Introduction to Asian Art Exam 2

King Kanishka

-120 to 62 BC

Later Medieval Period

-1200 to 1756 -Khajuraho: northern style (1000 AD)

Islamic prayer rug from the Koran

-16th century -Ottoman Empire -Commissioned by Suleyman I -"Seccades" -Small style, stylized decor -For one person -Include a depiction of a mihrab niche clearly identified by arches supported by columns -Hanging lamp -Orient towards Mecca -Usually made out of knotting wool and/or cotton on a grid of silk -Sprays of carnations, tulips, roses and other flora between columns -Panel above the arches is filled with decorative palmettos interspersed with cypress trees flanked by naturalistic blossoms -Gardens of paradise -The four buildings in the upper panel, protected by the trees and palmettos, represent heavenly pavilions, perhaps the domiciles of the souls of the righteous

Northern Dynasties

-317 to 581 AD -Northern Wei (386 to 535 AD): founded by the pastoral Tartars from Mongolia, established their capital at Datong in Shanxi Province -Emperor chose Buddhism instead of Chinese religions -More than 100 Buddhist temples in the capital -Originally, Northern Wei combined Chinese styles and Indian examples of Buddhist art -Later, the bodies became elongated, long scarves in a linear manner, with little or no sense of the bodily volumes, a mysterious smile -Northern Qi (550 to 577 AD) -Buddhism traveled to China from India along the Silk Route -Stupa replaced with Pagoda, still holds relics of Buddha, tower, brick

Maurya Period

-322 to 184 BC -Central India -Emperor Ashoka (273 to 232 BC) -Ashoka expanded influence all over the subcontinent -Horrors of war changed Ashoka --> influence through religion rather than violence -Patronage and political might of Mauryas brought institutionalization of Buddhism -Ashoka is said to have built 84,000 stupas over Buddhist relics

Kushan Period

-50 to 320 AD -Northwest India -First images of Buddha -Gandhara: northeast frontier of Kushan empire where Romano-Buddhist sculpture was made

Medieval Period

-600 to 1200 AD

Early Khmer Period

-6th to late 9th centuries AD -Preacher Ko (d.879) -Ta Keo (ca. 1000)

Mamallapuram

-7th Century AD -Pilgrimage site -"Descent of the Ganges"

Mandorla

-A body halo

Vihara

-A dwelling place for monks -Monk's cell

Kailasanatha Temple at Ellura, India View and Plan

-Achievement of sculpture rather than architecture -Composed of a court (276 feet by 154 feet) and a central tower (96 feet high) -Entrance: large stone screen separating secular from religious -Nandi Shrine, two towers, three porches, columned hall (gathering space), and the small shrine proper -5 subsidiary shrines on a second story terrace are dedicated to deities associated with Shiva -Pit: carved sides to create subsidiary shrines in walls (Shrine of Absolutions) -The Shrine of Absolutions/Shrine of the Three Rivers: representations of three sacred rivers, long series of sculptures at rear, second-story temple carved out of rock with Shiva-related reliefs and a series of reliefs of avatars of Vishnu and aspects of Shiva on the ground floor -Two-story complex to the right (once connected by a bridge to a porch): representations of Devi and the Seven Mothers, numerous smaller shrines

Nirvana

-An enlightened state -End of a cycle of rebirth -Permanent bliss -Supreme Truth or Reality

Second Angkor Period

-Angkor Thom (late 12th to early 13th century) -Sack of Angkor: 1437

"Churning of the Sea of Milk"

-Angkor Wat -Khmer period -First half of the 12th century -Stone -Most celebrated relief in temple -Vishnu saves the universe from devastation -Appears as his tortoise avatar -Gods and demons want to find the Dew of Immortality --> made a truce so they could churn the sea of milk using a serpent wrapped around the World Mountain -Mountain began to sink so Vishnu (as a tortoise) stayed beneath it -Mohini, form from sea to get them to abandon the elixirs -Vishnu credited with restoring the balance between good and evil -Silhouetted and repeated forms -Resembles to rhythmic and measured ritual dances done in Cambodia

Gandhara

-Another center of Buddhist Art during the Kushan Period ( 50 - 320 CE) -Strongly influenced byRoman sculpture because of Alexander's occupation in 4th century BC -Gandhara Buddhas: grayish schist, oval faces, long straight noses, high-arched eyebrows, Cupid's bow lips, hard and geometrical drapery, and bodies concealed by heavy robes -Gandhara Buddha from N.W. Pakistan, Gray Schist, Mahayana Buddhism, Kushan Period, 2nd century AD -Afghanistan

