspect of flower festivals: "receiving favor according to a butterfly."

Fan Kuan, Traveling Among Mountains and Streams, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Ink on silk, hanging scroll. This is a monumental landscape. Artists painted landscapes to allow others to experience and observe landscapes. A multiple perspective viewpoint is used. Dark ink is used to show cracks, creases, and deep rock forms. A raindrop brushstroke is used, which is dropped on, then it slides down. The travelers are very small.

Juran, Buddhist Retreat by Streams and Mountains, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

Ink on silk. S-shaped mountains, grouping of rocks, dotted foliage, hemp fiber brushstroke technique (long, slightly wavy strokes), clear outlines, filling in texture strokes, clear details, elongated strokes. Tripartite composition.

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and Rong Qiqi, from a tomb near Nanjing, Six Dynasties Period, 265-589 A.D.

Ink rubbing of a molded brick relief mural. The Seven Sages are men of the 7th century, a time of political upheaval, who chose to spend time in seclusion. The lower panel is simplistic clothing and there is more detail in the top. The upper is not interacting at all, while the lower is interacting a bit through shared objects. The upper is stiff and upright, while the lower is relaxed. Different types of trees are depicted, which is common in Chinese landscape painting, as well as being scholarly: ginco, willow, etc.

Xu Bing, Book from the Sky, Contemporary, 1979-Present

Installation of hand-printed books and ceiling and wall scrolls printed from wood letterpress type. This shows the difference between written and spoken Chinese. 4,000 woodblock characters were made and printed onto paper. The Chinese language kept changing during the Cultural Revolution, which changed the way it was written to make it something much more simplified. It shows respect to the written Chinese language. The books on the bottom are old, traditional books, and the top ones are similar to Red Guard books. It was criticized at the time for being meaningless because neither Chinese nor non-Chinese speakers could read it (since it was an older version of Chinese writing).

Gu Wenda, United Nations-New York, Contemporary, 1979-Present

Installation, hair, mixed media. A fake language was created using a combination of four different languages: Hindi, first Chinese script, English, and Arabic. This allows any person, no matter what they speak, not be able to understand, but they want to understand. It is a depiction of the Babel tower, since nobody can understand anything. Someone may assume they can not read it because it is Chinese, but a Chinese-speaker could not read it either. Human hair was collected from all over and used to create the characters.

Xu Bing, Ghosts Pounding the Wall, Contemporary, 1979-Present

Mixed media installation. Ink rubbings of the Great Wall of China. Workers pound on the wall while they are getting the rubbings. It shows how slaves were used to build the wall, but he is "deconstructing" it.

Chen Cheng-po, My Family, Taiwan Japanese Colonial Period, 1895-1945

Oil on canvas. Similar to Van Gogh's Potato Eaters. Shadows are used. A sense of tension, anxiety, and unhappiness are shown on the faces of the people. His family came with him from Taiwan to Shanghai. They are wearing thick, winter clothing, since they moved from tropical Taiwan. They were forced to move back to Taiwan because of a war between Japan and China. Chen has a proletariat journal in front of him. The characters on the journal had to be covered when this painting was shown. Diego Rivera was in the journal, and Chen's work resembles Rivera's.

Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan, Cultural Revolution, 1966-76

Oil on canvas. These were created for the exhibit Mao Zedong's Thought Illuminates the Anyuan Worker's Movement. The paintings were meant to discredit Liu Shaoqi. It is part of revisionist history. Mao led this revolution- what the image depicts. He became well known after the painting. Mao looks super larger, since he is on top of mountains, on top of the world, coming from the heavens. Maoist cult, since he is being shown as if he is a religious figure.

Xu Beihong, Tian Heng and His 500 Retainers, Republican Era, 1912-1949

Oil on canvas. This is a history painting. It is greatly influenced by Western painting. Many colors are used, and there is nothing left blank, which is done in ink wash, but oil is used to cover the whole canvas. A light source is coming from the upper right. The painting is highly narrative and tells a story of something specific, rather than an overarching idea. We stand together, united, heroic story. It is emotional.

