India, China and Japan: From the Medieval to the Modern World

The Mughal Empire  Babur ( ), Akbar ( )  India as center of civilization  Religious freedom (Islam, Hindu)  Urdu language  Artistic blend of Hindu, Persian, and Islamic elements

Mughal Art Visual Arts  Book illustrations, miniatures  Secular  Realistic scenes from courtly life  Persian influences  calligraphy

“Akbar and the Elephant” from The History of Akbar

The End of Mughal Rule and the Arrival of the British  British East India Trading Company  India as “Jewel in the Crown” of Britain  Controlled by British government by 1849

The Rise of Nationalism  India’s National Congress Party  Activism for self-rule  Mohandas Gandhi ( )  Satyagraha: non-violent civil disobedience

Chinese Culture Under Imperial Rule  Centralized government ( )  Relatively untouched by Western influence until the 17 th century  Incredible population growth  Poverty, political unrest, and, ultimately, revolution

The Arts Under the Ming Dynasty  Political, economic stability  Cultural enrichment  Confucianism  New literary genres  Hua-Pen  Novels  Stage plays

The Arts Under the Ming Dynasty  Landscape paintings  Human form in natural setting  Artistic attitudes  “change within tradition”  No distinctions between major art forms  Painted ceramicware called “China”

15 th century Ming Dynasty painting

A Ming Vase

The Qing Dynasty: China and the Western Powers  Western Trade and Chinese Independence  Opium War ( )  Internal rebellions weakened government  Tai Ping Rebellion, Boxer Rebellion  Republican Revolution  Sun Yat-sen  Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-tung

The Art and Culture of Japan:  Shintoism  Worship of the spirits of nature  Imperial cult; worship of emperor and his ancestors as divine  Drama  Noh plays in which dancers enact dramatic, often supernatural stories stories with ritual and even slapstick

The Art and Culture of Japan: The Edo Period  Japanese versions of landscapes  Gentler colors, heightened abstraction  Influence of Western art  Peacocks and Peonies (1176)  Woodblock art  Hokusai Katsushika ( )

A study in the balance of opposites: image and empty space. The empty space mirrors the wave; water and sky are balanced, as in the Chinese yin/yang symbol below

The Art and Culture of Japan: The Edo Period  Basho’s Haiku  Zen Buddhist reflections  Crucial detail of landscapes  Composed of three lines of five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables

“Humanities 1500: A Haiku” Powerpoint beaming eastern culture’s bright display while students write notes