Japanese art test

Jar Period: Early Jomon Period Material: Rope-pattern earthenware

Function: likely used for for water/ food containers

Style: Rope patterning seen imprinted on the side of the vase; vase has a point based; aside from the ropes, bamboo sticks, stones, sticks were also used to add to the patterning; likely made from slabs of clay; jagged rim seen with very rough surface patterning; has a cone shape (starting narrow at the base and slowly widening towards the top of the vessel) widened rim may have prevented food from boiling over

Context: name of the culture (jomon) means cord marking/patterning, there was later a shift towards flat bottom ceramcs for the convience, showing this as an early design; reflects the hunter gatherer lifestyle as this could stpore the food collected

Subject:

Flame-style Storage Vessel Period: Middle Jomon Material: earthenware

Function: most likely for decorative/ritual opurposes as the rigid rim would make it hard to access food/drinks.

Style: rhe use of the coils creates a flowing effect adding the fire effect of the vase. Follows the cone shape (thin bottom and wide top). can see each individual coil in how the vase is made and shows a complex understanding of patterning and balance. The vase is quite symmetrical. The flat bottom shows it’s from a later time period (along with the complex designs) as there was a shift from cone shaped bottoms to flat bottom vases. the top has similar shapes to bird heads. there are also handles on either size which add to the flame motifs as they extend up like fire growing up. swirling dynamic design. Lower body is more simplistic compared to the rim to draw attention to that part of the piece

Context: flame style becoming increasingly popular in this culture

Subject:

Title: Dogu (from Kamikurokoma)
Period: Jomon Period, 3000 - 2000 BC
Site: Misaka-cho, Yamanashi
Material: Earthenware

Function:

Style: shows animal and humanoid parts interacting. Human body with very broad shoulders and narrow waist with arms with what appear to be claws at the end of the hands. The facial features are fairly simplistic similar to other haniwa works with simple slits for eyes. The nose and mouth gives a feline appearance further enhanced by the rounded tiger ears seen. there are low relief carvings on the face adding more detailing the face and reinforcing the feline motis. The lines on the side may have also been tattoos to indicate the job of the person (hunter, fisher, etc). Incised dots on the shoulders may imitate fur that people wore to scare off other animals when hunting. the face is a semi circle and has very sharp corners marking where the face ends, contrasting the smoothness of the body

Context: the hand gesture may have been based on other civilizations as in other cultures this arm posture this was an indication of women, but in japan, there isn’t much evidence to say this is the case. The three claws may have been a special hand gesture as well.

Subject:

Title: Dotaku
Period: Yayoi Period
Material: Bronze

Function: buried singly, in pairs or in large groups occassionally with bronze mirrors and weapons in isolated locations to ensure a community’s agricultural fertility; likely for rituals, likeley argricultural rituals being found in hillsides

Style: had relatively thin was and wouldn’t have resonated well; cone shape with a flat top and handles on the top with simplistic patterning; flat surface on the bell with cut in lines for pattern (squares shown with different parts of japanese society); thin handle suggests it wasn’t for hanging but placed on flat surfaces; Turtle image as decoration and (six square spaces for depictions)--> images of daily life, animals, humans (abstract though, but shooting arrows), and architecture (very strange; wooden strcture building w horizonta; and vertical parts of the architecture; wooden posts for support with stairway in front→ unique architecture to japan; shows a rice storage/granary structure building to prevent moisture→ lots of empty space to prevent humidity also cycling air to prevent humidity from building up ); also shows pounding of mochi and birds and cranes

Context: thought to have been derived from earlier korean examples with designs on the side; designs on the side were of animals and humans hunting or farming; shows an introduction of bronze marking a switch from simple fishing and hunting to agricultural socieities

Subject:

Title: Haniwa Warrior in Armor
Period: 3rd - 6th century
Material: Earthenware

Function: not used to furnish tombs, but rather placed tightly together around the grave mound

Style: made with a cylinder base (very typical for these pieces); anthropomorphic haniwa; broad shoulders; emphasis on the waist (quite thin); while face remains fairly plain and stiff (not as much emphasis on emotions; with holes giving the impressions of facial features), the armor and helmet has quite a lot of detailings with rivets and low relief carving on the armor. face and heads kept fairly plain to prevent the figure from toppling over; holes in general may have reduced overall weight and encourage uniform drying of wet clay preventing cracks. helmet helps balance the piece as again the face is very plain while the armor is detailed. The face is also quite round; simple coiling around the neck adds more details to piece.

Context: haniwa means circle of clay; head at the top represents a primitive type; give idea of early japanese life; made with clay slabs

Subject: depicts a soldier; illustrates the critical role of the military during the time period.

