east asian art history final

Nara Daibutsu (the Great Buddha)

8th century, Nara Period

Significance of Nara Daibutsu

made from bronze, massive, shared religious community, cultural exchange

Fukukenjaku Kannon

Late 8th century, Nara Period

Significance of Fukukenjaku

divergence emerging, Kannon - buddha of compassion, tang style features

Priest Ganjin

8th c, Nara Period

Significance of Priest Ganjin

Chinese monk living in japan, serves as buddhist order, reintention of buddhist order, reformer, moving away from tang international style,

Thousand-Armed Kannon

Late 8^th c. Nara Period

Significance of Thousand armed Kannon

arms meant to show power of kannon, shows different attributes of kannon, losing tang style

Prince Shotoku Crossing the Japanese Sea to China from Shotoku taishi eden

Hata no Chitei, 1069, Heian Period

Significance of Prince Shotoku crossing

japanese and chinese influence, viewing into buildings, arrival of buddhism into japan,

Womb World Mandala (Left) and Diamond World Mandala (Right)

late 9th c, Heian Period

Significance of the two world Mandalas

Amida Buddha

Jocho, 1053, Heian Period

Signifiance of Amida Buddha

Key family school, Yosegi - wood pieced together then carved and covered in lacquer, buddha symbols

The Thousand Arm Kannons

orig. 1164 Heian Period

Significance of The Thousand arm kannons

Bottle

1100 Northern Song Dynasty

Significance of Bottle

“Porcelain” and stone ware, not as thin as true porcelain, Ru ware - blue green color, auspicious color, heavily associated with song dynasty, cracking affect

Celadon glazed zun vessel

13th c Southern Song Dynasty

Significance of celadon glazed zun vessel

imperial production, 5 great wares, producers lose kiln availability, ru ware replacement, more blue, less skill for cracking, guan ware

Tripod Censer

13th c, southern song dynasty

significance of tripod censer

qingbai, lesser quality glaze, interest in past history, copy of older ding from zhou period, ceramic not bronze, no toatie

Guanyin of the southern sea

12th c, Jin dynasty

significance of Guanyin of the southern sea

lotus sutra - story where Guanyin helps sailors, bodhisattva of compassion, pose of relaxation

Foguang Si pagoda

1056 Liao dynasty

Significance of Foguang Si pagoda

place for worship, mediation, and rituals, not for entering

A thousand miles of rivers and mountains

Wang Ximeng, 1113 N.song

significance of a thousand miles of river and mountains

fusion of literati and court painting, landscape not about personal interaction, pigmented not monochrome

Five-colored parakeet on a blossoming apricot tree

Emperor Huizong, 1110, N. Song dynasty

significance of Five-colored parakeet on a blossoming apricot tree

parekeet - auspicious omen, court artists sign as emperor, symbol of good things to come

Auspicious Cranes

Attributed to Huizong, 1112, N. Song

significance of Auspicious cranes

crane - good marker for emperor, Northern Song emperor Huizong held and captured by Gin dynasty

Sixth chan patriarch chopping bamboo

Liang Kai, 13th Southern Song Dynasty

significance of sixth chang patriarch chopping bamboo

chan buddhism - school of thought, argues cannot control when enlightenment happens, personal path

Travelers among mountains and streams

Fan Kuan, early 11th c, Northern Song Dynasty

significance of travelers among mountains and streams

Confucism, daoism idea, very small intricate details, effort to convey Li - true knowing, perspective and ground levels due to fog, tiny travelers emphasize scale of mountains and life

Along the river during the qingming festival

Zhang Zeduan, 1100 N. Song dynasty

significance of Along the river during the qingming festival

dichotomy between human and natural environment, very detailed and complex, gives us idea of what song era would have looked like, authenticity, imperial stamp

On a mountain path in spring

Ma Yuan, ea. 13th c, Southern Song Dynasty

significance of On a mountain path in spring

different literati art, poetry and artistic expression overlap, Ma from family of artists

Tree, Bamboo, and Rock

att. Su Shi Dongpo, 13th c. Northern Song

Significance of Tree, bamboo and rock

Su Shi Dongpo redifines lee as a form of art, focuded on personal creativity rather than the confucious idea of lee, which is knowing how to scribe nature, Dongpo was a prodigy and one of the youngest to pass the civil service test

Sheep and goat

Zhao Mengfu, 1300, Yuan dynasty

Significance of Sheep and goat

mix of abstraction and representation and realism

Autumn colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains

Zhao Mengfu, 1295 Yuan dynasty

significance of autunm colors on the qiao and hua mountains

Lacks details, trees and mountains feel disconnected, pre song dynasty style

Living in the fuchun mountains

Huang Gongwang 1350 Yuan dynasty

significance of living in the fuchun mountains

Important literati piece, leaves city to go live in the mountains, Literati refuses to work with the Mongols, concious strive for separation

Rongxi Studio

Ni Zan, 1372 Yuan dynasty

significance of Rongxi studio

Ni Zan is the son of a wealthy land owner, probably had undiagnosed OCD, seen as excentric, lives on house boat to separate himself from imperial influences, dedication to nature, uses “ink as precious as gold”

