1. Philosophy permeates fine art…..
Early Chinese Art
Philosophy permeates fine art…..

2. China has size of Europe Most populated country
Many languages & ethnic groups
Ruled by dynasties
Artist: n/a
Title: China and Korea
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: n/a
Source/Museum: n/a

3. Neolithic Art in China Neolithic pottery cultures existed in China
Yangshao culture
5000 BCE
Advanced pottery techniques with kiln, wheel, and glazing
Markings may be early writing
Artist: n/a
Title: Bowl
Medium: Painted pottery
Size: height 7" (17.8 cm)
Date: Neolithic period, Yangshao culture, 5000–4000 BCE
Source/Museum: Banpo, near Xi’an, Shaanxi. / Banpo Museum

4. CONGS were used in Neolithic Chinese tombs….
Liangzhu culture, half human, half animal images over 5000 years old
CONG was used in burials and found in ancient tombs
Sophisticated jade carving techniques
Jade is very hard and difficult to carve
Image of face is often called a TAOTIE.
Artist: n/a
Title: Schematic drawing of a cong
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: n/a
Source/Museum: n/a

5. Bronze Age - Piece Mold Casting & Lost Wax
bronze bells from the Zhou dynasty, 433 BCE
Artist: n/a
Title: Set of sixty-five bells
Medium: Bronze, with bronze and timber frame
Size: frame height 9' (2.74 m), length 25' (7.62 m)
Date: Zhou dynasty, 433 BCE
Source/Museum: Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, Suixian, Hubei. / Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan
Three bronze age Dynasties,: Xia, Shang, Zhou
Zhou dynasty was a feudal society (took over warrior society of Shang)
Bells sounded 2 tones, scale in a variety of registers
Philosophers arose during this age - Confucius, Laozi, Mozi

6. Emperor Shih Huangdi, 210 BCE
1st ruler of united China - Hin/Qin dynasty
Codified written Chinese
Established uniform currency
Started famous Great Wall of China
Began his majestic tomb (SOLDIERS)
Insisted on govt based on accomplishments rather than family connections

7. Flashcard
Discovered in 1974
6’ tall soliders
8000 warriors, 100 chariots, 2 bronze chariots, 30,000 weapons
Tomb of 1st Emperor of China
Shi Huangdi
Daoism shown in individuality of shoulders despite numbers
Chinese army marching into the next world.
Artist: n/a
Title: Soldiers
Medium: Earthenware
Size: life-size
Date: Qin dynasty, c. 210 BCE
Source/Museum: From the mausoleum of Emperor Shihuangdi, Lintong, Shaanxi
Soldiers (Army of Emp. Shi Huangdi, terra cotta, c 210 BCE, Qin Dynasty)

8. Soldiers were originally painted
Artist: n/a
Title: Soldiers
Medium: Earthenware
Size: life-size
Date: Qin dynasty, c. 210 BCE
Source/Museum: From the mausoleum of Emperor Shihuangdi, Lintong, Shaanxi
Soldiers (Army of Emp. Shi Huangdi, terra cotta, c 210 BCE, Qin Dynasty)

9. END OF MYTHOCENTRIC AGE Silk road was operational
HAN DYNASTY 206 BCE CE
END OF MYTHOCENTRIC AGE
Silk road was operational
Painted banner from the Han Dynasty, 160 BCE
Painted on silk, in tomb of Marquess of Dai
3 levels: heaven, earth & underworld
Heaven top of the T: dragons, deity with long serpent’s tail
Earth bottom part of T with deceased woman and attendants
Underworld is below
Reflects mythical beliefs later displaced by daoism confucioniam and buddhism
Artist: n/a
Title: Painted banner
Medium: Colors on silk
Size: height 6'8½" (2.05 m)
Date: Han dynasty, c. 160 BCE
Source/Museum: Tomb of the Marquess of Dai, Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan. / National Museum, Beijing