Title: Haniwa Horse
Period: 3rd - 6th century
Material: Earthenware

Function: set in large funerary mounds to mark and protect the tomb

Style: gives the impression of toy horse: quite rigid in look; stiff mane; no indication of a cheekbone, no interest in the structure of the eyes and no interest in the structure in the nostrils. holes give the impressions of the different facial features for the horse. Seems to be made of various cylinders; geometrical, simplified shapes, and bold; you can seen simple lo9w relief carvings in the horse to give an impression of reins. there isn’t much detailing in the musculature of the horse or in the main, giving it a very stiff appearance. the piece is also somewhat disproportional. the ears appear to be hollow as well; very stylized look of the the horse (contrast with chin

Context: the horse’s tack with round bells resembles saddlery in fashion in korea concurrent with mass migration from korea; the hall aspect of the horse again would have prevented the clay from drying out unevenly and cracking as well as reduce weight in the piece; very typical to seen four legged animasl (mostly dogs and horses) shown with large cylinders for legs

Subject:

Title: Ise Shrine
Period: Yayoi Period (4th century)
Material: granary structure building (storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed); unpainted cypress wood

• Shinto shrine: way of the god

• No images of shinto deities

• Iwakura- gods can be any natural feature hence why shinto shrines built in the mountain area 

• Royal shrine 

• Wooden structure made for early traditions 

• Believed this captured early structure from Yayoi period 

• Quite small (not meant to be very large like buddhist shrine) 

• No icons of deities (empty only from prayer) 

• Complicated structure: posts with columns to support heavy roof (thick→ covered with bark and reefs) 

• Wooden beams running along the top of the shrine with golden parts for decoration 

• Main floor raised from the ground with stairway leading to main floor 

• Not supposed to go inside the shrine→ pay respect standing outside the shrine 

• Part protruding from main shrine

• 2 small buildings for storage included 

• Larger in comparison to other shinto shrines 

• Must purify yourself before worshipping (water springs to wash hands) 

• Gates leading to the shrine (similar shape to torana→ horizontal beams with two posts, however not carvings) 

• Royal shrine→ rebuilt many times to prevent its collapse

Title: Horyu-ji (Temple of the Exalted Dharma)
Period: originally Asuka (607) then rebuilt in Nara (670-710)
Site: Southwest of Nara

Function: Buddhist temple for praye and contemplation; used both as a seminary and monastery

Style: made of two areas: kondou and five story pagoda; the kondo is the golden hall for worshipping and is considered the most important building. the 5 story pagoda is for worshipping buddhist relics. Only one five story building (usually two to keep it symmetrical) and it’s arranged in a north and south axis. the building has a granary structure building. wooden structure building follows chinese dynasty sixth style. there’s a gate in front as you enter with 2 wooden sculptures (guardians of the buddhist universe who protect the temples); very masculine and idealized. coered in tiled roofs with wooden structure system to support the roof (bracket system)

Context: built shortly after buddhism was introduced in japan; shows influence from the three kingdoms of koreaand some ancient greek architecture especially in the columns. reconstruction of the building allows for a fusion of styles , such as the small proportions of the pagoda; dedicated to prince shotoku after his death

Subject:

Title: Golden Hall (Kondo) at Horyu-ji
Period: Asuka Period, 7th century

Function: for worshipping the buddha

Style: follows sixth dynasty stle architectural form; built on a stone platform as opposed to raised off the groud like other traditional japanese shrines; symmetrical building with 4 staircases on all four sides; rectangular building; bracket system distributes the weight of the roof and vertical posts hold up the roof; the wide roof serves as protection; contains shiba tori and other sculptures and wall paintings; two stories with two layered roof; building two stories was meant to protect the original structure; narrow stairway inside; second story has railings that can look outside to the surrounding area; tile roof; holds buddhist structures/relics and has the buddha with the two main bodhisattvas; alos has the four buddhist kings representing the four directions of the universe

Context: most important building in the horyu ji complex.

Subject:

Title: Five-storied Pagoda at Horyu-ji
Period: Asuka Period, 7th Century

Function:

Style: the central post is again similar to the central post from the stupa, which also connects to the buddhist universe; the layered roofs also help protect the building and utilizes the bracket system. teh central axis is three meters below the furface of the fountain stone, stabalizing it in the ground; at the base, there’s a relic that’s believed to be fragment of the bones of the buddha is enshrined; no access to the interior as standard for pagodas; typical of other buildings, the base is stone with four stairways facing each direction; the layered roofs are also supported by the bracket system; the basedisplays a series of four tableaux depicting scenes from the b8ddha’ past lives. the pillar that runs through five tiers uses flexible wooden joints to absorb seismic shock

Context: adopted from indian stupa idea; 2nd and fourth layers are fake creating the illusion of five layers

Subject:

Title: Shaka Triad
Period: Asuka Period
Material: Gilt bronze
Site: Kondo structure in Horyu-ji temple

Function:

Style: based on the sixth century chinese style with long rectangular face, elongated neck and lot shoulders (aka the elongated style); the buddha is shown with the giving mudra. Heirarchy can be seen in the piece (the buddha is central and the largest figure and highest relief)—> the heirarchy represents the heirarchy in the buddhist universe. Strict buddhist iconography is shown: elongated ears and single knot above the head; also shows some gupta style influence; lotus petals behind the buddha connects to the idea of compassion. The two major bodhisattvas are shown on either side of the buddha, one representing compassion with the lotus, the other represents wisdom. the throne is heavily patterned with low reliefs. the halo is made up of different buddhist images.

