1

INDIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

ART 102 Gardners - Chapter 25 and 26Jean ThobabenInstructor

The Art of South and Southeast AsiaThe Art of South and Southeast AsiaThe Art of China and Korea The Art of China and Korea

BURMA Asian ArtAsian Art

The Art of Thailand

Art of India

An introduction to Later Asian Art

CHINACHINA

KOREA

Spirituality and Power:Spirituality and Power:• In later periods, Indian and Southeast Asian peoples experienced various cultural, political, and artistic changes. • In India, Buddhism neared extinction, Islam grew, and Hinduism maintained popularity while politically in retreat. • The British were present in India from the sixteenth century until 1947.• In Southeast Asia, there were also major shifts in the wielding of political power and in religious affiliations.• Thai, Vietnamese, and Burmese expansions led to the cultural, political, and artistic transformation of mainland Southeast Asia.

3

India• India is the home of the Hindu, Buddhism and Jain

religions. • As Buddhism spread to East Asia, Indian iconography

and styles of art also had a profound impact on those culture.

• Muslim traders and merchants began arriving in India through the Northwest mountain passes as early as the 8th century, but it was not until the 12th century that Muslim rulers, backed by armies, gained control of India.

4

Hindu Art and HinduismHindu Art and Hinduism• Hinduism originated in northern India and

spread to the south and later to the mainland of Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

• The religion has no founder but developed over a period of centuries out of India's various pantheistic cults.

• Nor is it based on a single text. • There are countless writings, tales, myths

and legends.

India, Tamil Nadu, Standing Parvati, Chola period (880-1279), c. first quarter of the 10th century, copper alloy, height 27 3/8 inches (69.5 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.

5

• One key feature of Hinduism is the notion that all living beings form part of an eternal cycle of reincarnations from which humanity can only break free with immense effort.

• The existence of the world is also seen as part of this cycle. Creation came about, it exists and it will once more be destroyed.

• In the course of time a new world era will dawn again. This process continues throughout eternity.

India or Bangladesh, West Bengal, The Goddess Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon, Mahisha , Pala period (c. 750-1200), 12th century, mudstone, height 5 5/16 inches (13.5 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.

The multiple arms are a popular convention in Hindu art.

Each arm holds a different attribute related to the diety.

6

• Three gods are central in Hinduism: Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu.

• They form a divine trinity. Of these, it is Vishnu who preserves creation and Shiva who is the destroyer.

• The Hindu divinities are worshipped both in temples and in the home.

India, c. 950, Siva as the Lord of Dance (Nataraja), copper alloy, 30 x 22 1/2 x 7 inches Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

7

• The youthful Krishna--an incarnation of the supreme Hindu god Vishnu--is shown dancing, as he did after being attacked by the serpent Kaliya, whom he subdued without a struggle.

• This image was made to be carried in processions on festival days in southern India.

Krishna, India, Tamil Nadu, Chola dynasty, late tenth centuryBronze, height 14 1/8 insWalters Art Gallery

8

An ancient god whose authority was derived from the Vedas (the scriptures of the ancient Aryans), Brahma retained his importance as the creator in Hinduism, although no cult comparable in size to those of Vishnu and Shiva developed around him. Brahma, 10th century A.D.

Granite with traces of gesso and red pigment, Worcester Art Museum

Looking at the four directions, the four faces of Brahma symbolize the four Vedas as well as the cardinal points of the compass.

Two of the image's four original arms are now lost. The missing upper hand probably made the gesture of reassurance, while the lower one held a lotus.

The upper left hand holds and counts a rosary; the lower left, now empty, may have held a pot containing the water from which the universe was created.

9

• The Hindu god of auspiciousness, Ganesha is popularly accepted as the first son of Shiva and Parvati.

• As the deity who controls obstacles—their invention and removal—he is worshiped before any serious undertaking.

• This seated four-armed Ganesha holds one of his tusks, two entwined snakes, an elephant goad, and a box of sweets, which he tastes with his trunk.

• The broken tusk in his lower left hand is a reference to another well-known tale in which the portly Ganesha hurls a tusk at the moon in retaliation for its amusement at witnessing his stomach burst from overeating.

Seated Ganesha, 14th–15th century, Orissa, India, Ivory; H. 7 1/4 in x W. 4 3/4 in. Metropolitan Museum if Art, NY

10

• A Hindu temple was often envisioned as the world's central axis, in the form of a mountain inhabited by a god. The temple itself was therefore worshiped.

• This was done by circumambulation,walking around the exterior, and by viewing its small inner sanctum.

• The outside of the temple was usually covered with myriad reliefs

• From early times iconic representations of deities and holy figures were augmented by auspicious images, such as beautiful women, musicians, and loving couples (mithunas)

• Couples such as this pair are understood to have multiple meanings, ranging from an obvious celebration of life's pleasures to the more metaphorical symbolism of a human soul's longing for union with the divine.

Loving couple (mithuna), Eastern Ganga dynasty, 13th century, Orissa, India, Ferruginous stone; H. 72 in.,Metropolitan Museum.

11

• Hidimba Devi temple stands in the midst of a sacred cedar forest near the town of Dunghri at the verdant foot of the Himalaya mountains.

• The sanctuary is built over an enormous rock that juts out of the ground, worshipped as a manefestation of Durga, the "Hill Mother" or goddess of the earth.

• The temple was constructed in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh.

• The Hidimba Devi temple is 24 meters tall and consists of three square roofs clad in timber tiles, surmounted by a cone-shaped fourth roof that is covered in brass.

• The interior of the temple is occupied by the large rock and contains no usuable space except for the ground floor.

• The base of the temple is made of whitewashed mud-covered stonework. The main doorway includes an elaborately carved wooden entrance that is believed to be over 400 years old.

Hidimba Devi Temple (1553 and later)

12

13

• The Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya is located on the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment.

• The temple's principle relic is a distant descendant of the Bo tree under which the Buddha sat when his enlightenment took place.

