Transcript Bronze Age China - HCC Learning Web

Chinese Art before 1279
-China is unique for its long, uninterrupted development that stretches back 8,000 yrs
-Size of China is slightly larger than the continental U.S.
-currently 1,331,460,000 people live in China; approx 1/5 of the world’s population
Timeline:
-c. 5000 – 2000 BCE; Neolithic China
-c. 2000 – 221 BCE; Bronze Age China
-c. 221 BCE – 1279 CE; Chinese Dynasties
Neolithic China; 5000 – 2000 BCE
-began with the cultivation of rice and millet in East Asia before 5000 BCE; contradicts
earlier ideas that agriculture was brought to them from the Near East
-emerging evidence suggests that cultures all over China formed cities and developed
agriculture and writing between 5000 – 2000 BCE
-these cultures later merged to form one unified China
Bowl; Painted pottery; height 7“; Neolithic period, Yangshao culture, 5000–4000 BCE
taotie; name of this ancient mask motif
cong; object resembling a cylindrical
tube encased in a rectangular block
Image of a deity from a cong;
Schematic drawing of a cong;
Jade
3½ X 6⅞“;
Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, before 3000 BCE
Bronze Age China: 2000 BCE – 221 BCE
-ruled over by 3 dynasties; Xia, Shang and Zhou; first 2 originally thought to
be myths, but recent evidence confirmed the Shang and suggests the Xia
c. 2000 – 1700 BCE; Xia
c. 1700 – 1100 BCE; Shang
c. 1100 – 221 BCE; Zhou
-bronze piece-mold casting developed independently in China and reached
unparalleled excellence there
Shang Dynasty; 1700 – 1100 BCE
-Shang tombs reveal a warrior culture of
great splendor and violence
-bronze vessels; most admired and
studied of Shang dynasty bronze work;
this one recovered from a royal tomb
-fang ding; bronze vessel with 4 legs
-Shang priests communicated with the
supernatural through oracle bones;
contain the earliest known form of
Chinese writing
Fang ding; Bronze; height 24 ½“; Shang
dynasty, Anyang period, c. 12th century BCE
Set of sixty-five bells; Bronze, with bronze and timber frame; frame height 9‘ length 25‘; Zhou dynasty, 433 BCE
Zhou Dynasty: 1100 – 221 BCE
-longest Chinese dynasty; 1st 300 yrs, relatively stable
-developed feudal society; nobels related to the king ruled over numerous small states
-important philosophers Confucius, Laozi begin work that informs the rest of Chinese history
-elaborate burials on an even larger scale continue
Chinese Empire: 221 BCE – 1279 CE
-Bronze Age state of Qin triumphs over other states to create 1st unified China
(united under a single ruler)
-Qin Dynasty: 221 – 206 BCE
-1st emperor built mausoleum at Lintong with life-size terra cotta soldier
army; discovered by accident in 1974
-rule was harsh and oppressive, but established the centralized
bureaucracy that molded the rest of Chinese history
-divided the country into provinces
-standardized the coinage and writing system
-built roads and connected battlements along the northern border to
make the Great Wall
-dynasty ended abruptly by rebellion in 206 BCE
Soldiers; Earthenware; life-size
Qin dynasty, c. 210 BCE
From the mausoleum of Emperor Shihuangdi
Han Dynasty: 206 BCE – 220 CE
-commander who overthrew the Qin became the next emperor and founded
the Han Dynasty
-peaceful, prosperous, and stable period in Chinese history
-opened the Silk Road; 5000 mile trade route to Rome
-end of Chinese “mythocentrism” and rise of philosophical beliefs begun
during Zhou dynasty by philosophers Confucius and Laozi
mythocentrism: believing in a close relationship between the
human and supernatural world
-belief summarized by the images on this early Han banner,
found in a tomb
-heavenly realm is shown in the cross part of the T
-primordial deity with a long snake tale in center—Han image of
the Great ancestor
-above the 2 dragons going through the circle is the earthly
realm, below them is the underworld
Painted banner
Colors on silk
height 6‘ 8½"
Han dynasty, c. 160 BCE
Daoism:
-written by philosopher Laozi during Zhou dynasty
-emphasizes close relationship between humans
and nature