Ni Zan, The Rongxi Studio, Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368

One of the 4 masters of the Yuan Dynasty. He focused on his art being clean, which led to much white space with some ink. He also painted many similar subjects, so it looked like the same landscape. This piece was painted first, then given to a friend. The friend asked him later to put a poem on it so he could gift it. The poem mentions going back to a home town, because a Yimin thinks about what they miss. There is a lack of human figures, and he rarely depicts buildings. This painting has an empty pavilion.

Zhao Mengfu, Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains, Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368

Perspective is not being used correctly here, as nothing is painted to scale. There is a blue/green style that comes from the Tang period. Mengfu drew from memory to gift to a friend. He was trying to depict the view of traveling through and experiencing a landscape.

Dish with Scene of the Baptism of Christ, Yongzheng Period, 1723-1735.

Porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze. Chinese architecture, as well as non-Chinese imagery, such as Christianity images, were depicted. Jesus is being baptized and sees god as a dove. Ginko trees were used, which is similar to other Chinese landscape paintings, as well as many other trees. Mathew 3:16 is an inscription used. Artists would recreate images they would see in Bibles and pamphlets.

Dish, Blue and White ware, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644

Porcelain with underglaze decoration. Using underglaze allowed bright colors to come out. Underglaze was applied first, then the pigment, then it would be fired.

Zhu Da, Anwan Album, Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912

The birds look like they are only standing on one leg, balancing on a rock. On leaf 3, it is depicting a hope that the Ming Dynasty will return. The eyes of the bird look fearful and uncertain, as if there is a powerful presence looming over. The brushstrokes for the bodies contrast with the details.

Rue/Ju Ware Bowl in the Shape of a Lotus, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1126

The bowls represent purity. The vessel would be filled with hot water and another vessel would be placed in it to heat an object. The light crackle affect, when it was first created, was accidental at first, but became purposeful.

Zhao Mengfu, Sheep and Goat, Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368

The spirit resonance of the figures are displayed, which recalls back to old masters. The story of the painting is that a guy says no to working for the Yuan Dynasty government and is then turned into a sheep. The sheep looks proud, while the other person, the goat who hangs his head, decides to work for the government. The goat uses a dry brushstroke to create the textured fur. The sheep uses a more dripped-on, wet brushstroke. In the sheep, the edges are not outlined, so you don't see the brush being applied, but instead see the ink being applied. The sheep almost looks distorted because of the angle and shape. The circular shape of the sheep to the goat shows the cycle of working for the government, then leaving, then back again.

Att. to Gu Kaizhi, Admonitions of the Instructress to the Ladies of the Palace, Six Dynasties Period, 265-589 A.D.

This scroll depicts filial piety and shows how ladies of the palace should act. The scroll uses champagne-glass-like female forms. A gossamer brushstroke is thin, airy, but has strength. In scene two of the scroll, Lady Ban is invited to go with the emperor on his travels, but she knows she will distract him, so she does not go out of respect for the state. There is direct eye contact with Lady Ban and the emperor; the emperor shows sadness and longing, while Lady Ban looks indifferent because she is putting her feelings behind her. The carriage is 3D and you can see inside of it. Scene three has a sun and moon with a rabbit and crow, like the funerary banner. Daoist ideas of "qi," or spirit are shown through mountains and cloud forms. "Tense spring" is being described by the text and the "scared pheasant" flies away. Archer is in the bottom possibly shooting birds, but he is larger than the whole scene. Scene four shows how people know how to adorn their face, but not their character. It shows ladies of the court adorning themselves. There is a lady looking in the mirror adorning herself, and we can not see her, but we see her reflection, which tells us to look at our own character. Section five is the bedroom scene saying "even your bedfellow will distrust you." Roof looks deformed, corners don't match up, and it looks like the artist did not know how to render space. The two figures are far apart and they are making eye contact, but not interacting. The last scene is the instructress, who is writing things down and is believed to be who is writing the story. The stories are written from her point of view. If a lady was given a red rube, she could write down problems/errors with the ladies of the court. Confucian ideals make a woman beautiful.

Li Tang, Whispering Pines in the Mountains, Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279

Water, mountain, and mist are the main components of the painting. There is a distinct cloud that could be resembling mist. Texture strokes are used. An ax-cut brush stroke is being used, which are sharp strokes, making it angular. Tripartite composition. There are no human figures, which does not show a relationship between human and nature.