• The site, having been sacred to Buddhists since the earliest days of the faith, is of unknown antiquity.

• Elements of the temple date from the 3rd century BC.

• The enormous central tower (55 m tall) is a 19th century renovation faithful to the earlier towers that existed on the site.

• The tower comprises numerous horizontal bands of moldings and arch motifs that extend upward to an amalaka topped by umbrella-shaped forms, recalling the umbrella motifs found at Buddhist stupas.

14

• The Hindu Nayak rulers in south India during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries oversaw construction of some of the largest temple complexes in India.

• The builders expanded the temples outward by erecting ever-larger enclosure walls with monumental gopuras.

• Late temples also typically include numerous large mandapas and great water tanks.

• Such temples continue to sponsor many yearly festivals, attended by thousands of pilgrims, worshipers, merchants, and priests.

Great Temple, Madurai, India, seventeenth century.

15Detail, Great Temple, Madurai, India, seventeenth century.

16

• The next slide shows a section of a carved wooden dome with miniature balconies and supports that once crowned a meeting hall in a Jain temple in Gujarat.

• The carvings symbolize the splendors of the celestial realms that all Jains hope to attain eventually by accruing merit in their successive lives.

• Every surface of the teak has been carved with figures, whose size indicates their importance, and with animal and floral forms.

The large figures represent the rulers of the eight cosmic directions, who are responsible for the orderly working of the universe and for the protection of the temple and its worshippers.

17

18

Architectural Ensemble from a Jain Meeting Hall, last quarter of 16th centuryIndia, Gujarat, Patan, Teak with traces of color; H. (approx.) 15 ft.

19

Mughal Art in IndiaMughal Art in India

• The Islamic dynasty in India, composed of nineteen sovereigns who ruled from 1526 to 1858.

• Many of India's greatest works of art and architecture were produced during the Mughal period.

The Taj Mahal, 1630 to 1653,Islamic Tomb, Agra, India

20It was Shah Jahan (reigned 1627-1658) who built the Taj Mahal as a tomb garden for

his wife, establishing it as the greatest creation of the Mughal dynasty.

21

• The Charminar (Four Minarets) is striking monument set in the heart of Hyderabad.

• It was constructed by Muhammad Quli (1580-1612), the founder of Hyderabad, who built the monument to mark the intersection of the city's four major roads.

• This unusual building--part triumphal arch, part mosque--stands over 55 meters tall and 30 wide. -lower stories accommodate 4 large arches, above which is a small elevated mosque.

22

23

• Next is a "pan-dan," or box, used to hold pan-rolled betel leaf stuffed with betel nut, lime paste, and spices.

• The native Hindu custom of eating betel leaves (to aid digestion and freshen the breath) was introduced at the Mughal court in the seventeenth century by palace ladies, probably Hindu wives of the Mughal rulers.

Four artisans collaborated to make this box: a molder who created the shape using the lost-wax technique; an etcher who drew the designs on the surface; an engraver who chiseled out the areas around the designs; and an inlayer who applied the silver and brass.

The surface was then blackened to enhance the beauty of the inlay, used here to define the duck's various feathers.

Pan box in the shape of a duck, late 17th–early 18th century, Deccan, India, Tin alloy inlaid with silver and brass (Bidri ware); H. 5 5/8 in; D. 4 1/2

in. ; L. 7 1/4 in.Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.

24

• Bidri ware, named for the Deccani city of Bidar, is a uniquely Indian alloy of four metals, the main component of which is zinc.

• An acid bath renders the base material very dark, enhancing its suitability to set off the contrasting inlay metals.

With a shape reminiscent of tombs of the Sultanate Period and decoration that is lyrically Persianate in style, this box is probably one of the oldest surviving examples of bidri ware.Box with lid, late 16th century, India, the Deccan (Bidar)

Metal alloy inlaid with brass and silver; H. 3 3/4 in. x W. 5 3/8 in.

25

• With the exception of the palm trees, the landscape elements, animals, and birds in this grand carpet are taken from contemporaneous Persian art.

• The repeating full-width pattern unit of the field, reversed every time it appears, is reminiscent of woven textile design.

• The border, decorated in the "silhouette style," in which floral motifs of one color appear against a field without outlines, is closely related to book illumination and to architectural decorations in manuscript paintings that were also done by illuminators.

Carpet with pictorial design, late 16th–early 17th century; Mughal Pakistan (Lahore)Wool pile on cotton foundation; L. 27 ft. 4 in. (833 cm), W. 9 ft. 6 in

26

27

Indian PaintingIndian Painting

• The early tradition of Indian painting is almost entirely lost due to the impermanence of the materials.

Krishna Carried Off by the Whirlwind Demon, from a Bhagavata Purana (Book of the Lord)India, Delhi–Agra , ca. 1520–30Opaque watercolor on paper.

28

• The pre-Mughal style is represented by a group of manuscripts and individual paintings often referred to as the "Chaurapanchasika" group, after a Sanskrit manuscript of lyric love poems.

• A small group of rare illustrated manuscripts datable from around 1515 to 1575 has been associated with this style.

• One of these manuscripts, perhaps as well known as the one for which the series was named, is an illustrated excerpt from the great Hindu epic, the "Bhagavata Purana" (Ancient Story of God).

• The page seen next displays the bold patterning, large areas of contrasting flat colors, and sense of two-dimensionality common to the illustrations in this manuscript. It is one of the more lively and accomplished of the set.

29Krishna Battles the Armies of the Demon Naraka: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu), ca. 1520–30; Chaurapanchasika m Metropolitan Museum, NY.

30

• The clarity of the composition—the strong crisp lines depicting Yama's voluminous physique and the luxuriant flames encircling him—and the hint of recession in the background suggest a date in the mid-seventeenth to early eighteenth century for this piece.

• Yama is the Indian god of death who was tamed by the Bodhisattva Manjushri.

• In later Buddhist traditions he became a protector of the religion and its adherents.

• In later Buddhist traditions, Yama became a protector of the religion and its adherents.