-bring life into harmony with the Dao, or “Way” of
the universe
-originally a secular, philosophical path; a series
of treatises or revelations about how to live
-developed into a religion with a concept of
immortality—shown in this incense burner which
depicts the Isle of the Immortals
Incense burner; Bronze with gold inlay
height 10 ½“; Han dynasty, 113 BCE
Confucianism:
-written by Confucius in Zhou dynasty
-teachings later recorded by his students
-emphasized rectifying relationships; goal is the attainment of equality
-at the heart are the concepts of empathy and morality as the basic standards for all interactions
-establishes a social order of respect for authority, and authority behaving in a way deserving of
respect
-emphasized etiquette, everyday manners, ritual and ceremonial protocol
-emphasis on respect for authority made it especially popular with Han rulers—made it the official
imperial philosophy; remained the state ideology for 2000 years
-Confucian subjects turn up frequently in Han art
Detail from a rubbing of a stone relief in a family shrine; 27 ½ X 66 ½“; Han dynasty, 151 CE
-this late Han relief from a family shrine illustrates the change in beliefs from the earlier painted
banner
-shows only people and real animals, in clear registers of position; women on one floor, men on
another
-each floor receiving visitors in a certain way—emphasis on proper social order; focus is clearly
on the human realm (unlike the tiny people in the earlier painted banner)
-basically nothing of actual Han architecture
survives, so all we have are ceramic models
found in tombs
-represents a typical Han dwelling; animals
probably lived on the lower level w/ the family
above
-shows bracketing under the eaves
bracketing: system for supporting the broad
eaves that became characteristic of East
Asian architecture
-painting on outside may be true to reality
since literary sources describe Han palaces
as being decorated with paint and lacquer and
inlaid with precious materials
Tomb model of a house; Painted earthenware
52 X 33½ X 27“; Eastern Han dynasty, 1st–
mid-2nd century CE
Six Dynasties: 265 – 598 CE
-fall of Han Dynasty in 220 CE led to years of warring states in China until it finally
split into North and South regions (divided by the mountains)
-in the North—near constant warfare
-in the South—6 short-lived dynasties succeeded each other
-sees the development of 1st landscape painting; central to later Chinese art
-calligraphy, one of highest forms of Chinese art, reaches maturity
-Buddhism spreads throughout China
Buddhism:
-developed from the teachings of a prince named Siddhartha, later Buddha (“fully enlightened
being”), who lived in Nepal and central India c. 500 BCE
-as a prince, he was shielded from pain, suffering and death; eventually escaped and saw the
difficulty of the human condition
-at age 29, he left his palace to live as an ascetic in the wilderness
-establishes Four Noble Truths:
1. Life is suffering
2. This suffering has a cause, which is ignorance
3. This ignorance can be overcome and extinguished
4. The way to overcome this ignorance is by following an 8-fold path
-Buddha is not a god, but rather a person who sees the ultimate nature of the world
and is therefore no longer subject to the cycle of birth, death, rebirth and otherwise
-Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes compassion and “buddhahood” for all beings; popular in
China, recognizes other buddhas from the past like Amitabha Buddha; the Buddha of Infinite
Light and Infinite Life
-Amitabha Buddha dwells in a paradise known as the “Western Pure Land”
-bodhisattva: enlightened person who chooses to stay in this realm to help others advance
Attributed to Gu Kaizhi; Detail of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies; Handscroll, ink and
colors on silk; 9¾" X 11'6“; Six Dynasties period
handscroll: long, narrow, horizontal composition, compact enough to be held in the hand when rolled up;
meant to be viewed by only 2 or 3 people at a time; not displayed completely unrolled—viewed only about 1 ft
