Chinese Art

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Chinese Art
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Buddhism

• Religion and Philosophy began 6th and 4th
  century BCE.
• Based on teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, an
  Indian prince.
• Siddhartha abandoned life of luxury for knowledge
  and enlightenment.
• When he reached Enlightenment/Nirvana, he becomes
  known as the Buddha ("the awakened one").
• Different branches of Buddhism -Theravada ("The
  School of the Elders and oldest surviving
  branch) and Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle").

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Buddhism (Cont.)

• Karma is the force that drives Sa?sara, the cycle
  of suffering and rebirth for each being. Good,
  skillful deeds and bad, unskillful actions
  produce "seeds" in the mind which result in
  consequences either in this life or in a
  subsequent rebirth.
• Rebirth refers to a process where beings live a
  succession of lifetimes as one of many possible
  forms of life, each running from birth to death.

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Buddhist Concepts

• Four Noble Truths
• Life leads to suffering/uneasiness (dukkha) in
  one way or another.
• Suffering is caused by craving.
• Suffering ends when craving ends. Eliminating
  delusion will result in reaching a liberated
  state of Enlightenment (bodhi).
• Reaching this liberated state is achieved by
  following the path (Eightfold Path) laid out by
  the Buddha basically right living, attitudes,
  and meditations

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Taoism

• Tao path or way
• Taoism emphasizes the Three Jewels of the Tao
  compassion, moderation, and humility.
• Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, the
  relationship between humanity and the cosmos.
• Harmony with the Universe
• Balance between opposing forces (yin-yang)

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Confucianism

• Developed from the teachings of the philosopher
  Confucius
• The cultivation of virtue and the development of
  moral perfection
• Golden Rule "do not do unto others what you
  would not have them do unto you."

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Confucianism (Cont.)

• Social harmony
• "Filial piety is among one of the greatest
  virtues. Filial characterizes the respect that
  a child should show to his/her parents.
• Loyalty was considered one of the greater human
  virtues. Loyalty to one's family came first, then
  to one's spouse, then to one's ruler, and lastly
  to one's friends.

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Chinese PaintingsGu Kaizhi

• Gu Kaizhi is a notable painter of ancient China
  born in Wuxi.
• He wrote three books on painting theory.
• The three books were named, On Painting,
  Introduction of famous paintings of Wei and Jin
  Dynasties, and Painting Yuntai Mountain.
• Three of Kaizhis paintings are still intact.
  Their names are, Admonitions of the
  Instructstress to the Court Ladies.", "Nymph of
  the Luo Riverand "Wise and Benevolent Women".

Gu Kaizhis painting, Admonitions Scroll
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Calligraphy

• In ancient China just like painting, Calligraphy
  was one of the most appreciated works of art.
• Amateurs, school officials, and aristocrats had
  the leisure to perfect the technique and
  sensibility necessary for great brushwork.
• The equipment for painting Calligraphy are a
  brush pen, made of animal hair, and black inks,
  made from pine soot and animal glue.
• Writing and painting was originally done on silk,
  but with the invention of paper in the 1st
  century, silk was quickly replaced.
• Wang Xizhi was a renowned Chinese Calligrapher in
  the 4th century AD. His most famous work of art
  is the Lanting Xu, which is the preface for a
  collection of poems written by numerous poets.

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Tang Dynasty (618-907)

• In the Tang Dynasty, the primary subject matter
  of paintings was landscape. This was known as
  Shanshui painting.
• In these paintings the purpose was to grasp an
  emotion or atmosphere so as to catch the feeling
  of nature.
• Painting in this traditional style is done with a
  brush dipped in black or colored ink.  The
  finished work is then mounted on scrolls, which
  can be hung or rolled up
• Dong Yuan was an excellent painter in the
  Southern Tang Kingdom.
• He was recognized for his figure and landscape
  paintings, and his graceful style became the
  standard for brush painting in China over the
  next 900 years.
• He studied the styles of Li Sixun and Wang Wei,
  but added a number of techniques,  including more
  sophisticated perspective, use of pointillism and
  crosshatching to build up vivid effect.