Japanese Periods

-Asuka Period: 552 to 645 AD -Nara Period: 645 to 794 AD

Colossal Buddha at Bamiyan

-Bamiyan, Afghanistan (pilgrimage site) -Now destroyed -Carved into cliffs, covered in plaster, and gold leaf -Between 4th and 5th century AD -Mainly rich merchants -175 feet high -Similar to Mathura Gupta Buddhas with Greco-Roman robe -Vairochana Buddha, the body of essence, eternal, universal, and supernatural

Bodhisattva

-Beings whose essence is intelligence -Achieved enlightenment and reached Nirvana, but could stay in this world to help others -This belief was one of the important innovations of Mahayana Buddhism -Literally means "Buddha-in-waiting" -Images: usually standing figures with elaborate jewels and hair ornaments, elongated earlobes

Boh Tree

-Bodhi Tree -Buddha attained enlightenment while sitting under this type of tree -Located in town of Gaya -Tree of Wisdom

Stupa

-Burial mound -House ashes of Buddha -Pilgrimage -Earthen mound symbolizing Buddha -Tombs developed into commemorative monuments -Buddhists used as the center of religious compounds and one of their main symbols -Symbol of nirvana -Also acts as a symbol for a sacred place -Mounds of rubble and brick faced with stone, covered with white stucco partly gilded -Surmounted by a three (or more) part umbrella symbolizing the three most basic aspects of Buddhism -- the Buddha himself, Buddha's Law and the Monastic Order -Center of life in monasteries, including lecture halls, kitchens, and hostels

Temple at Angkor Wat

-Cambodia (Kampuchea) -Hindu Temple and mausoleum at capital -Khmer period -First half of the 12th century -Stone -Commissioned by Surya Varman II -Dedicated to Vishnu -Built to represent Mount Meru (Vishna's abode/World Mountain) -Built to house mausoleum of Surya Varman II -Three consecutive, concentric galleries that rise towards the center and separated by paved courtyards -Highest gallery in the center: capped by a large capped tower -9 towers altogether -5000 x 4000 feet -Surrounded by moats that are 623 feet wide -Causeway over the moat paved in hard stone leading to a central portico -Very massive and very many ornamental details -Stereometry: perfect stepped pyramids -Perfect harmony of proportion -Equal sized terrace rises -Chiseled with bas-reliefs of Vaishaivite Indian myths -1600 apsaras, every corner and along temple walls

The Yakshi

-Can be traced back to Indus River Valley fertility figures -East Gateway on Great Stupa -Bracket Statue of Queen Maya -Female Hindu nature deity -Yaksha: male version

Pagoda

-Chinese/Japanese style stupa -Multi-storied tower -Wood -7th century -Horyu-ji, near Nara -Relic hall, functions like a stupa -Modeled after Chinese watchtowers to house the relics of Buddha -Stone relic container was placed under the shaft of the wood mast (a single huge tree), which supports the storied eaves and to which they are fastened by a system of bracketing -Clay statues were held inside the pagoda, depicting the Nirvana of the Buddha, responses of disciples -Shinto influences -Not open for worshipers, but for their circumambulation (like stupas)

Mathura

-City where early images of Buddha were sculpted -Regional school of Buddhist sculpture during the Gupta Period -Round faces, full lips, broad noses, transparent robe material (seemingly a combination of Mathura and Gandhara styles) -Drapery: series of regular strings hanging over the body -Standing Buddha from Mathura, Gupta Period, Mahayana Buddhism, 4th century CE, red sandstone

Yungang Buddha

-Colossal Buddha from Cave XX -Yungang in eastern China -Northern Wei Dynasty: Shanxi Province, near Datong (capital of Northern Wei) -Second half of the 5th century -Commissioned by the Northern Wei government -A monument to wipe away the former persecution of Buddhists that the emperor's grandfather initiated -Pilgrimage site -45 caves still preserved (Cave XX) -From 460 to 495 AD, 51,000 statues created -This Buddha was accompanied by a standing Bodhisattva to the left, and another one to the right (destroyed) -Many small seated Buddhas in the background -Inspired by Colossal Buddha at Bamiyan -Vairochana Buddha -Mask-like face, straight nose, Roman robe -More geometrical and simplified in hair -Large earlobes -Figure is geometrical, symmetrical, regularized, ideal in shape, perfect in form (shoulders and chest are massive), finely proportioned