• He carries a thunderbolt chopper and skull, and wears a tiger skin, jewelry, and a garland of severed human skulls.

Yama, mid-17th–early 18th century, Tibet, Distemper on cloth; 72 3/8 x 46 5/8 in, Metropolitan Museum, NY.

31

• In the next painting, Krishna, the blue god, has stolen the clothes—or in this case, the cholis (blouses)—of the gopis as they frolic in a stream. (Gopis are female cowherds, the companions and lovers of Krishna.)

• The gopis in the center have recognized their fate and stand naked before him—a metaphorical reference to the openness before god necessary for salvation.

• The ground plane has been tilted back to create a sense of spatial recession, establishing a foreground, middle ground, and background.

The Gopis Beseech Krishna to Return Their Clothing: Page from the Dispersed "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu), ca. 1560–65, India, probably Delhi-Agra areaInk and opaque watercolor on paper; 7 5/8 x 10 1/8 in.

32

• Only Indian paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries or later have survived in any numbers.

• Viewers usually kept Indian paintings as books or albums. Indian paintings after the thirteenth century are divided into several schools, including Mughal and Rajput.

• The Hindu kings and their courts in Rajasthan and the Punjab Hills patronized Rajput painting.

• The Mughal emperors commissioned Mughal paintings.

33

• The Mughal court, especially under Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan, lavishly patronized the arts.

• The artist Bichitr (active early 17th century to late 1650s) painted a Portrait of Jahangir seated on an hourglass throne.

Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, Mughal painting, India, ca. 1615–1618.

Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 6"-7/8" x 1' 1".

Freer Gallery of Art, Washington.

34

• The Hamzanama tells the fantastic story of Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet, who traveled the world spreading the teachings of Islam.

• The story was a popular subject for public recitation in coffeehouses, so exciting and full of fantastic elements were the tales.

• The emperor Akbar commissioned an illustrated version of the manuscript consisting of 1,400 large illustrations.

• In this painting, Zambur, a spy, brings a maid named Mahiya to town on a donkey.

The Spy Zambur Brings Mahiya to Tawariq, Where They Meet Ustad Khatun: Page from the Hamzanama (Adventures of Hamza) ca. 1570; Mughal India, Ink, colors, and gold on cotton; H. 29 1/8 in.W. 22 1/2 in.

35

• The bold areas of color, stylized figures, and flat picture plane of a work produced in Basohli, a Hindu court in the Punjab Hills, contrast markedly with the Mughal work's realism.

• The painting, accompanied by a poetic stanza, depicts Bhadrakali as the force activating the world matter.

Bhadrakali within the Rising Sun, folio 10 from the Tantric Devi series, from Punjab Hills, Basohli, India, ca. 1660–1670. Opaque watercolor, gold, silver, and beetle-wing cases on paper, 9-3/4" x 8-1/4".

36

A comparison of Devi's positioning with Jahangir's placement in Bichitr's painting reveals a contrast between the Hindu court's deity-centered world and the deified but human emperor as world center.

37

• The Kishangarh atelier is renowned not only for paintings but also for large-scale drawings that were tinted and highly finished. Images of women drinking wine, holding flowers, or playing instruments became a popular genre in Rajasthani painting during the first half of the eighteenth century.

• They evolved from imperial Mughal depictions of large concert parties in which female entertainers served an auxiliary function.

• Here one such entertainer has been transformed into a "nayika," an idealized Hindu heroine and personification of female beauty. She has just plucked a string of her tanpura (a drone instrument of the lute family, played by women) and is intently listening to its resonance.

• The drawing must date from before the 1740s, at which time a more idiosyncratic and exaggerated facial type became the vogue in Kishangarh.

Lady playing the Tampura, 1735, India (Rajasthan, Kishangarh), Ink, gold, opaque and transparent watercolor on paper; 18 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. metropolitan Museun, NY.

38

• A popular topic for Punjab Hill paintings involved Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, and the cowherd's many amorous adventures.

• Krishna and his favorite lover sit in a lush garden at night.

• The realism of this picture relates stylistically to the Mughal tradition.

• The love between Krishna and Radha, told in the poem Song of the Herdsman, is a model for the love devotees felt for the deity.

Krishna and Radha in a Pavilion, from Punjab Hills, Kangra(?), India, ca. 1760. Opaque watercolor on paper, 11-1/8" x 7-3/4". National Museum, New Delhi.

39

• The maharaja Jaswant Singh ruled Jodhpur in Rajasthan when the British controlled India.

• By this time, India's rulers and citizenry had been involved in adapting to Western culture and ideas.

• Although the maharaja posed like a British gentleman in his sitting room, his regal presence and pride are clear.

• The two necklaces he wears exemplify the combination of his two worlds, traditional and Western-influenced.

• The interest in realism in Indian paintings reached a climax in works such as this portrait, which was copied from a photograph.

Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar, from Jodhpur, India, ca. 1880. Opaque watercolor on paper, 1' 3-1/2" x 11-5/8". The Brooklyn Museum

40

41

42

ThailandThailand• Two prominent Buddhist kingdoms, Sukhothai and Ayuthaya,

came to power in Thailand during the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries.

• The art produced at Sukhothai set a standard for Thai art to the present.

43

• Wat Mahathat was the city's most important Buddhist monastery. • The central monument, a stupa, although not a circular

mound, housed a relic of the Buddha. • A central lotus-bud tower and eight surrounding towers stand on the

stupa's lower podium.

44Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai, Thailand, fourteenth century.

45

• Only a small portion of the brick structure's stucco decoration remains.

• The halls in front do not survive, but the stone pillars still stand. • Two monumental standing Buddha images flank the stupa, each

enclosed in a brick building.

Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai, Thailand, fourteenth century.

46

• The Sukhothai Buddha images were the city's crowning artistic achievement.

• In the unique Sukhothai walking-Buddha statuary type the artists intended to express the Buddha's beauty and perfection.

• A flame leaps from the top of the head, and a sharp nose projects from the rounded face.