10. Chinese sculpture produced large scale sculptures such as the terra cotta army of Shi Huangdi, the Seated Buddha at Shanxi (cave) and this Seated Guanvin Bodhisattva.
Buddhist philosophy was incorporated into neo-confucianism, with respect for nature, harmony, and metaphysical beliefs.
Seated Guanvin Bodhisattva, wood with paint & gold, 95” x 65”, Liao dynasty 10-th-12th century CE
Artist: n/a
Title: Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva
Medium: Wood with paint and gold
Size: 95 X 65" (241.3 X cm)
Date: Liao dynasty, 10th–12th century CE
Source/Museum: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase, Nelson Trust (34–10)

11. Seated Buddha, Stone carving, 45’ tall, 460 CE. flashcard
Artist: n/a
Title: Seated Buddha, Cave 20, Yungang
Medium: Stone
Size: height 45' (13.7 m)
Date: Northern Wei dynasty, c. 460 CE
Source/Museum: Datong, Shanxi
Seated Buddha, Stone carving, 45’ tall, 460 CE. flashcard
Shows Indian/Central Asian Buddhist iconography with large shoulders + slender body, lotus position, long ears, ushnishu, and peaceful smile.

12. Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians, flashcard
Tang Dynasty, 8th century CE
Earthenware w/ 3 color glaze, 26” high
China had control over Central Asia again during Tang dynasty
Fascination w/Turkic cultures .. Shows Turkish musicans with Han Chinese
Naturalism - new interest and trend in painting & sculpture
Beautiful 3 color glazes, spontaneous
Silk Road was flourishing, brought Chinese goods to West
Neoconfucianism= naturalism
Artist: n/a
Title: Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians
Medium: Earthenware with threecolor glaze
Size: height 26 ⅛" (66.5 cm)
Date: Tang dynasty, c. mid-8th century CE
Source/Museum: Tomb near Xi’an, Shanxi. / National Museum, Beijing

13. Chinese Pagodas
Pagodas developed from Buddhist stupas; the design was brought from India via the Silk Road
Built for sacred purpose, each design is repeated vertically on each level, getting progressively smaller.
Japanese also developed pagodas
Artist: n/a
Title: Elements of Architecture: Pagodas
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: n/a
Source/Museum: Early stupa, later stupa, watchflower, stone pagoda, wooden pagoda

14. Great Wild Goose Pagoda flashcard Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
Tang dynasty, 645 CE
Typical Chinese Buddhist pagoda
About 210’ tall (was taller, rebuilt during Ming dynasty after earthquake)
Artist: n/a
Title: Great Wild Goose Pagoda At Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: Tang dynasty, first erected 645 CE; rebuilt mid-8th century CE
Source/Museum: Shanxi

15. Artist: n/a
Title: Great Wild Goose Pagoda At Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: Tang dynasty, first erected 645 CE; rebuilt mid-8th century CE
Source/Museum: Shanxi
Forbidden City - flashcard, Beijing, China, Ming Dynasty (14th century), Hall of Supreme Harmony. Balance & symmetry, tradition Courtyard style emphasizing empty space with crowded spaces. Reflects Confucianism. Courtyard styles. Only royalty could enter-walled city 9000 buildings.

16. Artist: n/a
Title: Great Wild Goose Pagoda At Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: Tang dynasty, first erected 645 CE; rebuilt mid-8th century CE
Source/Museum: Shanxi
Forbidden City - Yellow roof tiles reserved for royalty. Red also royal color.
Dragon symbols appear.
Rooftops supported by duogang, used for Imperial buildings.
Today this is a museum and tourist attraction.

