Transcript History of Chinese Art

History of Chinese Art
Buddhism
• Religion and Philosophy; began ~6th and 4th century BCE.
• Based on teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian
prince.
• Siddhartha abandoned life of luxury for knowledge and
enlightenment.
• When he reached Enlightenment/Nirvana, he becomes
known as the Buddha ("the awakened one").
• Different branches of Buddhism -Theravada ("The School
of the Elders“ and oldest surviving branch) and
Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle").
Buddhism (Cont.)
• Karma is the force that drives Saṃsāra, the cycle of
suffering and rebirth for each being. Good, skillful
deeds and bad, unskillful actions produce "seeds" in
the mind which result in consequences either in this
life or in a subsequent rebirth.
• Rebirth refers to a process where beings live a
succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms
of life, each running from birth to death.
Buddhist Concepts
Four Noble Truths:
• Life leads to suffering/uneasiness (dukkha) in one
way or another.
• Suffering is caused by craving.
• Suffering ends when craving ends. Eliminating
delusion will result in reaching a liberated state of
Enlightenment (bodhi).
• Reaching this liberated state is achieved by following
the path (Eightfold Path) laid out by the Buddha;
basically right living, attitudes, and meditations
Taoism
• Tao = “path” or “way”
• Taoism emphasizes the Three Jewels of the Tao:
compassion, moderation, and humility.
• Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, the
relationship between humanity and the cosmos.
• Harmony with the Universe
• Balance between opposing forces (yin-yang)
Confucianism
•Developed from the teachings of the
philosopher Confucius
•The cultivation of virtue and the
development of moral perfection
•Golden Rule: "do not do unto others
what you would not have them do unto
you."
Confucianism (Cont.)
• Social harmony
• "Filial piety“ is among one of the greatest
virtues. “Filial” characterizes the respect that
a child should show to his/her parents.
• Loyalty was considered one of the greater
human virtues. Loyalty to one's family came
first, then to one's spouse, then to one's ruler,
and lastly to one's friends.
Oracle Bones
and the Chinese Writing System
• Bones of large animals used to communicate with
Heaven
• Questions were posed on the bones for Heaven to
answer. Once placed over a fire the bones would
crack. Priest would interpret its meaning.
• Thousands of these were discovered in burial tombs
providing the earlier evidence of the Chinese written
language
Oracle Bone Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Zhou Dynasty
Logograms
• Logograms are writing systems in which each symbol
represents a concept rather than a sound.
• The first type, and the type most often associated
with Chinese writing, are pictograms, which are
pictorial representations of the morpheme
represented, e.g. 山 for "mountain".
• The second type is the ideograms that attempt to
visualize abstract concepts, such as 上 "up" and 下
"down".
Bronze Vessels
Shang and Zhou dynasties
• Chinese cast some of the most exquisite
bronze vessels in the world
• Technologically far superior to anything in
the world
• Vessels used in religious ceremonies and
as household containers
Lost wax casting process
• Method of metal casting in which a molten
metal is poured into a mold that has been
created by means of a wax model.
• Once the mold is made, the wax model is
melted and drained away. A hollow core can
be effected by the introduction of a heatproof core that prevents the molten metal
from totally filling the mold.
Bronze hu (wine vessel) Zhou Dynasty
Jia (tripod wine vessel) Shang Dynasty 12th C BC
Fanglei (wine vessel) Shang Dynasty 12C BC
Bronze Gu (wine vessel) Shang Dynasty 11th C BC
Bronze bell Zhou Dynasty 5th C BC
Bronze bell Zhou Dynasty 5th C BC
Bronze zun (Bear swallowing monster)
Shang Dynasty 11th C BC
Shaft-hole axe Shang Dynasty 11th C BC
Chinese Jade
• Chinese jade was highly prized from the earliest period
• Jade was a symbol of longevity
• It was frequently used as jewelry for rings, pendants,
etc.
• Jade was used in rites and rituals and often buried with
high status individuals
• Jade burial suits were common in Zhou and Han times.
Jade squares were sewn together with gold thread to
preserve the body
Bi Jade Disk Zhou Dynasty
Bi Jade Disk Zhou Dynasty
Jade pendant Zhou Dynasty
Terra Cotta Warriors of
Qin Shi Huangti
Thousands of life-size terra cotta warriors, chariots
and horses arranged in battle formations were found
in Xian in 1974 after local peasants were digging a
well and pulled up pieces of the collection.
Three separate vaults have been discovered with
more than 1,000 figures representing different types
of troops- archers, charioteers, cavalrymen, and
generals. They are all arrayed in battle formations.
The Chinese describe these as the Eights Wonder of
the World
• Carved during the short-lived Qin Dynasty
• in Mausoleum of First Qin Emperor Qin Shi Huang
• buried in 210-209 BC
• 7,000 terracotta figures of horses and warriors
• pigment has since faded; each head is unique.
Qin Terra Cotta Warriors
Qin Terra Cotta Warriors
Qin Terra Cotta Warriors in formation
Bronze Chariot Formation
Qin Warrior
Face of a Qin
Warrior
Formation of Qin
Warriors