• A clinging robe reveals fluid rounded limbs.

• The handling of the bronze is well suited to the forms' elasticity.

Walking Buddha, from Sukhothai, Thailand, fourteenth century. Bronze, 7' 2-1/2" high. Wat Bechamabopit, Bangkok.

47

• The Sukhotai walking-Buddha statuary type does not occur elsewhere in Buddhist art.

Walking Buddha Thailand; Sukhothai14th-15th c.bronze 15.3 cm / 6 in.

48

• Ceramics were produced in some number in the kingdom of Lan Na centered in northern Thailand.

• Clay in the area is characterized by a high percentage of kaolin producing thinly potted, elegant off-white or buff bodies.

• Kalong wares are characterized by their freely painted underglaze designs in iron brown.

• These are often floral or other images drawn from the natural world.

The lively decoration on this dish is sometimes termed "black crow," in reference to its abstract resemblance to birds in flight.

The Kalong kilns also produced a limited number of pieces with green or celadon glazes.Dish, 14th–mid-16th century, Thailand, Earthenware with underglaze

iron-brown decoration (Kalong ware); Diam. 8 1/4 in.

49

• Sukothai wares are characterized by a coarse body, which fires a dark brown and is sprinkled with white particles.

• Iron-brown decoration is painted both under the glaze and over a white slip.

• Raised on a low ring, this next vessel is in the shape of an elephant has a rider squatting on its rear haunch.

• The rider's hands are held in a prayerlike gesture.

• The head and trunk of the elephant are raised and a spout issues forth from its mouth.

• The legs of the elephant are drawn up against its globular body.

Vessel in the form of an elephant and rider, 14th–mid-16th centuryThailandEarthenware with underglaze iron-brown decoration H. 5 1/4 in.

50

• Next, Ganesha is seated in a cross-legged yogic posture on a raised pedestal with a decorated molding.

• His dress and adornments are treated in a very restrained fashion that emphasizes the sculptor's concern with pure modeling and manipulation of volumes.

• Suggestions of later Khmer motifs can be seen in the schematic treatment of the folds of skin along the cheeks, the rear arrangement of the section of garment drawn between the legs, and, to a lesser extent, the crown.

• But there is also the sense of the sculptor's delight in emphasizing the corpulence and sheer bulk of the shoulders, chest, belly, and thighs that one finds in South Indian representations of Ganesha.

Seated Ganesha, ca. 15th century; Sukhothai or Lan Na styleThailandBronze; H. 12 3/4 in. W. 7 1/8 in.

51

Temple of the Emerald BuddhaTemple of the Emerald Buddha

• Wat Phra Keo (the Thai name) is an exuberantly colored religious compound built inside the Royal Palace in Bangkok, Thailand

• The temple's architecture is visually striking

52

• The temple's largest and most important building is the Bot (loosely translated as "house of meditation").

• It is Thailand's most sacred shrine and the king's personal chapel• Within the Bot resides the world famous Emerald Buddha

(actually made of green jade, not emerald).

53

• This 500-year-old holy statue is perched so high above the Bot's golden altar and is only 66 centimeters or 26 inches high.

• The sacred image is clad with one of the three seasonal costumes (summer, rainy season, and winter).

• The costumes are changed three times a year in a ceremony presided over by the King.

54

BurmaBurma• Burma, like Thailand, is

overwhelmingly a Theravada Buddhist country today.

• One of the largest stupas in the world is the Shwedagon Pagoda, which houses two of the Buddha's hairs.

• The great wealth encrusting the stupa was a gift to the Buddha from the Burmese laypeople to produce merit.

• The stupa is centered in an enormous complex of buildings, including wooden shrines filled with Buddha images.

Schwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar), fourteenth century or earlier

(rebuilt several times). Stupa, gold, silver, and jewel

encrusted, approx. 344' high. Top of stupa, gold ball inlaid

with 4,351 diamonds, one approx. 76 carats

55

• This large Buddha image is seated in the lotus position with the legs crossed and the left hand placed in his lap.

• In the fingers of his right hand is a myrobalan, a small fruit with medicinal properties.

• Legend tells how the Buddha received this fruit from the god Indra shortly after attaining enlightenment.

• Images of the Buddha as a healer holding the myrobalan are unusual outside Myanmar.

This image has been made using the dry lacquer technique. The approximate outline of the finished sculpture is made from clay. Over this is laid strips of cloth which have been impregnated with lacquer sap. This is then covered with further layers of lacquer sap and lacquer putty (sap mixed with sawdust), with final details finished separately and then attached. Once the layers of lacquer are set, the clay core can be removed.

Dry lacquer sculpture of the Buddha

From Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar)Late 18th or early 19th century AD

56

VietnamVietnam• This exceptional dish, with

its depiction of a kneeling elephant surrounded by abstract cloud formations, must be included among the dozen or two finest known early Vietnamese blue-and-white porcelain dishes.

The refined and sophisticated drawing of the charming and delightful elephant and the control of the underglaze

cobalt sets it apart from most of the known corpus of important 15th and 16th

century porcelains. The technique of

manufacture,shape of the dish, and general composition of design

are clearly based on early Ming dynasty blue-and-white prototypes, but the whimsical

elephant and the particulars of the subsidiary design are uniquely the

product of Vietnamese artistic sensibilities.

Dish with Recumbent Elephant Surrounded by Clouds, 15th–16th century,Vietnam. MMA, NY.

57

• The use of cobalt blue for underglaze decoration on porcelain began in Vietnam during the fourteenth century, about the same time as its beginnings in China.

• There were distinctive traits in the decoration of Vietnamese ceramics. During the fifteenth century, one of the distinguishing characteristics was the use of pencil lines that served both as shading and as a means of depicting the leaf veins and flower petals of plant motifs.

• This technique is well demonstrated in the dish illustrated here

• Given that most blue-and-white porcelain was exported, it is not surprising that some of the best surviving Vietnamese pieces are found outside the country.