Mosque at Cordoba

-Cordoba, Spain -786 AD -Expansions in 832 to 848, 961 to 976 ***8th to 10th century because of the 3 expansion periods; easy to expand because of hypostyle -Commissioned by Calip Abdar-Rahman -Hypostyle hall -Mihrab of mosque: brick, stone, gilding -Vast space: 22,250 square meters, a space larger than any known church -Place where the faithful gathered for prayer, all facing Mecca, not a home of a god or a place of liturgical worship -Emphasize the unity of the faith -Marking of the qibla, the direction to which Muslims must turn in prayer -Built by first Muslim ruler of Spain -Overlooking the courtyard is the minaret, the tower from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer five times a day -This construction consisted of adding rows of columns and integrating the existing roofing system without extensive dismantling -The Mosque at Cordoba is a flexible style of architecture

Devaraja

-Cult dedicated to the World Mountain -"God-king"

Hinduism

-Decentralized religious authority -Toleration if diversity of beliefs -Personal approach to gods -Ultimate goal: reunify with Brahman through rebirth -Personal, private devotion -Karma: law of return -Dharma: proper conduct leading to rebirth -Brahmin: priest -Moksha: complete release from the cycle of rebirth

Tamamushi Shrine

-Enclosed a sacred image -Painted wood, metal trim -Miniature of a tile-roofed temple in Chinese 6th century style -Two Jataka tales on four sides of the high base

Plan of the Horyu-ji Complex

-Entry gate: Chumon -Golden Hall: Kondo -Pagoda: stupa -Kondo and Pagoda are equidistant from entrance -Lateral movement through complex -Chinese style buildings -Stone bases -Post-and-lintel construction -Tile roof

Five Pillars of Islam

-First, one must recite the creed, "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God." -Second, one must perform the duty of worship and prayer, after ritual washing and while facing the direction of Mecca, five times a day and in the mosque on Fridays. -Third, one must abstain from food, drink and sexual activity during daylight during Ramadan, the month (ninth) when Muhammad first received revelations from God. -Fourth is the duty of almsgiving. -Fifth is the duty of hadj, a pilgrimage to Mecca which every Muslim should undertake before death.

Buddhism

-Given great influence by King Ashoka -Spread to Middle East, China, Korea, and Japan -Came to Japan in the middle of the 6th century AD -First world religion

Kondo

-Golden Hall -Original structure: 607 CE -Rebuilt: 670 CE -Horyu-ji, near Nara -Oriented to four cardinal directions -Interior taken up mostly by the platform and its cult statues -Main function: to enclose statues, forming a shrine, rather than use as an assembly hall -Another hall to the north outside the cloister is used for sermons and lectures -Main cult statue: Buddha (in a triad) -Buddha statue section is spiritual center, most lavishly embellished -Pillars and beams painted and gilded -Canopy ceiling: representing paradise or heaven -Paintings on walls (damaged in a fire in 1949), representing Buddha and the cardinal directions -Statues: terrestrial representation of Buddha's blissful realm -Figures form a mandala -At center (of cosmos figuratively): Buddha on his lotus throne -Similar to stupa as well -Group of sculptures are placed upon a raised rectangular platform in the center -Allows space on all sides for circumambulation

Ellura

-Great site for Hindu Art in Central India -Kailasanatha Temple: begun 760 AD -Southern/Dravidian style -34 Hindu and Buddhist rock-cut temples from the mid-6th to 10th centuries AD -Earliest temples: dedicated to Shiva, elaborated pillared halls leading to rear-wall shrines housing lingams -Caves: site of Buddhist worship (stupas) and then renewed worship of Shiva

Mahayana Buddhism

-Greater vehicle -Universal religion offering salvation - A new sect 500 years after death of Buddha concept of Siddartha Gautauma as Buddha; abstracted - Two schools for development of Iconic imagery - Under Kushans (50 - 320 CE) at Northern area: Gandara - Indigenous Indian style at Mathura