17. More about typical Chinese architecture…
Exterior walls of a courtyard style residence
Frame an atrium for tranquility- Elders live in suite of rooms on warmer north end
Children leave in the wings
Courtyard on larger scale in Forbidden City
Wood structures, rectangular gride
CONFUCIANISM

18. Chinese calligraphy considered the highest art form.
Calligraphers have different styles and spend years perfecting the techniques.
Children learned to write first by copying ideographs
Confucius praised pursuit of knowledge & the arts; painting was to reflect moral concerns and calligraphy revealed the character of the writer
Some calligraphy cannot be read by modern Chinese readers, it is so artistically done
Literati - Confucian scholars- practiced this art form
Hand scrolls (Paintings) often have a label in calligraphy in the colophon section.
Artist: n/a
Title: Art and Its Context: Chinese Characters
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: n/a
Source/Museum: Chinese characters: Ancient, Modern, ideographs

19. Portion of a letter by Wang Xizhi
Six Dynasties period,
mid 4th century CE
Feng Ju style -
‘walking” or semi cursive style fluid & graceful strokes, not too informal, but dynamic
Artist: Wang Xizhi
Title: Portion of a letter from the Feng Ju album
Medium: Ink on paper
Size: 9¾ X 18½" (24.7 X 46.8 cm)
Date: Six Dynasties period, mid-4th century CE
Source/Museum: National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

20. Chinese Painting Traditions
Fans, album leaves, and murals
Handscrolls on silk or cotton with dowels (meant to be unrolled and enjoyed, not hung on wall).. Read right to left.
Colophon - write comments or poetry
Hanging scrolls with main scene on front and title on top back
Same brushes used for painting & calligraphy

21. Knight Shining White, Tang Dynasty, 750 CE
Original handscroll was about 12” wide
Now several feet with all enthusiastic descriptions, comments, poetry from readers
“Du Hua” to literally, READ a painting as a form of appreciation
Painters were highly valued; some Emperors becamse noted calligraphers and painters
Studied under appreentice ship system

22. Knight Shining White, Tang Dynasty, 750 CE
Aim of traditional painter was to capture not outer appearance but inner lenergy, apsirit. “DRAGON STEED”
Rejected color or too much background info
Pure line to define form, no opaque pigmanets “white painting”

The discipline required derived from calligraphy.
Traditionally, every literate person learned to write by copying Chinese ideographs.
Then gradually exposed to different stylistic interpretations of these characters.
Copied great calligraphers' manuscripts, which were often preserved on carved stones so that rubbings could be made.

23. Artist: Attributed to Emperor Huizong
Title: Detail of Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk
Medium: Handscroll, ink and colors on silk
Size: 14½ X 57½" (36 X cm)
Date: Copy after a lost Tang dynasty painting by Zhang Xuan. Northern Song dynasty, early 12th century CE
Source/Museum: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Chinese and Japanese Special Fund (12.886)
Detail of Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk, example of a Handscroll, ink & colors, Northern Song Dynasty, early 12th century.. Shows Confucian virtues- copy “honoring” original (lost) from Tang Dynasty

24. Landscape paintings highly prized in Chinese art.
Do not represent a particular forest, mountain, or view, but an artistic construct yielding a philosophical idea
Some parts of painting are empty & barren, others are crowded.. Yin/Yang of Daoism aka Taoism
This is an example of the empty space contrasted with calligraphy and densely detailed drawing
Artist: n/a
Title: Unmarked image on page 365
Medium: n/a
Size: n/a
Date: n/a
Source/Museum: n/a

25. Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Fan Kaun
Northern Song Dynasty, 11th century CE
Hanging scroll, ink & colors on silk, 6’9” high
Subtly graded ink tones
Northern Song: fascination with precision and details as shown here.
Flashcard image - Northern Song painting
Artist: Fan Kuan
Title: Travelers Among Mountains and Streams
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk
Size: height 6' 9½" (2.06 m)
Date: Northern Song dynasty, early 11th century CE
Source/Museum: National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

26. Example of Southern Song landscape handscroll…
Section of 12 Views from a Thatched Hut; 13th century CE, Xia Gui.
11” x 7’7” long
Artist: Xia Gui
Title: Section of Twelve Views from a Thatched Hut
Medium: Handscroll, ink on silk
Size: height 11" (28 cm) length of extant portion 7'7½" (2.31 m)
Date: Southern Song dynasty, early 13th century CE
Source/Museum: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase, Nelson Trust (32-159/2)