Dish with design of peonies, 15th century, VietnamStoneware with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration; Diam. 17 1/2 in.

58

• Fanciful shapes, including vessels in the form of birds, animals, and human figures, as well as abstract designs characterize blue-and-white and other ceramic wares produced in Vietnam for domestic use and export.

• An elaborate crest caps the pronounced head of this phoenix-shaped ewer.

• His detailed wings cling to the sides of the body, which is decorated with scattered featherlike clumps painted in underglaze blue.

• A whimsical two-part handle is placed along the back.

Ewer in the form of a phoenixca. 15th–16th century, VietnamStoneware with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration; H. 11 1/2 in.

59

CHINACHINA

• Ancient Chinese culture laid the foundations for later East Asian civilization.

• Many elements of culture had attained a high level of development well before the end of the first millennium.

60

The most common formats in Chinese paintingformats in Chinese painting and calligraphy are the hanging scroll, the handscroll, the album leaf and the fan painting.

• The vertical hanging scroll was meant to be viewed by a group of people together, and was used for large landscapes and figure compositions.

• The handscroll was suited to a small group to unroll and read section by section, from right to left. The painting and subject matter were often more delicate than that of the other formats.

• The album contained a series of leaves by a single artist, or works on a related theme by several artists.

• Fan paintings, either the round or folding arc-shaped type, showed genre subjects in an unusual compositional format.

61

Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty (1279–1368)(1279–1368)

• In 1279, the Song dynasty fell to the Mongol armies led by Kublai Khan (1215–1294), founder of the Yuan dynasty.

• The Mongols profoundly affected the country's culture, particularly the art of painting.

• The celebrated Song poet, amateur painter, and statesman Su Dongpo (1036–1101) championed less polished efforts by scholar-amateurs over skillful representation.

• These new notions of value in painting continued to gain momentum during the Yuan dynasty.

• These scholar-artists painted primarily to express their moods, philosophical ideals, and religious beliefs.

62

• This is a rare example of a signed and dated painting from the Yuan dynasty. The subject matter is that of animals and insects feeding off each other.

• A toad lies in wait for ants, which in turn are dismembering a butterfly; a dragonfly attacks a smaller insect which the lizard is hunting, and the cicada seems destined to be eaten by the mantis.

• The beauty and brightness of the natural world cover up the confusion and disorder caused by the fight for survival. It reflects the dilemma faced by many Chinese of the period: whether to work for the Mongols and survive, or to remain loyal to the fallen imperial dynasty and starve.

Xie Chufang, Fascination of Nature, a handscroll painting , China, Yuan dynasty, 1321.

63

Detail, Fascination of Nature, a handscroll painting , China, Yuan dynasty, 1321

64

Detail, Fascination of Nature, a handscroll painting , China, Yuan dynasty, 1321

65

• Executed entirely in varying shades of ink, an undulating branch of blossoming plum sweeps gracefully across the paper and culminates dramatically in a single long tapering stroke.

• The subtle chromatic range of contrasting ink tones, the rich calligraphic variation of the brushwork, and the expressive lyrical flow of the overall composition mark this unique painting as a virtuoso performance of the highest technical and artistic merit.

A Breath of Spring, 1360, Zou Fulei (active mid 14th century), Yuan dynasty, Handscroll; ink on paper, H: 34.1 W: 221.5 cm ,Freer Gallery, Smithsonian.

66

•Literati painting reached maturity in the Yuan dynasty. •Because many scholar-artists retreated to the provinces to avoid service under the Mongols, landscape became a more integral part of their environment.

• In Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Huang Gongwang (1269–1354) replaced the misty atmosphere of the Southern Song landscapes with richly textured fibrous brush strokes that render the landscape's inner structure.

HUANG GONGWANG, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, China, Yuan dynasty, 1347–1350. Section of a handscroll, ink on paper, 1'1" high. National Palace Museum, Taipei.

67

• This is another painting byHuang Gongwang.

• Note the writing and the square red stamps…

• These are chinese “chops”.

• Small identifying marks that may denote either the artist or the owner of the painting.

68

In Western culture we wouldn’t think of putting our name on the front of a work of art that we didn’t create. In China, owners display their ownership proudly by affixing their personal chop on the work of art.

69

The Three The Three AccomplishmentsAccomplishments

• This painting demonstrates the three accomplishments of an educated Chinese gentleman:

• painting • poetry and • calligraphy

70

• The artist, Ni Zan, stripped down his technique to all but the most essential brushstrokes.

• His inscription of a poem, by contrast, is rather lengthy.

• In it he states that he did the painting as a present for a friend leaving to take up an official post, to remind him of the joys of peaceful retirement.

Ni Zan (1301-1374), Still Streams and Winter Pines

71

Calligraphy:Calligraphy:

• In theory, the expressiveness of the brushwork makes literati paintings close to calligraphy.

• Training in calligraphy was fundamental to the education and self-cultivation of Chinese scholars and officials, and many literati paintings bear their inscriptions.

72

• The paintings of Wu Zhen (1280–1354), including the bamboo for which he is famous, are softer and more relaxed than those of Huang Gongwang.

• The bamboo plant is a symbol of the ideal Chinese gentleman.

• The pattern of bamboo leaves, like calligraphic script, provided an opportunity to display brushwork proficiency.

Wu Zhen, Bamboo, China, Yuan dynasty, 1350. Album leaf, ink on paper, 1'4" x 1'9". National Palace Museum, Taipei.

73• Zheng Sixiao, the painter of this picture,

wrote the poem on the right, a friend the one on the left.

Zheng Sixiao (1241-1318), Orchid  

74

The Invention of Porcelain:The Invention of Porcelain:

• By the Yuan period, Chinese potters had extended their mastery to fully developed porcelains.

• A technically brilliant example is a temple vase with cobalt blue underglaze decoration from the Jingdezhen kilns.

