asian art and culture - china mkdh

Zhao Mengfu

(1254-1322 C.E.) Traditionalist master of Chinese calligraphy and painting. He gave up his loyalist reclusion and rose high in the ranks of the Yuan government. However, he was ranked by later Chinese scholars and critics as one of the greatest painters and calligraphers. Although some of his work exhibits a conservative style, there are other pictures that reveal a more original intent. The "flying white" brush stroke and the wen ren style are particularly associated with him. This can be seen in his Autumn Colors on the Qiao and the Hua mountains.

Huang Gongwang

(1269-1354) One of the "4 great masters" of the Yuan Dynasty (painters). Styles: 1- use of purple 2- black ink. "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains"

Wu Zhen

(1280-1354) One of the "4 great masters" of the Yuan Dynasty (painters). Styles: Wu's lines are smooth, curved and flowing-brings abstract style and brushwork to landscape. "The Central Mountain"

Ni Zan

(1301-1374) One of the "4 great masters" of the Yuan Dynasty (painters). Styles: ink-monochrome painting of widely separated riverbanks w/ sketch brushwork and foreground trees silhouetted against the expanse of water. "The Rongxi Studio"

Wang Meng

(1308 - 1385) One of the "4 great masters" of the Yuan Dynasty (painters). Styles: his ropy brushstrokes piled one on the other to produce masses of texture combined in dense and involved patterns. "Writing Books under the Pine Trees"

Zhou Dynasty

1046-256 BCE Bronze

Southern Song Dynasty

1127-1279 CE

Yuan Dynasty

1271-1368 CE

Ming Dynasty

1368-1644 CE

Shang Dynasty

1600-1046 BCE Jade and Bronze

Qing Dynasty

1644-1911 CE

Han Dynasty

206 BCE-220 CE

Six Dynasties

220-581 CE

Qin Dynasty

221-206 BCE

Bronze Age

3000-700 BCE

Sui Dynasty

581-618 CE

Tang Dynasty

618-907 CE

Five Dynasties (Wu Dai)

907-960 CE

Northern Song Dynasty

960-1127 CE

Mongols

A people of this name is mentioned as early as the records of the Tang Empire, living as nomads in northern Eurasia. After 1206 they established an enormous empire under Genghis Khan, linking western and eastern Eurasia.

lacquer

A substance that hardens to form a smooth, hard, protective coating or varnish and makes objects waterproof and heat resistant.

dragon

In ancient China, what creature symbolized goodness and strength?

celadon

The Western name for a type of glaze first used in China on stoneware and porcelain in an attempt to imitate the color and texture of jade. Its colors range from shades of green to gray-green tones.

pagoda

an Asian temple-originally burial sites; evolved as the principal worship area of Buddhist temples

calligraphy

artistic form of writing used by the Chinese

literati

collectively, the educated, or well-lettered, members of society; scholarly people

taotie motif

commonly found on ritual bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasty. looks like a face

Jade

either of two minerals, jadeite or nephrite, sometimes green, highly esteemed as an ornamental stone for carvings, jewelry, etc.

handscroll

in Asian art, a horizontal painted scroll that is unrolled to the left and often used to present illustrated religious texts or landscapes. Size intended for individual use. Eg: Detail of Ladies preparing newly woven silk.

hanging scroll

in asian art, a vertical scroll hung on a wall with pictures mounted or painted directly on it

bi disks

jade disks carved in ancient China as ritual objects for burial with the dead. Often decorated with piercings and surface carvings

cire-perdue method

making multiple molds, eventually casting life size in bronze. Stages: 1) object is modeled in wax 2) wax model is covered with clay 3) clay is heated so that the wax melts away. 4) molten bronze is hoard into hollow clay mold 5) when cooled, clay is broken away

Daoism

philosophical system developed by of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events

bihua

strokes of a Chinese characters (mural)

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

Confucianism

the teachings of Confucius emphasizing love for humanity

porcelain

the type of ceramics fired at the highest temperature that becomes virtually translucent and extremely glossy in finish. Invented in China

Neolithic

~3000 BCE