at a time, from right to left
-new emphasis on spiritual value of painting
-artists seek to evoke a “life essence” with their work—a sense of animation and energy cultivated in the artist
that flows through the art work
-brush strokes are the “bones” of the picture—each stroke a vehicle for expression; through brush work, the
artists spirit is represented
calligraphy: purest form of the
expressive quality and structural
importance of brush strokes
-believed to reveal the style and
character of the writer
-one of highest forms of expression
in Chinese art
Wang Xizhi
Portion of a letter
Ink on paper
9¾ X 18½"
Six Dynasties period,
mid-4th century CE
Seated Buddha, Cave; Stone; height 45‘; c. 460 CE
Sui and Tang Dynasties:
-Sui Dynasty; 581 – 618 CE
-China united by a general from the Northern Dynasties
-short lived empire coincided with a blending of different Buddhist styles
that had developed during the Six Dynasties period
-Tang Dynasty; 601 – 907 CE
-one of China’s greatest dynasties
-Buddhism reached its greatest development in early years
-Late Tang rulers reinstated Confucianism and persecuted Buddhists
Nanchan Temple: Tang dynasty, 782 CE
-earliest important example of surviving Chinese architecture
Song Dynasty: 960 – 1279 CE
-brief period of disintegration followed the fall of the Tang dynasty until China united
again under the Song Dynasty
-country united until invaders in 1126 split it into North and South again
-960 – 1126; period called Northern Song (united)
-1127 – 1279; Southern Song (Song leaders retreated to the south)
-though territory diminished, its wealth increased and patronage of the arts was plentiful
-period of introspection and reflection in Chinese art that reflected weakened military status
-landscape painting becomes the highest subject matter; realistic, but idealized
-Neo-Confucianism; combines aspects of Daoism and Buddhism with Confucianism
neo-Confucianism: blending Daoism and Buddhism with
Confucianism gave it a metaphysical aspect it lacked
-teaches that the universe consists of 2 interacting forces;
li (principle or idea) and
qi (matter)
-everything in the world that exists (qi) has an underlying,
non-physical essence (li)
-all li is part of an eternal first principle known as the Great
Ultimate
-practice involves the pursuit of ridding our qi of impurities
through education and self-cultivation so that our li can
achieve oneness with the Great Ultimate (concept taken
from Buddhism)
-painting is highest expression of this belief
Fan Kuan
Travelers Among Mountains and Streams
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk
height 6' 9½“; Northern Song dynasty, early 11th century CE
Xu Daoning; Section of Fishing in a Mountain Stream
Handscroll, ink on silk; 19' X 6'10“; Northern Song dynasty, mid-11th century CE
-reveal nature through a distant, all-seeing, mobile view point
-mobile view pt best shown through hand scrolls that were slowly unrolled and viewed a portion at a
time
-meant to unfold like the composition of a piece of music in the West—like a symphony; there is no
western parallel in visual art
Zhang Zeduan; Section of Spring Festival on the River
Handscroll, ink and colors on silk; 9 ½" X 7'4"
Northern Song dynasty, early 12th century CE
-Northern Song culture had an obsession with precision that is demonstrated in this hand scroll by a
court painter; presents invaluable record of daily life in the Song dynasty capital
Xia Gui; Section of Twelve Views from a Thatched Hut
Handscroll, ink on silk; height 11“, length of extant portion 7'7½"
Southern Song dynasty, early 13th century CE
Song Dynasty Ceramics:
guan ware: most highly prized; made primarily for imperial
use
-shows strong sense of harmony and simple forms
-crackle technique originally discovered accidentally, but later
used on purpose to express irregularity and spontaneity on
an otherwise perfect form
Guan ware vase
Gray stoneware with crackled grayish blue glaze
height 6 ⅝"
Southern Song dynasty, 13th century CE
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