Traditional Chinese art is deeply rooted in its philosophy, encompassing Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian schools of thought. The goal of many traditional Chinese landscape artists, as described by Professor To Cho Yee of Michigan-Ann Arbor, is to “reveal the highest harmony between man and nature” through a balance of likeness and unlikeness (Ho). This metaphysical philosophy borrowed art as a vehicle to search for the truth or the “dao”, which is the path to enlightenment. As early as the 5th century, scholar artists such as Su Shi (1037-1101) of the Song dynasty realized that to create likeness, one must understand the object beyond its superficial state and instead capture the spirit of nature; only then can a point of harmony with nature …show more content…
This is not surprising in view of the fact that Chinese culture values stability and continuity over change. This may be, in part, due to the continuous practice of imitating the ancients as a form of respecting antiquity and authority, a concept instilled by Confucianism (art and imitation). Another possible explanation for this could be that the anatomical or scientific approach was never emphasized in Chinese art, such as in Ancient Greek art. And because principles of light and shade, perspective and proportion of realism were not emphasized (the use of line is the defining technique in Chinese ink painting), there was never a “desperate revolt against vision” or a need for “non-objective art” (Tu). Thus throughout the years, Chinese painters were able to keep ahold of representational images as the basis for …show more content…
Cultural and political changes such as the spread of Marxism, the rise of psychoanalytical ideas, and the growth of media in the face of technological advancement prompted many artists to reassess notions of art (Farthing). Rejecting the idea that art must realistically depict the word, many artists started to explore abstract ideas such as symbolism and focused more on the representation of emotions or personal subjects they had direct experience or interest in (MoMA). Modernist sculpture cannot be identified by one defining characteristic, rather it encompasses different art movements and represents a pivotal moment for sculptors to investigate different materials, methods of construction and formal elements of sculpture such as form, space and mass. Constantin Brancusi played a major role in developing modernist sculpture, after rejecting Rodin’s naturalism. Brancusi tried to capture the essence of the subject by distilling them down to their most refined and simplified forms. For example, he used a section of the body to represent its entirety, often focusing on the head as he felt that was the most expressive component of a human being. He also emphasized a commitment to the material’s natural properties, using a direct carving
...ngly opposite, the Chinese Landscape Painting depicts a boulder-filled mountainside with a waterfall, a river, a Chinese house, and trees spread throughout. The quote underneath is from Lao-tzu, (the founder of the Daoism philosophy). The complexity of the sentences by Lao-tzu is much higher than the sentence of Socrates.
Before the modern era sculpture was monumental; it had an unspoken meaning. Sculptures of this time were commissioned to commemorate a person or an event. They were eternal, designed to last and make people remember a legacy. When the modern era arrived there came a shift, the concept of sculpture became broader. They were still permanent but no longer site specific or placed of a pedestal; they became nomadic. Flash forward to the postmodern era and sculpture is the space it inhabits, as the site changes so does the meaning. They convey the human experience and become something broader than just a monument as Krauss puts it the realm of sculpture has become “infinitely malleable ”.
I learned about many significant artwork and artist in this class. This class provided me with a better understanding of the history of the world Art, but also helped me understand the development of art style. However, among all of these precious pieces of artwork, there are two special ones that caught my attention: The Chinese Qin Terracotta Warriors and The Haniwa. Each of them represents the artist’s stylistic characteristics and cultural context. Although they represented different art of rulers, historical values, and scenes, there were visible similarities.
Secondly, Emperor Huizong was a patron of arts and in his painting academy he highlighted 3 aspects of painting: realism, systematic study, and poetic idea. (source dri buku yg foto di library) These 3 aspects were clearly shown in Cranes above Kaifeng: Auspicious Cranes which indicates the amount of control Emperor Huizong had on the visualization of auspicious events.
