CHINESE CULTURE: ARTS 中国文化艺术 Enrique Valencia 恩利 Chinese 101 Tsair Lin

INTRODUCTION TO ARTS IN CHINESE CULTURE First of all, what is art and how can we distinguish it as an art? Art by definition is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Chinese Culture itself has many forms of arts since its beginning. These forms include, if not relate to one another are the following:  Calligraphy  Painting  Sculpture  Carving  Architecture

CALLIGRAPHY 书法 Chinese calligraphy can be traced back to 4000 B.C. Chinese calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practiced in the Chinese Culture. Many East Asian countries other than China practice and revere this form of calligraphy; Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Characters within the style of these countries slightly vary. Chinese calligraphy has helped develop many other forms of art in China which include seal carving, inkstone, etc.. The Four Treasures of Study are tools calligraphers use; paper, ink brush, inkstone, and ink.

PAINTING 画 Another form of Chinese art is considered painting. Traditionally, painting involves the same techniques such as calligraphy with the use of inks and not oils. Traditional Chinese painting is known as guó huà, meaning Native painting. The highest forms of painting to this day is still landscape, in history the time from the Five Dynasties period to the northern Song period( ) is known as the Great Age of Landscape” Many artist of the north such as Li Cheng, and Guo Xi would paint pictures of huge mountains with bold black lines and sharp, dotted strokes, on the contrary many of the southern artist such as Dong Yuan and Juran would paint rolling hills and rivers of their native countryside with soft, rubbed brushwork.

SCULPTING AND CARVING Sculpture in China appeared with the first Ancient Civilizations, artifacts from China date back as early as 10,000 B.C. and skilled Chinese artisans had been active very early in history. In the Neolithic period( B.C.), jade pieces were used by military men and priests in the worships of deities and ancestors. Jade in later times was used to carve images of curling dragons, grain seed, and cloud patterns. Another form of sculpture was the well-known Ivory sculptures. It is an old art dating back to prehistoric times using tooth, tusk, and horns from various animals. Ivory is perfectly fit for carving due to its tough yet delicate texture. Tomb art and sculpture was very well regarded as necessities people needed in the after world, many of these would include all the things they needed when they were alive. Funerary customs included burying the deceased with potty or wooden burial figures. Of the most the famous tomb sculptures the Terra Cotta Army. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses represents an unbeatable achievement in the history of ancient Chinese sculpture. The uniqueness of this sculpture is that not one statue is identical in any way. The time and craftsmanship really make this an amazing achievement in Chinese art.

ARCHITECTURE Chinese architectures include Temples, Palaces, Cities, Roofs, and last but not least The Great Wall. Buddhist temples were scattered around China but due to urban development they were torn down, and some fell due to neglect. In the cities from the past, they all had unique personalities within the walls. Each Chinese cities were built with a high, strong wall to protect the luxurious civilians. Peasants did not have such luxuries since most of their houses consisted of mud bricks and roots of reeds. The forbidden city is a perfect example of City walls and roofs still in use to this day. It is known as the Forbidden city since it is moated. There are many structures which make this city stand out with great arts and treasures. Roofs were of great importance to the architecture of China, it was said that the slanted roofs would protect the Buddhist temples because demons would travel in straight lines. The Great Wall of China was built to protect the Chinese Empire from invaders from Mongolia. This huge wall stretches over 1,500 miles and extends from Kansu in the west to the Yellow sea in the east. It is believed to be built between 246 and 209 B. C.

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