S OUTH, E AST, AND S OUTHEAST A SIA Terry Yau

R ELIGION Ancient Indic Southeast Asia Dominated by earthly and cosmic realms of existence Sought spiritual development, spiritual release, or divine union via religious methodologies and social practices Still some sites and beings as sacred Life and time = cyclic (i.e. reincarnation) Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism East Asia Interconnectedness of humans with both natural and spirit world China – hierarchical and differentiated society that encouraged appropriate social behaviors Daoism, Confucianism, eventually Buddhism when it arrives

Korea – Influenced by China ∴ infused Confucian and Buddhist practices Japan – Believed landscape alive and inhabited by animistic nature spirits  Shinto belief 7 th and 8 th C – Buddhism arrived and succeeded

R ELIGION & A RT /A RCHITECTURE Most architecture for religion Temples – House deities or shrines (constructed or rock cut) Buddhist Pagodas Rock-cut caves contained Buddhist imagery, shrines, stupas, and monastic spaces (From C. Asia to China) Japan – natural materials (wood); followed Chinese models S. and SE Asia – Islamic architecture Secular – forts and palaces Religious – mosques and tombs Art Icon images in Hinduism and Buddhism Raigo scenes for Pure Land Buddhism

A RT

B UDDHIST RELIQUARY STUPAS (S OUTH, E AST, AND S OUTHEAST A SIA )

M ONOCHROMATIC I NK P AINTING ON S ILK /P APER (C HINA )

P AGODA (C HINA [B ASED ON WATCHTOWER ])

R OCK G ARDENS, T EA C EREMONIES (J APAN )

W OODBLOCK P RINTING (J APAN )

L ONG TRADITIONS OF ART … Reaching back to prehistoric times Developed around core areas  Indus Valley, Gangetic Plain, Yellow River Earliest known ceramic vessels found in Asia Yuchanyan Cave in China – 18,300-17,500 BCE Jomon vessels in Japan – 10,500 BCE Neolithic and Bronze Age civilization Indus Valley civilization (Pakistan and India) Longshan cultures and Shang Dynasty (China) Dongson culture (SE Asia) Yayoi and Kofun cultures (Japan)

M ORE ART … Stone and wood carving (esp. in architecture) Ceramic arts High-fire porcelain Tang ceramics – blue and white porcelain coveted for over 1000 years = Great gifts in Europe! Metal work Sculpture, arms and armor, ritual vessels, decoration Shang Dynasty bronze vessels Textiles Silk and wool tapestry, cotton weaving, printing, painting, and carpet weaving Cotton first spun and woven in Indus Valley of Pakistan Silk in China

Painting Wall painting or manuscript/album painting India and E. Asia favored contour drawing or forms India – regional styles dependent on mythical and historical Japan and China – literati painting among educated elite Reveal nonprofessional artists’ explorations of landscape subjects juxtaposed with poetry Calligraphy = #1 in China; also in Islam [architecture, decorative objects, and ceramic tiles]

S OCIAL Home to foreign cultures Greco-Roman cultures, Christianity, and Islamic cultures (India, Malaysia, and Indonesia) Greco-Roman Evident in Hellenistic influenced art Ancient Gandharan culture (Afghanistan/Pakistan) Early Buddha sculptures seen wearing 2 shouldered robe based on Roman Toga Islam Spread through S. and SE Asia via military campaigns Use of paper for manuscripts and paintings Use of Mughal styles in Hindu court architecture, painting, and fashion European influence – naturalism and perspective

2 major trade routes Silk Road – linked Europe and Asia Han and Tang Dynasties and Mongol Empire, colonial era, and opening of Japan for trade in 19 th Century W. Asia and Europe – collectors acquired Asian art through gift or trade Textiles Maritime networks that utilized monsoon winds N. Africa, W. Asia, S. and SE Asia, S. China Transmission of cultural ideas/practices i.e. Buddhism, artistic forms, media, and styles