China was without a doubt one of the most innovative countries by reason of their many advances made throughout the Shang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Numerous accomplishments were archived by this empire. Their form of government was based on Dynasties, which are series of rulers from the same family. Different dynasties brought out different successes, such as the famous Great wall, which was a 13,170 miles fortress built around around 206 A.C. by millions of people. This structure was ordered to build by China’s first emperor, Qin, in the interest of protecting the Empire from invaders. Another extraordinary Chinese invention was paper. This universal utensil was created in the 2nd century B.C. by Cai Lun. The creating of this material
Taoism and Confucianism are two major Chinese philosophies. I say that they are philosophies because religions tend to worship deities and Taoism and Confucianism don’t seems to worshiping anything. To some they appear to be different, even clashing but to me, they seem very much alike but they come at it from different points of view. Both philosophies strive to reach harmony but in to very different ways. I do believe the reason they can co-exist is because they see Tao from two different ways.
This kind of painting described the figure of Taoist, Buddist, ghost or supernatural in legend.
Williams, C. A. S., and C. A. S. Williams. Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs: An Alphabetical Compendium of Antique Legends and Beliefs, as Reflected in the Manners and Customs of the Chinese. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle, 1988. Print.
It will define that Zhang used traditional Chinese charcoal drawing aesthetic to show the subtext of his artworks in contemporary Chinese art. By tracing the traditional Chinese charcoal drawing aesthetic in Chinese Painter Zhang Xiaogang artistic development in the past two decades, his art as a whole can be interpreted in presenting his concerns of the foregone society and showing his own feelings towards the public history with a unique form of expression.
When looking at the tradition of shanshui, it seems to face an endless stream of reproductions of limited number of landscape stereotypes. New masters built their reputation particularly on borrowing and copying freely from those old masters. Still, now when people learn Chinese landscape painting, they start with imitation (臨摹), which means they was confined to copying old masters, thus studying and copying masters’ works are necessary foundations for artists’ creation. From the modern culture condition, creating is what art should do, but not like the way of tradition shanshui used to be. But then, some studies found that what they call “copy” is not really what we understand “copy” to mean. From particularly tracing to liberal reinterpretation to subtle recreation, what begins as a way of learning continues as a way of self-cultivation and of creation. Dong Qichang said that the main point of using brush and ink to imitate the masterpiece is that to connect with and think deeply of the original on...
Philip J. Ivanhoe. Confucian moral self cultivation. New York : P. Lang, vol. 3, 1993.
Ever since Taoism became popular, Chinese artwork normally portrays humans who have become immortal. In the 12th and
Although considered to be on its own painting style, the Joseon Buddhist arts borrowed much of the iconographic features and basic techniques from exquisite Goryeo Buddhist arts. Joseon Buddhist painting stressed the frontality of the figures, the complexity and density of the composition, and the immediacy and proximity of content. Confucianism had less influence compared to Buddhism which emphasized on other realms, visualizing the spiritual in earthly forms and so extending the present to the afterlife. Moreover, late Joseon Buddhist art was highly syncretic. The painting in comparisons is two centuries apart.
In China, most of the artists worked not for money but for themselves, so their paintings and art were forms of individual expression. They tried to express themselves with symbols and personal terms. The most common types of paintings were literati paintings which were characterized by unassuming brushwork, subtle colors, and the use of landscape as personal meaning. Literati painters painted for each other and used canvases like handscrolls, hanging scrolls and album leaves. Many of the paintings expressed the painters personality. One Chinese painter, Ni Zan, has a famous painting called The Rongxi Studio. It is done in ink and has mountains, rocks, trees and a building. The painting has little detail and is painted with the dry brush technique, like Zan’s personality, a noble spirit.
In the early 20th century several movements occurred in America and Europe, therefore it was an era that characterized by the imperialism industrialization which polarized the nation into two categories of high and the low class. And the western culture dominated most of the world possessions. The U.S was able to have power over their land and they gained high economic and political power. The American did not allow other countries free trade to enter their lands. Furthermore, the Modernism Cultural movements allow many artists to present their styles in a unique form of expression. Modernism is characterized radically by breaking down the trends which occurred in the past of the 19th century. Moreover, Pablo Picasso, he was a phenomenal modern artist; Picasso was very famous for all of his work of art especially the cubism arts. Therefore, some viewers consider his art to be disturbing because they...