Chinese Dynasties

-Han Dynasty: 202 BC to 220 AD -Three Kingdoms/Six Dynasty: 220 to 589 AD -Northern Dynasties: 317 to 581 AD -Southern Dynasty: 420 to 589 AD -Sui Dynasty: 581 to 618 AD -Tang Dynasty: 618 to 906 AD

Mudra

-Hand gesture of Buddha with different meanings

Yumedono Kannon

-Housed in the Yumedono (Hall of dreams) -An octagonal building in the east compound -Kannon, the bodhisattva of mercy (Kuanyin in Chinese) -Guanyin

Close up of Shaka Triad

-Inscription on the back of the halo indicates that it was dedicated in 623 AD -To ensure that the Crown Prince Shotoku, who died the previous year, would be reborn in the Buddhist paradise -Wei style, but with a fuller face and more geometric drapery -His facial expression seems close to you but also bears a kind of mystery and remoteness

Shaka Triad

-Kondo at the Horyu-ji -Nara -Mahayana Buddhism -Asoka Period -Artist Tori Busshi -623 AD (7th CE) -Gilded bronze - Tear-drop flame shaped halo: fire death (Cremated) -Commissed by Imperial Prince Shotoku -Infinite number of Buddhas, which are all manifestations of One Absolute Buddha -Similar to prototypes from Korea, China and even India -Standing on a wood base 5'9" tall -Apsaras, the celestial beings seen on some Indian Buddha sculptures, appear on the canopy and wall paintings -Shaka: Shakyamuni

First Period of Angkor

-Late 9th to beginning of 11th century -Angkor Wat (first half of the 12th century) -Angkor: "the city" or "the capital" -75 square miles of plain, 12 kings, integration system, major building complexes

Theravada/Hinayana Buddhism

-Lesser vehicle -Aniconic -Primitive school of Buddhism -Based on a moral code

Four Noble Truths

-Life is full of suffering -Desire is the cause of this suffering -To stop suffering, one must stop desire -To stop desire, one must follow the eight-fold path

East and West Compounds of the Horyu-ji Complex

-Location: Nara, Japan -Honshu Island of Japan -Mahayana Buddhism - Date: Asuka Period -7th century AD (607 AD) -Stone, wood, plaster, tile -Patron: Prince Shotoku and Empress Suiko -Chumon: entry gate, faces south -Kondo: golden hall, to the right/east -Pagoda: stupa, to the left/west -670 AD: fire destroyed part of the compound and the Kondo and the Pagoda were arranged on the east/west axis -World's oldest extant wooden structure

Shiva Nataraja

-Lord of Dance -Hindu deity -Chola dynasty in Southern India -11th to 12th century AD -Cast bronze -Commissioned by Hindu Temple Community -Big ring: flame and fire (Shiva's great power of destruction and creation) -Lifted foot: refuge of the soul and the universal dance of the destruction and creation of the universe -Vehicle: bull called Nandi -Third eye in center of forehead and 4+ arms carrying a trident, a hunter's drum, and a small deer -Dressed in animal skins, snake scarf -Trampling a dwarf (the evil of ignorance)

"Descent of the Ganges"

-Mamallapuram, India -Hindu pilgrimage site -7th century AD -Pallava dynasty (500 to 850 AD) -Carved granite relief -Commissioned by Pallava ruler

Early Buddhism

-Maurya Dynasty of King Ashoka -Kushan Dynasty -Sunga Dynasty -3rd century BC to 2nd century AD -An-iconic: Theravada/Hinayana Buddhism -Jataka: tales of Buddha's previous life

Hypostyle Hall

-Mosque at Cordoba -Architecture that relies on closely-spaced columns for direct support of the roof -The interior "forest of columns" with red and white Moorish (North African and Spanish style) horseshoe shaped arches extending apparently endlessly in all directions is unique, although the overall plan is a traditional Muslim one -Allows easy enlargement of the building for a rapidly expanding congregation.

