Art of China and Japan
Figure 7-18; Travelers Among Mountains and Springs; early 11th century during Song Period
* Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 6 feet 7.25 inches by 3 feet 4.25 inches; now in National Palace Museum in Taibei *the apogee of Chinese landscape painting occurred in the Song Period *ARTIST= Fan Kuan- was a Daoist recluse (shunned cosmopolitan life) who believed that nature was a better teacher than other artists, and so he studied nature (literally looked at rocks to study natural forms- STUDIES THE EFFECTS OF SUNLIGHT AND MOONLIGHT ON NATURAL FORMS)- credited with being masters of the recording of light, shade, distance and texture *painted in the early 11th century *vertical landscape with massive mountains rising from the distance *large natural forms dwarf human and animal figures- seen by mule train in bottom right corner *7feet tall silk hanging scroll still cannot contain natures grandeur- continues in all directions beyond its borders *view is both head on (rocks on bottom) and oblique (shrubs on top) *landscape brings the viewer to moment of personal enlightenment- blending, melding, yielding *shifting perspectives lead viewer on a journey through mountain *numerous "texture strokes" help model massive forms and convey a sense of tactile surfaces *to fully appreciate, viewers must focus on the larger composition AND the intricate details including the character oaf each brush stroke which convey a sense of tactile surface
Figure 26-16; Rent Collection Courtyard; 1965 People's Republic of China
Figure 26-16 - by Ye Yushan and others - Dayi, China, 1965. - Made of clay and approx. 100 yards king with life size figures. - Yushan incorporated 114 life-size figures - grim depiction of the old times before the People's Republic - Peasants: worn and bent in toil, bring their taxes(in produce) to the courtyard of their merciless landlord. - The Message: this must never happen again. - The artists names were not published when this piece first came out, the anonymity was significant in itself. - The Second Message: only collective action could effect the transformations the People's Republic sought.
Figure 7-21; Foguang Si Pagoda; Liao Dynasty during Northern Song Period
*Yingxian, China, Liao Dynasty during Northern Song Period, 1056 *Liao built tallest wooden building in the world- 216 feet tall *nine-story octagonal pagoda (tower) *pagoda most associated with Buddhism in China and other part of east Asia- most catching eye feature of a Buddhist temple complex *somewhat resembles the tall towers of indian temples and their distant indian ancestor, the stuppa- similar in that they both house relics and provided a focus for devotion to the Buddha (later served other functions such as housing sacred images and texts_ *wooden pagodas standard in japan and the Chinese and Koreans built both stone and brick pagodas *64 giant 4 tiered bracket clusters carry the floor beams and projecting eaves of the five main stories- rest on two concentric rings of columns at each level *alternating main stories and windowless mezzanines with cantilevered balconies, set back further on each story as the tower rises, from an elevation of nine stories altogether **along with the open veranda on the ground level and the soaring pinnacle, the balconies visually lighten the building's mass
Figure 7-19; Auspiacious Cranes; Northern Song Period 1112
*attributed to Huizang- more interested in the arts than governing * he brought the country to near bankruptcy and lost many territories * He was taken prisoner in 1126 by Tartar Jin dynasty and dies several years later in their hands * He was a poet, calligrapher, and painter *He reorganized the imperial painting academy and required the study of poetry and calligraphy as part of official training and he promotes careful study of nature and classical art of earlier periods; avid art collector * Northern Song period, 1112 *Section of a handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 1' 8 1/8" by 4' 6 3/8" *now in Liaoning Provincial Museum, Shenyang *(more likely the work of court painters under his direction) but displays the emperor's style as both a calligrapher and a painter * Huizong's characters represent one of many styles of Chinese calligraphy- made up of thin strokes and meticulously aligned to form neat vertical rows **depicts cranes flying over the roods of Bianliang- masterful combination of elegant composition and realistic ovservation *black and red feathers of the white cranes are carefully recorded, and the birds depicted are from a variety of viewpoints suggesting that they were circling around the room *not chosen for interest in the anatomy or flight patterns of birds but it was a PROPAGANDA piece commemorating the appearance of 20 white cranes at the palace gates during the festival in 1112- auspicious sign, proof that heaven blessed Huizong's rule
Figure 26-9; Guan Yu Captures General Pang De; Ming Dynasty, ca 1430
- Ming dynasty, ca. 1430. - Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 6'5" X 7'7". - Palace Museum, Beijing - Represents an episode from the tumultuous third century (Period of Disunity), whose wars inspired one of the first great Chinese novels, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. - Guan Yu was a famed general of the Wei dynasty and a hero, renowned for his loyalty to the Emperor -Artist, Shang Xi, uses color to focus attention on Guan Yu and his attendants, who stand out sharply from the ink landscape -the vulnerability of the captive shows his humiliation as he has no clothes