Dwelling in reclusion in the qingbian mountains

Wang Meng, 1366, Yuan dynasty

significance of Dwelling in reclusion in the qingbian mountains

great master,

Stalks of bamboo by a rock

Wu Zhen, 1347, yuan dynasty

significance of stalks of bamboo by a rock

bamboo are symbols for the men, bend don’t break, strong and resilient

Temple Vases (David Vases)

1351, yuan dynasty

significance of Temple vases

very high quality porcelain, intricate design, crisp lines, controlled and precise, dragon - emperor, phoenix - empress

Portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo

att. Fujiwara no Takanobu, orig. 1179, kamakura period

Significance of Minamoto no yotiomo portrait

Tate-eboshi - Shobun crown, kariginu - black robe, sword is symbol of nobel status

Night attack on the sanjo palace

13th, kamakura period

significance of Night attack on the sanjo palace

End of Heian period, emperor taken, palace burned, disorder, chaotic and tragic war

Portrait of priest Shunjobo Chogen

early 13th, Kamakura period

significance of the portrait of priest shunjobo chogen

Buddhist priest, period of reformation, Shunjobo rebuilds todai-ji and contructs great southern gate,

Agyo

Unkei and Kaikei, 1203, kamakura period

significance of agyo

Nio - pre-Buddhist gods, protector, natural but not humanistic, mutliple artists work on it - Kei family, Jocho descendants

Hachiman in the Guise of Monk

Kaikei, 1201, Kamakura Period

significance of Hachiman in guise on Monk

Kaikei was adopted into family, very naturalistic, God of war in pose of buddhist monk, goals of peace and stability

Raijin

Studio of Tankei, 13th c, kamakura period

Significance of Raijin

god of thunder, hands sore because of pounding on drums that symbolize thunder, very hyper-natural sculpture, multiple artists

Karesansui (dry landscape) Garden

1488 Muromachi Period

Significance of Karesansui Garden

Zen garden, focus on landscapes, scale of nature - cosmos, rake daily, rake away presence, recognition that oneself isn’t important

Kannon in white robe

Mincho, 1421, Muromachi

significance of Kannon in white robe

Zen ideas - natural and relaxed, Guanyin is now a woman, 1400s shift in depictions of Guanyin from male to female, bodhisattva of compassion specifically for women and children

Guanyin, Monkeys, and crane

Mu Qu, early 13th c, Southern Song Dynasty

significance of Guanyin, monkeys, and crane

Mixed ideas of buddhism, doaism, and zen buddhism, monkey symbolizes letting go of wordly attachment, the path to enlightenment is hard

Reading the bamboo grove

att. to Tensho Shubun, 1446 Muromachi

significance of reading the bamboo grove

Shubun is a monk, enlightment through simplicity of tasks,

Splashed-ink landscape

Sesshu toyo, 1495, muromachi period

Significance of splashed-ink landscape

haboku - splashed ink technique

Zen Patriarch sweeping with a broom

Kano Motonobu, 1513, muromachi period

significance of zen patriarch sweeping with a broom

Patronage networks, Kano family school creates generation of artists, coming to enlightenment though simple repetitive task

Bamboo in the four seasons

att. Tosa Mitsunobu, late 15th c, muromachi period

significance of Bamboo in the four seasons

Tosa family school - more japanese style, progression of japanese seasons shows the progression of life

Himeji Castle

1581, Momoyama period

significance of Himeji castle

very few surviving castles, nicknamed the ‘white heron castle”, castle made for protection, fortified, maze-like, plaster fireproofs the structure

arrival of a portuguese ship

1620, momoyama period

significance of arrival of a portuguese ship

Momoyama’s thought Portuguese were Southern Barbarians, ship comes from south - around the land, southern interactions

Chinese Lions

Kano Eitoku, late 16th c, momoyama period

significance of chinese lions

Kano family school interested in other cultures, influence of china, commonly bought by warriors, expression of wealth and status

Plum tree and birds and flowers of the four seasons

Kano Eitoku, 1566, momoyama period

significance of Plum tree from birds and flowers of the four seasons

Painted for Zen temple, plum tree is associated with Japan, delicate balance of between realism and fake/creativity

Cypress

Kano Eitoku, 1590, Momoyama period

significance of Cypress

Later in Eitoku’s career, he focused on the balance of creativity rather than full realism, flat clouds rather than grey clouds from past chinese influence

Maple Tree

Hasegawa Tohaku, 1592, momoyama period

significance of Maple tree

Hasegawa came from the Kano family school, Tohaku sets up a rival school, focuses on personality creativity

Plan of forbidden city

15th c, Ming Dynasty

Significance of Plan of Forbidden city

Change of capitol after Mongols leave, Center of Beijing, control of access, 3 large gates

Hall of supreme harmony

15th c, Ming dynasty

significance of hall of supreme harmony

raised platform, emperor carried down middle largest path

Lui Yuan (Lingering Garden)

16th c, Ming

Significance of Liu Yuan

lingering garden, rock sculpture from lake Ti, weird acidity of lake erodes rock, natural but still man made