Mountain Hall by Dong Yuan
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Song Dynasty (960-1279)

• In the Song Dynasty more restrained expression
  appeared vast distances were conveyed through
  the use of blurred outlines, mountain contours
  were vanishing into the mist, and impressionistic
  behavior of natural phenomena. 
• Paintings emphasized the spiritual qualities of
  the painting and the artists ability to expose
  the inner harmony of man and nature as perceived
  according to the Taoist and Buddhist concepts.
• Liang Kai was a Chinese painter who lived during
  the Song Dynasty. He referred to himself as
  "Madman Liang," and spent his entire life
  drinking and painting.  Eventually Liang retired
  and became a Zen monk and is recognized with
  inventing the Zen school of Chinese art.
• Wen Tong was another important figure in the Song
  Dynasty. Tong was famous for his ink paintings of
  bamboo. He was so impressive at painting bamboo
  that he could hold two brushes in one hand and
  paint two different distanced bamboos
  simultaneously.

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Yuang and Min Dynasty

• Yuang Dynasty-
• Wang Meng was a prominent painter in the Yuan
  Dynasty and was known for his well known work
  the Forest Grotto.
• Zhao Mengfu was a Chinese scholar, painter and cal
  ligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty. He rejected
  the placid brushwork of his age in favor of the
  more crude style of the 8th century. This was
  considered to have been a uprising that shaped
  the modern Chinese landscape painting.
• Ming Dynasty-
• Chinese culture bloomed in the Ming Dynasty.
  There were narrative paintings, a wider range of
  color, and a busy composition.
• Illustrated manuals on the art of painting began
  to be published as the techniques of color
  printing were being perfected.
• Jieziyuan Huazhuan is a five-volume work first
  published in 1679 and has been utilized as a
  technical textbook for artists and students ever
  since.

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Chinese Architecture

• The architecture was built according to severe
  rules of design which made Chinese buildings
  follow the way of Taoism as well as other Chinese
  philosophies
• Earlier than the Shang Dynasty, around the time
  of 1500 BC, Chinese buildings looked very similar
  to Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City
  (Beijing, 1450 AD). Long pillars and curved roofs
  were distinguishable. Palaces of Qin Dynasty and
  Chou Dynasty, continued in this style

Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City (Beijing,
1450 AD)
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Chinese Architecture Continued

• The Chinese architecture altered throughout the
  Han dynasty around 200s B.C, when Buddhism came
  to China
• The Buddhists who settled in China built Pagodas
  for sacred things
• Around the Tang (500 AD) and Sung dynasty (1000
  AD) Pagodas began to become fancier as well as
  thinner with tall spires in order to make them
  look taller.
• Square pagoda in Shanghai is a Buddhist pagoda,
  containing a large statue of Buddha it was a
  pilgrimage site. This type of architecture is
  closely associated with China.

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Chinese Sculpture

• Terracotta Army

• Carved during the short-lived Qin Dynasty
• in Mausoleum of First Qin Emperor Qin Shi Huang
• buried in 210-209 BC
• 7,000 terracotta figures of horses and warriors
• had paint when unearthed in 1974 pigment has
  since faded each head is unique.

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Chinese Sculpture
THE TANG DYNASTY (618-907 CE)

• Access to India, Middle East through the Silk
  Road results in Buddhist influence
• Sculpture reaches zenith time of prosperity and
  technological sophistication
• Characterized by tri-colored ceramic figurines

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Mogao Caves
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Mogao Caves

• Located in the center of Dunhuang in Gansu
  province
• It is made up of 492 temples in 25 kilometers
• The first cave was started in 366 AD
• Serves as a place for worship for Buddhists
• Buddhist monks would put scriptures from the west
  in the caves while pilgrims that came in could
  paint murals on the walls
• Murals cover 450,000 square feet
• Has some of the best Buddhist art that spans over
  1,000 years
• Caves were closed off sometime after the 11th
  century and rediscovered in the early 1900s
• First dated example of block printing
• Considered one of the three most famous ancient
  sculptural sites of China

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Yungang Grottoes
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Yungang Grottoes

• Near a city of Datong in the province Shanxi
• Constructed between 460-525 AD during the
  Northern Wei dynasty by about 40,000 people
• Grotto- a small cave or cavern
• Used for worship (Buddhist temple grottoes)
• Place of privacy for private prayer
• Composed of 53 grottoes, over 51,000 statues of
  Buddha, and over 1,000 niches
• Contains traditional Chinese art with foreign
  influence- mostly Greek and Indian
• It is carved from the side of the Wuzhou Mountain
  and extends about 1 kilometer
• Considered one of the three most famous ancient
  sculptural sites of China