Mihrab of Mosque

-Mosque at Cordoba -Brick, stone, gilding -The qibla is hollowed out in one place in the form of a sacred niche or mihrab

Lingam

-Phallus -In shrines at Ellura -Symbolized Shiva's procreative energies

Kailasanatha Temple at Ellura, India

-Plan and Views -Rock-cut Hindu temple -Dedicated to Shiva -Great site for Hindu art in Central India -760 AD -Rashtrakuta Dynasty -Achievement of sculpture rather than architecture -Composed of a court 276 feet long and 154 feet wide and a central tower reaching a height of 96 feet -Patron: Krishna II (r. 757 to 783) -"Magic mountain" -Theme of Shiva's mountain abode (Mount Kailasa) -Buried a box of stones, gems, herbs, roots, metals, and soil in cell of the temple --> tying the temple to ancient fertility beliefs and emphasizing vitality of the religion

Chaitya-hall

-Sacred places for Buddhists -Karli is a Chaitya-hall -Many have attached vicars -Hall for rituals

Types of Buddhas

-Sakyamuni: historic Buddha -Probhutaratna: Buddha of the past -Maitreya: Buddha of the future -Amitahba: Buddha of the west -Guanyin: Bodhisattva of compassion and mercy, Kannon in Japanese

Buddha

-Siddhartha Gautama -Shakyamuni -562 to 483 BC -Mother: Queen Maya -Noble family -Gave up luxurious life to find cause of suffering (violent political and social change in India) -Became ascetic -At 35, sat under the Boh Tree -49th day of meditation, finally understood -Preached first sermon at Deer Park (modern Sarnath) --> "set the Wheel of Law in motion" -Followed by 60 ascetics, preaching the Buddhist dharma (doctrine)

Hindu Cosmology

-Southern: Dravidian tradition -Northern: Aryan or Vedic tradition -Bhakti: personal devotion -Three gods of Hinduism: -Brahma (the creator, four-headed) -Vishnu -Shiva -Other gods: -Krishna: avatar of Vishnu, personification of universal love, child-god -Devi:Mother goddess, consort of Shiva, goddess of death -Naga: snake deity

Stele

-Stone monument or tablet sculpted in relief

Dome of the Great Stupa

-Supported by radial walls -Arranged in the form of a mandala (diagram of the cosmos) -Pattern no visible from exterior

Shiva

-The Destroyer -Typically carries a trident, a half-skull begging bowl, and a noose -Fertility -Connection to death -Lord of Dance and Lord of the Animals

Sarnath

-The First Sermon -Gupta Dynasty ( 320 - 648 CE) -One of the styles of the Gupta Dynasty -Drapery: very smooth, without folds except for a few edges - Halo - Ushnisha: bun on the head - Urna: the eye; makes him omniscious 8 - From Sarnath, Gupta Period, Mahayana Buddhism, 5th century CE, Tan Sandstone

Vishnu

-The Preserver -10 incarnations including fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, Krishna, and Buddha -Vehicle: eagle or a snake called sesa -High crown -Four or more arms carrying a variety of weapons: a conch shell (eternal space and heavenly atmosphere) and a wheel-like discus (eternal time and the power to destroy all things)

Gupta Dynasty

-The golden dynasty of Buddhist Era -Two regional schools of Buddhist Art: Mathura and Sarnath -320 to 647 AD -Harsha -Ajanta: in northern Deccan, type-site for later Gupta Art including wall-painting (1st century BC to 9th century AD)

Illuminated page from the Koran

-Turkey -16th century AD -Commissioned by Suleyman I -Ottomans regarded calligraphy as the noblest of all the arts -Act of piety and devotion -Transcribed by Ahmed Karahisari in 953 -Illuminated in 1546-1547 -Established repertoire of decorative scrolls and cloud bands, but also his naturalistic renderings of plants

Brahman

-Universal spirit -Atman: soul, part of Brahman - Polytheistic (many dieties) with personal devotion given to select one - Braham never pictured

Islam

-Youngest among world's biggest religions -Founded by Muhammad -6th century AD -Arabia -Five Pillars of Islam -The Muslims entered Spain as a military force and lacked women; so nearly all took Spanish wives by the 700s -Islamic faith did not permit figurative representations of God or his prophets and these mosaics, like most Islamic art, are stylized -Islamic preference for linear surface decoration -The Ottoman Empire (1299-1922) -Aniconic

Establishment of Buddhism in India

300 BCE - 200 BCE - Emperor Ashoka (273 - 232 BCE) 3rd king of Maurya Dynasty

Sidhartha Guatama (The Historic Buddha)

560 BCE - 476 BCE

Aniconic Period

Early Buddhist period in India with no human depiction of Buddha - Associated with Hinayana/Theravada Buddhism (Lesser Way) - Aniconic: only symbolic representation of Buddha (his footprint only shown in the beginning)