• Cobalt was imported from Persia.• Phoenixes and dragons may suggest the donor's high

character or invoke prosperity blessings.• The dragon and the phoenix can be imperial symbols, or may

represent yang (active masculine energy) and ying (passive feminine energy), respectively.

75

Temple vase, China, Yuan dynasty, 1351. White porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze, 2'1" x 8-1/8". Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London.

Such “blue and white” ware would be an extremely valuable commodity in trade with Europe and the West.

76

Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) sacrificial-blue glaze porcelain plum-blossom vase with a white dragon design, the biggest of its kind extant and in good condition.

77

Ming Dynasty Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)(1368–1644)

• After the Ming rulers came to power, the court established workshops to produce luxury goods.

• As early as the Neolithic Age, the Chinese already knew how to use lacquer to coat eating utensils, ornaments and implements for sacrificial offerings.

• By the 15th through 18th centuries, the lacquer industry had accumulated a great deal of manufacturing technique and art.

• Both replicas and originals impart a sense of being highly ornate, bright and stylish.

78

• In a cinnabar-colored lacquer masterpiece from the Orchard factory, the artist carved floral motifs, along with the dragon and phoenix imperial emblems.

Table with drawers, China, Ming dynasty, ca. 1426–1435. Carved red lacquer on a wood core, 3'11"

long. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

79

Carved Black Lacquer Tray with Volute Pattern

80

• Stamped by Jacques Dubois French, Paris, about 1755Oak veneered with panels of Chinese lacquer on a ground of Nezuko wood and painted with vernis Martin; gilt bronze mounts; brèche d'Alep stone top H: 3 ft. 4 1/2 in.; W: 3 ft. 9 in.; D: 1 ft. 3 1/8 in.

Cross-cultural influences:

81

• The painters at the Ming court produced variations on the style of their Southern Song predecessors.

• Dai Jin (1388–1452), who originally served at the court, founded the Zhe School of painting in Hangzhou.

• Dai Jin and other Zhe School painters adopted elements of the Song academic style, but handled it with greater looseness and freedom.

• Other important local schools of scholar-amateur and professional painting were centered in Nanjing and Suzhou.

82

Breaking Waves and Autumn Winds. Dai Jin , (Chinese, 1388-1462) Ming dynasty, Ink on paper, H: 29.9 W: 1112.9 cm, China

83

• The influential critic, statesman, and artist Dong Qichang (1555–1636) codified the distinction between scholar-amateur and academic-professional traditions.

• Dong's glorification of the Yuan period's literati school reflected his interest in old paintings, and his own works were true to his ideal of transforming old styles.

• He attempted to reveal the inner structure and momentum of nature, radically reorganizing forms without regard for natural scale and surface qualities.

Dong Qichang (1555-1636). The Qingbian Mountains, 1617. Hanging scroll, ink on paper. Cleveland Museum of Art.

84

Qing Dynasty Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)(1644–1911) (pronounced Ching)

• The Ming bureaucracy's internal decay permitted the Manchus to overrun China in the seventeenth century.

• Establishing the Qing dynasty, these northerners quickly adapted themselves to Chinese life.

• The early Qing emperors cultivated knowledge of China's arts, and the decorative arts especially flourished under their direction and patronage.

85

• Qing potters, especially at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, expanded on the Yuan and Ming achievements in fine porcelain with underglaze and overglaze decoration.

• A dish with a lobed rim, decorated with positive symbols, exemplifies the latter technique in overglaze enamels.

• In the center are the three star gods of happiness, rank, and longevity, surrounded by symbols of long life. Dish with lobed rim,

China, Qing dynasty, ca. 1700. White porcelain with overglaze, 2-1/4" x 1'2". The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London.

86

Quing vase, With depressed pear-shaped body and tall, slightly tapering, slender neck. Fine dead white glassy porcelain painted in 'famille rose' enamels in 'Gu Yue' style with a rock, roses, yellow orchids and grasses on the body, and on the neck with a poetical inscription in black and three seals in red enamel.

Percival David Collection

87

Qing PaintingQing Painting• Literati painting continued to flourish, but other painters

experimented with individualized brushwork and bold compositions. • Shitao (1642–1707) called for a return to wellsprings of creativity

through use of the "single brush stroke" or "primordial line." • The chrysanthemum, the favorite flower of the best-known ancient

recluse-poet Tao Qian, was the symbol of reclusion. • As Shitao prepared to retire, he thought of Tao Qian, just as

countless retired poets and painters had before him, and as others would in the centuries to follow.

88

The poem reads:

Plum blossoms in October Sending forth a cold fragrance,Are accompanied by the late-bloomer, the chrysanthemum;Since Heaven and Earth have no special favorites,Will the plum and the chrysanthemum blossom together again in the Spring?

89

Autumn Mountain

The mountain colors are a hoary green, the trees are turning autumnal,A yellowish mist rises thinly against a rushing stream;In a traveler's lodge, Bitter Melon [Shitao] passes his time with a brush,His painting method ought to put old Guanxiu to shame.

90

• Leng Mei (active about 1677- about 1742) specialized in figure painting and belonged to the atelier (studio)of the Kangxi emperor.

• He arrived at the imperial court in about 1700, and took part in several of the painting programs instigated by the emperor.

• These included illustrations commemorating significant events, such as the building of the summer palace at Jehol, and the emperor's sixtieth birthday.

• This painting is known as a meiren hua ('painting of a beauty'), in a tradition dating back to the Tang Dynasty.

• The lady sits on a rustic seat holding a book in her hand. The informality of her pose, her refined appearance and her diaphanous clothing suggest that Leng Mei may have been depicting a courtesan.

• The artist's skill can be seen in the delicate rendering of the textile design and the fluid lines of the drapery.

Leng Mei, Portrait of a Lady, a hanging scroll painting , China, Qing dynasty

91

• The Manchus commissioned decorative artworks in vast quantities. In general, they favored technical brilliance and elaborate style.

• The kilns at Fuliang (Jingdezhen) produced finely crafted, superbly decorated porcelains.

• Fine embroidered and woven textiles became more intricate and delicate.