27. Dwelling in the Qinghian Mountains, 1617, ink on paper, Ming Dynasty
Artist: Dong Qi Chang
Literati painters rejected traditional apprentice system run by the state…to pursue their own unique styles (contra Confucianism)
Dong Qi Chang famous literati painter, influenced by Daoism
Thick paces contrast with open areas - negative space implies clouds
Flashcard
Artist: Xia Gui
Title: Section of Twelve Views from a Thatched Hut
Medium: Handscroll, ink on silk
Size: height 11" (28 cm) length of extant portion 7'7½" (2.31 m)
Date: Southern Song dynasty, early 13th century CE
Source/Museum: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase, Nelson Trust (32-159/2)

28. PORCELAIN - a Chinese specialty.
Guan ware vases from the Song dynasty used crackled glazes to emphasize the simple symmetry of the form.
PORCELAIN - a Chinese specialty.
Fine, white clay fired at high temperature; Chinese perfected sophisticated glazing techniques
Artist: n/a
Title: Guan ware vase
Medium: Gray stoneware with crackled grayish blue glaze
Size: height 6 ⅝" (16.8 cm)
Date: Southern Song dynasty, 13th century CE
Source/Museum: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London

29. Porcelain painted in underglaze blue
Jar, Ming dynasty, China
15th Century, 19”high
Xuande mark and period ( )
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue
Example of fine porcelain ware created during this period
Technically superior, thin walls, glazing
Artist: n/a
Title: Guan ware vase
Medium: Gray stoneware with crackled grayish blue glaze
Size: height 6 ⅝" (16.8 cm)
Date: Southern Song dynasty, 13th century CE
Source/Museum: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London
flashcard

30. Korean Art Crown from 6th century, gold with jade ornaments
Artist: n/a
Title: Crown
Medium: Gold with jadeite ornaments
Size: height 17½" (44.5 cm)
Date: Three Kingdoms period, probably 6th century.
Source/Museum: Korean. Silla kingdom, From the Gold Crown tomb, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province. / National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Crown from 6th century, gold with jade ornaments

31. Arts of Korea Three Kingdoms period saw incredible metalwork - crown
High fired ceramics
Buddhist art; introduced to Korea in 4th century
Slender body, oval face Buddha
Bodhisattva Seated in Mediation, Bronze, 35” high, Three Kingdoms Period (early 7th century)

32. Seated Shakyamuni Buddha
Hands in bhumisparsha mudra (earth touching gesture of enlightement)
Granite, 11 feet high
Silla period, c 751
Modeled after cave temples of China
Artist: n/a
Title: Seated Shakyamuni Buddha with hands in bhumisparsha mudra (the earth-touching gesture symbolizing his enlightenment)
Medium: Granite
Size: height of Buddha only 11' 2½" (342 cm)
Date: Unified Silla period, c. 751
Source/Museum: Seokguram Grotto, main Buddha. Korean. Near Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province

33. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Late 14th century, 62” high
Korean artists also developed beautiful hanging silk scrolls, such as this seated willow-branch piece…
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
Late 14th century, 62” high
Artist: n/a
Title: Seated willow-branch Gwanse’eum Bosal (The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara)
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, colors, and gold pigment on silk
Size: height 62 ½" (159.6 cm)
Date: Goryeo dynasty, late 14th century
Source/Museum: n/a

34. Bamboo and blossoming plum tree
Maebveong bottle,
13th century Korea
Celadon ware, 13” high
Bamboo and blossoming plum tree
Pale blue/green glaze over gray stoneware
Koreans learned celadon glazing from Chinese
Classical simplicity
Some incised designs
Not a flashcard but know what celadon ware is.
Artist: n/a
Title: Maebyeong bottle with decoration of bamboo and blossoming plum tree.
Medium: Inlaid celadon ware: light gray stoneware with decoration inlaid with
black and white slips under celadon glaze
Size: height 13 ¼" (33.7 cm)
Date: Goryeo dynasty, late 12th–early 13th century
Source/Museum: Korean. / Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, Japan