Figure 8-12; Phoenix Hall; Heian Period; 1053
1053 CE Uji, Japan *Heian Period Most important surviving monument in Japan relating to Pure Land beliefs Pure Land Buddhism- universal salvation- facilitate spread of Buddhism to all classes of Japanese *Built by Fujiwara Yorimichi in memory of his father Michinaga on the grounds of Michinaga's summer village at Uji *Houses a wood statue of Amida carved from multiple joined block *winged form is based on Chinese palaces and evokes images of the Buddha's palace in his Pure Land *By placing only light pillars on the exterior, elevating the wings, and and situating the whole on a reflective pond, it suggests the floating weightlessness of a celestial architecture *suggests celestial architecture *the name derives from the overall shape and from the 2 bronze phoenixes decorating the ridgepole ends *in Eastern Asia, these birds were believed to alight on lands properly rules
Figure 8-5; Ise Shrine; Kofun Period
330-552 CE *Amaterasu's Ancient Shrine *Amaterasu= sun goddess; greatest Shinto Monument Mie Prefecture, Japan As rebuilt in 1993 Many clans (groups that shared an ancestor, basic societal unit) Each clan had protector (kami) who they prayed to *Shinto Characteristics: sacred space, ritual renewal, purification, related to agrarian life, prayers for planting and harvests *Kami- spiritual being; imperial family traced its origins to Amaterasu- believed to be her residence *b/c of Ise connection to royal family, the design may not be used again *design based on granaries before Buddhism *wood fitted together in mortise and tenon system *roof originally of thatch, now cypress bark Built shrines made up of several buildings like this one Priests made offerings of grains and fruit and prayed on behalf of the clan Visitors to the shrine had to wash before entering- spiritual and physical cleansing was very important *rebuilding every 20 years to rid sacred site of impurities (spiritual and physical) that may have accumulated- during the rebuilding, the old structure remains standing until carpenters build an exact replica next to it *generations were trained to build by those who came before * Ridge pole is long horizontal beam on top *Purity was so important that people would abandon buildings/ settlements if negative events, such as poor harvest, occurred=indication of spiritual defilement
Figure 7-5; Terracotta Warriors; Qin Dynasty (ca 210 BCE)
Army of the First Emperor of Qin in pits next to his burial mound, Lington, China, Qin Dynasty, ca. 210 BCE, painted terracotta, average figure 5 foot 10 7/8 inches high; the ruler conscripted many thousands of laborers and had the tomb filled with treasure (continued after his death); mound itself remains unexcavated; believed to contain a vast underground funerary palace designed to match the fabulous palace the emperor occupied in life/ THOUGHT TO BE A REPLICA OF HIS PALACE; pits around the tombs filled with more than 7000 life- sized painted terracotta figures of soldiers and horses as well as bronze horses and chariots- they served as the immortal imperial body guard deployed in trenches outside the First Emperor's tomb; terracotta army COMPOSED OFCAVALRY, CHARIOTS, ARCHERS, LANCERS, AND HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTERS- one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century; this BECAME A MODEL for many other tombs; this huge assemblage shows the high level of organization that the Qin imperial workshop had- ***took HUGE NUMBERS OF sculptors, painters, and huge kilns; SAME MOLDS USED BUT IN DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS- stances, arm positions, garment folds, equipment, coiffures, and facial features vary from statue statue; additional hand modeling allowed for more variety; painters added more variety and these efforts RESULTED IN A BRILLIANT BALANCE OF UNIFORMITY AND INDIVIDUALITY/ QIN ERA BELIEVED IN A DUAL SOUL- ON PART WENT TO HEAVEN; THE OTHER REMAINED IN THE TOMB/ PROTECTED BY 7000 LIFE SIZED WARRIORS IN VARYING POSES AND FEATURES- THOUGHT TO BE PORTRAITS/ CERAMIC FIGURES HAS BECOME IMPORTANT SINCE THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD- THEY NOW REPLACED HUMAN SACRIFICE OF SERVANTS TO ATTEN THE EMPEROR IN AFTERLIFE/ Shi Huangdi's tomb in the Shaanxi Province- still being excavated since 1974; hair styles tell the rank of the figures
Figure 27-11; Evening Bell at the Clock; 1765; EDO Period
Figure 27-11 is by Suzuki Harunobu. • woodblock print • 1765 • from a series called Eight Views of the Parlor • drawn from a Chinese series called Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers which includes different images from a particular time of day or year • features beautiful young women and the activities that occupy their daily lives as the subject • one woman appears to be drying herself while the other is facing the chiming clock (artist transformed the great temple bell from the Chinese series into a modern Japanese clock) • incorporates refined techniques characteristic of nishiki-e • Nishiki-e: "brocade pictures", Japanese polychrome woodblock prints valued for their sumptuous colors • flatness of depicted objects and the rich color recall traditions of court painting -in this time, there was an increase in pleasure houses, e.g. brothel districts -rapid developments in printing industry led to availability of numerous books and printed images *these could convey the city's delight for a fraction of the cost of a painting -ukiyo-e="pictures of the floating world"-the term originated with Buddhism and the transience of human life- during the EDO period the term came to be associated with the constantly changing nature of the temporal world of sensual pleasures and entertainment *Harunobu played a key role in developing multi-colored prints: called nishiki-e (brocade pictures) b/c of brilliant color, high quality paper, and costly pigments