• By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the huge workshop system, with specialists working on each stage of production, had drained much of the vitality from the decorative arts.

92

Houses and GardensHouses and Gardens

• Chinese house and garden designs after the 13 th century stem from two different philosophies, the Confucianist (house) and the Daoist (garden).

• The two philosophies embrace contrasting, but not necessarily conflicting, notions of harmony.

• The Confucians seek harmony of the moral and social order, and the Daoists seek harmony resonant with the forces of nature.

93

HousesHouses• Chinese houses are axial groupings of halls and courtyards

within enclosures. • The house plan expresses the Confucian ideal of a patriarchal

society. • Strict rules determine the arrangements of spaces in Chinese

houses, depending on fengshui beliefs and concerns regarding the influence of spiritual forces.

94

• This is the relatively plain exterior of a typical courtyard house.

Courtyard house exterior, Fujian Province, China, primarily Qing dynasty

95

• The modest facade of the house in Wuxi masks its private interior.

Courtyard house interior veranda, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China

96

• The private areas may open onto verandas, as seen in a Fujian Province house, overlooking the garden.

97

GardensGardens

• Chinese gardens are scenic arrangements of natural and artificial elements that replicate uncultivated nature, producing a restorative effect on mind and spirit.

• The typical design, such as Wangshi Yuan (Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets),is a sequence of ever-changing vistas.

98Enjoy bamboo through window in Dianchun Yi.

99Wangshi Yuan (Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets), bridge and pool, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

100

• Fantastic rockwork represents primitive nature, as at Liu Yuan (Lingering Garden).

• Chinese gardens are sanctuaries where people commune with nature as an ever-changing and boundless presence.

Liu Yuan (Lingering Garden), Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

101

The Forbidden CityThe Forbidden City• The image most associated with the emperors of China is the

Forbidden City, a walled city, within the modern day city of Bejing.

• The Taihe Dian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), the Emperor's throne room and audience hall, is the centerpiece of the axial design of the Forbidden City.

• A monumental example of the standard Chinese architectural style, it has a weighty, majestic formality appropriate for sacred imperial ceremonies.

102

Taihe Dian, Imperial Palace, Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Ming and Qing dynasties, seventeenth century and later.

103Inside is the ornately carved and gold Dragon Throne.

104

KOREAKOREA• The last of the native Korean dynasties was the Choson (1392–

1910).• The impressive south gate, or Nandaemun, was built for the new

capital of Seoul. • It combines imposing stone foundations with an intricately

bracketed wooden superstructure. • In eastern Asia, elaborate gateways were symbols of the ruler's

authority or of the hallowed nature of what stood on the other side.

105

• The impressive south gate, or Nandaemun, was built for the new capital of Seoul.

• It combines imposing stone foundations with an intricately bracketed wooden superstructure.

• In eastern Asia, elaborate gateways were symbols of the ruler's authority or of the hallowed nature of what stood on the other side.

• The modern city of Seoul has grown up around this medieval structure.

Nandaemun, Seoul, Korea, Choson dynasty, first built in 1398.

106

• The Korean script, han'gul, was invented in the mid 15th century.

• At that time, Chinese characters were used in official documents and at court, so han'gul was invented for the common people, who found Chinese characters too difficult to learn.

• Han'gul was used at first mostly by women, but was much popularised in the late Choson dynasty and today is the main script used in Korea.

• This piece was created by the contemporary master calligrapher Soh Hwi-hwan, and copies the original text of the Hunmin Chong'um, or 'proper sounds to instruct the people'

107

• The long reign of Buddhism as Korea's dominant religion ended. • Neo-Confucianism turned greater attention to public and worldly

concerns. • The ancient ideals of nature worship reemerged (mingled with

Chinese Daoism) and influenced artistic themes.

• In the eighteenth century, Korean scholar-amateur painters closely studied Chinese literati styles and produced their own fusions, as seen in the Kumgang (Diamond) Mountains by

Chong Son (1676–1759).

108

• The artist transformed an actual scene into an imaginative landscape with a sense of rhythmic vitality using sharper, darker versions of the fibrous brush strokes favored by Chinese literati.

Chong Son, The Kumgang Mountains, Korea, Choson dynasty, 1734. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 4'3-1/2" x

1'11-1/4". Hoam Art Museum, Kyunggi-Do.

109Chong Son (1676­1759) Old Pine Tree at Sajik Altar

110

• Ancestor worship and ceremonial practices honoring teachers and leaders gave portraits a vital role in east Asian cultures.

• In Portrait of Kang Yi-o, by Yi Chae-Gwan(1783–1837), the artist's meticulous rendering of garments and other attributes, including the official's winged silk hat, indicates the sitter's social identity.

• The sensitive likeness of the face records personal (and perhaps family) identity for posterity.

Portrait of Kang Yi-o, Korea, Choson dynasty, early nineteenth century. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 2'1" high. National Museum of Korea, Seoul.

111

• The similarities of this portraits suggest that they are of the same man, and both painted by Yi Che-gwan (1783-1837). This portrait appears to be the later, as the sitter seems to have aged.

• Western painting techniques were introduced to Korea through Jesuit missionaries in China in the eighteenth century. This influence is apparent here, perhaps in the shape of the eyes, but certainly in the details of the face, such as the wrinkles and the use of repeated minute lines (hatching) to show shading.

• Earlier Korean portraits were more interested in capturing a sense of the sitter's 'spirit' rather than in portraying an actual physical likeness.

• However, during the prosperous 18th century it became fashionable in portraiture as well as in chin'gyong, or 'true-view' painting, of real scenes from the Korean landscape.

Yi Che­gwan (attributed to), Portrait of a Confucian scholar, Korea, Late Choson dynasty, late 18th ­ early 19th c., Wearing a traditional horse­hair indoor hat

112

• The late Choson period (from the seventeenth century AD) was a period of relative prosperity in Korea.

• The arts thrived, particularly under King Yongjo (1724-76) and King Chongjo (1776-1800), both able rulers who encouraged economic, social and political stability.