Figure 27-12; The Great Wave of Kanagawa; 1826-1833; EDO Period
Figure 27-12 Katsushika Hokusai • woodblock print *woodblock prints were a great medium for experimentation *often artist used both traditional and modern subjects, combining Eastern and Western ideals • subject is landscape (landscape subject emerged in the late 18th century) • artists often used Western perspective techniques when creating landscapes • print belongs to series called Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji • huge foreground wave dwarfs the artist's representation of distant Fuji • contrast in size and whitecaps' ominous fingers magnify wave's threatening aspect • men in the trading boats bend low to dig oars against the rough sea and drive their long low vessels past danger • engages Japanese pictorial tradition by placing wave's traditionally flat and powerfully graphic forms in the foreground • low horizon typical of Western painting
Figure 27-13; Oiran (Grand Courtesan); Meiji Period (1872)
Figure 27-13 by Takahashi Yuichi • 1872 • oil painting (became major genre in Japan in the late 19th century) • artist created it for a client nostalgic for vanishing elements of Japanese cultures • Ukiyo-e printmakers frequently represented such grand courtesans of the pleasure quarters • artist did not portray the courtesan's features in the idealizing manner of ukiyo-e artists but in the more analytical manner of Western portraiture • the painter's more abstract rendering of the garments reflects a very old practice in East Asian portraiture •ukiyo-e: "pictures of the floating world" A style of Japanese genre painting that influenced 19th-century Western art. *Teachers at the Japanese arts university wanted to make Japancese painting viable in the modern age rather that preserved as a relic, so they encouraged incorporating some Western techniques such as chiaroscuro, perspective, and bright hues-> the resulting style was called nihonga
Figure 7-25; Chan Patriarch Chopping Bamboo; Southern Song Era; early 13th century
Figure 7-25 - Liang Kai, Southern Song period, early 13th century. - Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 2'5 1/4" high. - In the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo - Chan (Zen) Buddhism that stressed the quest for personal enlightenment through meditation, flourished under the Song Dynasty. - Liang Kai was a master of an abbreviated, expressive style of ink painting that found great favor among Chan monks in China, Korea, and Japan. - Kai served in the painting academy of the imperial court in Hangzhou - His early works included poetic landscapes typical of the Southern Song. Later in his life he left the court and concentrated on figure painting, including Chan subjects -Here, in Chan thought, such mundane tasks has the potential to become a spiritual exercise -Here, the sound of the blase striking the bamboo resonates within his spiritually attuned mind to enlightenment -wide variety of brushstrokes: most pale and wet from patriarch's beard to tree -darker stokes are on the vine growing around the tree and his clothing -the quick execution of the piece= painter's enlightenment
Figure 8-17; Amida Descending Over the Mountains; Kamakura Period; 13th century
Kamakura Period, 13th century Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk Amida- when called upon, brought believers to the Pure Land at the moment of death Gigantic Amida appears to move directly toward the viewer His two main attendant bodhisattvas have already made the passage Grand frontal presentation of Amida gives the painting an iconic quality Amira's halo resembles a rising moon, an image long admired in Japan for its spiritual beauty *New Buddhist prayer since human nature was weak and could not attain the Divine in this life, it was dependent on the mercy of the Amida Buddha and his emanation; only rare individuals could do it alone *single prayer to the Amida ("immeasurable light") could draw the soul into his world of purity *prayer called "the easier path"- and images were softened by the spirit of femininity; no more stately Buddhas or fierce representations of Shiva-like Destroyer of Earthly Passion *Japanese painting from the 10th century forward begins to be characterized by predominant use of gold- yellow light must permeate regions of the Amida (similar to European medieval painting) *appeals to all levels of society, even peasants *elite patrons continued to commission major Pure Land artworks *Amida brought believers to Pure Land at time of death *pictures of this scene often hung in presence of a dying person who recited his name to ensure salvation *gigantic Amida appears to move directly toward the viewer
Figure 8-4 Haniwa; Late Kofun Period; 400-550
Warrior figure from Gunma Prefecture, Japan Late Kofun period Fifth to mid sixth century *Low-fired clay *Cf. Chinese terracotta warriors *look deceptively simple due to cylindrical shape *emblazoned with applied ornaments, varied forms, then painted *number of figures=status of deceased; Emperor Nintoku had 20,000 *4'1.25" high Aikawa Archaeological Museum, Aikawa *Haniwa- unglazed ceramic sculptures that were placed on and around grave pit mounds *Not military guards, but spiritual barriers protecting the living and the dead from contamination