• Chin'gyong, or 'true-view' landscape paintings became fashionable among the scholar-literati class; they depicted real scenes from the Korean landscape, rather than those copied from Chinese paintings.

• Meanwhile, humorous scenes of daily life became popular among the growing middle class.

113

• Kim Hong-do was one of the most famous painters of these scenes.

• This album is one of at least two known copies of Hong-do's famous original, now in the National Museum of Korea.

• It may have been made in the late nineteenth century as a special present for a dignitary.

• It may have been made in the late nineteenth century as a special present for a dignitary.

• The painting focuses on people and their activities, with the background barely illustrated.

• The paintings in the album include schoolroom scenes, wrestling, and other everyday activities. Kim Hong­do (after), Album of Scenes from Daily

Life , Korea, Late Choson dynasty, 19th century AD

114Having a meal.

115Practicing archery

116Planting the fields

117Dancing

118

• Although Korea was a strict Confucian state during the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), by the 18th and 19th centuries Buddhism became less oppressed.

• Buddhist monks were recognized for their service in organizing successful campaigns against the Japanese invasions of 1592 and 1597.

• Many Buddhist temples were rebuilt in this period and Buddhist paintings and sculptures made to furnish them.

• The future Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, sees the 'four sights': an old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic, and reaches an understanding about the transience of life.

• He decided to abandon his comfortable world. Here he is shown here escaping from the palace on his white horse during the night.

The Great Renunciation, a painting on hemp cloth , Korea, Choson dynasty, early 18th c.

119

• The four guardians of the cardinal points (north, east, south and west) acted as the defenders of Buddhism and are found in paintings and sculpture at the entrance to temples.

Although the inscription at top right indicates that the figure is the Guardian King of the North, the lute that he carries is in fact the attribute of Dhratarastra, Guardian King of the East.

The huge size of the canvas, the dynamic and decorative lines, and the combination of mineral colours are typical of Buddhist paintings from Korea.

Dhratarastra, Guardian King of the East, a painting on hemp cloth Probably from Taegu, Kyongsang province, KoreaChoson dynasty,Getty Museum

120

• In Korea, screen paintings were essentially used as room decorations.

• Screens designed for women's quarters were usually decorated with peonies, symbols of fertility and prosperity, while screens for the men's quarters (sarangbang), were decorated with chaekkori (literally books and scholarly 'equipment').

• Here we can see books, writing brushes, inkstones, auspicious fruits with many seeds, and Chinese porcelain and bronzes.

As a strict Confucian state, the Choson dynasty regarded scholars as belonging to a very respectable profession, and

having superior social status.

A chaekkori screen was considered ideal for display behind the desk in a scholar's study, where it conveyed an air of

dignity, luxury and a reverence for scholarship.

121

• The Japanese invasion (1592–1598) transferred many Korean potters to Kyushu, where they were instrumental in inaugurating the Japanese porcelain industry.

• The simple forms, spare decoration, and monochrome glazes of the Choson period Korean tea bowls used in Japan are demonstrated in this simple celadon bowl.

Stoneware with celadon glaze, H: 9.8 W: 22.7 cm Korea, Freer Collection, Smithsonian.

122

• This porcelain tea bowl is decorated and glazed in a manner more typical of Korean or Korean-inspired stoneware bowls.

• Between the 1630s and the 1720s, a kiln operated at the Japanese trading enclave near Pusan, in Korea, to make tea-ceremony wares for the Japanese market.

Tea bowl, 17th­early 18th century, Choson (1392­1910) or Edo period (1615­1868) Porcelain clay with iron decoration under colorless glazeH: 8.3 W: 12.9 cm Korea or Japan

123

• White porcelain was the dominant type of ceramic in Korea throughout the Choson period.

• At first, decoration was commonly executed in underglaze painting using blue cobalt. However, the Japanese invasions, which devastated Korean porcelain production and the economy in general, meant that the expensive cobalt was no longer imported.

• The potters turned to the use of underglaze iron.

• This innovation also led to a change in design. Iron had to be

painted on quickly or it would be absorbed by the clay body.

The intricate designs painted in cobalt blue were

replaced with more lively,playful designs, as

shown on this storage jar. • The jar is decorated with

stylized orchids, a feature commonly associated with the

scholar-literati particularly esteemed by the Confucianist

state.

White porcelain storage jar in underglaze iron , Korea, Choson dynasty

124

Contemporary Art In AsiaContemporary Art In Asia

• Contemporary art in India and Southeast Asian countries falls into two general categories—

• art made following the local traditions and • art created for the international market. • A fundamental quandary of many contemporary Asian artists

working in the international style is how to define their identity and situate their work between local and international, traditional and modern, and non-Western and Western cultures.

125

Summary:Summary:• Indian art is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim influence. Miniatures

dominated painting in the form of small carefully bound books.• Schools of art grew depending upon region and dominant religious

practices.• In Southeast Asia we find the tall, tiered towers called gopuras

serving as gateways to temple complexes.• Throughout Asia the production of high quality porcelains

demonstrate sophisticated technologies in both underglaze decoration and overglaze enamels.

• The term pagoda describes the gently sloping overlapping roofs in much Asian architecture.

126

• Chinese art history is measured by dynasties where amateur scholar-artists practiced the three accomplishments.

• Chinese ceramics are best known for the export of cobalt “blue and white” ware that was exported to Europe during the Ming Dynasty.

• Carved and decorated, waterproof, lacquerware was another popular export.

• Choson artists produced sophisticated portraits in Korea.• Koreans also produced simple, elegant celadon ceramics that

were highly valued in Japan and infused energy into the Japanese ceramics industry.

127

LINKS:LINKS:• Metropolitan Museum of Art- Asian Collections• Smithsonain Museum (The Freer Collection)• Victoria and Albert Museum- London• National Museum of Korea• Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art• Met – East Asia Timelines• India Revealed- India Sculpture Index• Asian Historical Architecture