Context:

Subject:

Title: Tamamushi Shrine
Period: Asuka Period
Material: lacquer painting on wood

Function: used to house objects of worship

Style: found in the lecture hall, which was quite unique; 4 sided; there’s paintings on all the doors on each side made out of lacquer adding a shiny finish; painted with the chinese 6th dynasty style; guardian king shown as well as bohisattvas images shown. Elongated necks, sagging shoulders. the bodhisattvas are shown standing on lotus petals with headdress and holding mudra with their hands. side panels flanking the doors are adorned with flowers and jewels. the back panel is a sacred landscape with four caves in which buddhist monks are seated; resembles the exterior of an actual buddhist temple building; wooden posts on each corner and made of three main parts: the base, the platform for placing the buddhist relics and the pedestal. the long horizontal beams, pillars, and frames, are adorned with openwork metal fittings made with gilded brone.

Context: name of the shrine comes from the iridescent wings of the jewel beetle which were once laid under the metal fittings of the palace section. the paintings on the doors are made of a type of oil painting and lacquer. scenes are monochromatic

Subject:

Title: Tiger Jataka
Site: panel of Tamamushi Shrine
Period: Asuka
Material: lacquer painting on wood

Function: dynamic image of the buddhist past life

Style: the buddha appears as a human; this is anarrative piece and the buddha is shown three times in the same panel (very typical to repeat the same subject at different times in the narrative); illustrates a walk around a forest when the buddha finds a starving family of tigers and he tries to save their life by sacrificing himself and bleeding to the tigers could eat and identify food. The negative space helps focus on the subjects; the style is very archaic and simplistic. There’s elongated bodies showing 6th century style; also rectangular face and slend body; the landscape were a secondary role as they weren’t as realistic compared to human image so the proportions aren’t quite right; cliffs are also quite abstract in comparison to the people. This also helps draw attention to the people and the story beign told on this piece. the buddha gracefully dives off the cliff reflect his graceful death

Context:

Subject:

Title: Kondo (Golden Hall)
Site: Toshodai-ji
Period: Nara Period

Function: buddhist temple

Style: this depicts the golden hall; different from horyuji because this one is only one story high; this piece is rectangular and takes on more of a horizontal form (as opposed to a square form). wide surface; it’s mounted on a stone base. It has seven columns in front and four on the side to support the tile roof; it also utilizes the bracket system to help support the roof; the building is quite large compared to horyuji; since this has inspiration from the tang dynasty, it shows that it’;s much larger than 6th century buddhist temples; has an extremely high roof (almost the same height as horyuji despite being one story); the roof was supposed to protect the building, so in tang dynasty style, the roof is quite large in its overhang;

Context: built end of 8th century; dedicated to toshodai ji (messenger from tang china)

Subject:

Title: Shoso-in
Site: Toshodai-ji
Period: Nara
Material: wood

Function: originally the emperor storage house; held gifts from the emperor to the empress; later emperors added to the collections;

Style: reflect both japanese and chinese styles: there’e the granary structure house because the temp is raised on stilts allowing airflow beneath it, but also the tang style with the flaired roof that’s quite large; the empty space protects the treasure inside the building; they used tyile roofs as opposed to reefs and bark to better protect the building; this style eventually became the standard for the royal buildings; uses triangular wooden boards on the outside of the building; also used joint wooden structures to support the building against earthquakes; the wooden posts below the building sit on stone drums, which again helps stabilize the building;

Context: on the side of the todaiji complex

Subject:

Title: Biwa (lute) with painted leather plectrum guard
Period: Late 8th century
Material: wood and painted leather
Site: Shoso-in at Toshodaiji

Function: musical instrument

Style: painting as decoration in Chinese tang style of landscapes; extremely realistic; you can see rge various brushstrokes that helps make the mountains look more realistic, while also creating a sense of depth through separating the foreground and background; monumental peaks on the sides and to the back; several foreigners on elephants crossing the river depicted in the foreground; you can see high contrast between the highlights and deep shadows, once again adding to the depth of the piece;

Context: popular in central Asia and china; this one was originally a gift from china; most of these paintings from china didn’t survive, so this painting shows what the tang dynasty style would’ve looked like; also illustrates the cultural exchange that occurred during this time period in japan

Subject:

Title: Standing Medicine Buddha (Yakushi)
Period: 799
Site: Jingo-ji
Material: ichiboku-zukuri (single-block wood)

Function: depicts the buddha for prayer

Style: Buddhist scultprues made of one block (ichiboku zukuri); (japanese using native wooden materials as opposed to bronze); the buddha is highly realistic; yakushi means medicine (second future buddha); hairstyle, body shape, and facial features iw what is expected from the buddha; the mudra s different; always holding a medicine bottle in the left hand; the face is quite round; the chest is open; the drapery is quite realistic and flows down the Buddha’s body; tang dynasty style: rounch chubby face, three wrinkles on the neck; curved lines for the drapery; however, more decorative patterns shown, especially in the symmetry of the lower body drapery; utilizes formal lines to achieve this decorative effect; the hair is also quite unique because of the multiple knots that make up the buddha’s bun; the face is very serious with downcast eyes; straight nose and full lips. it seems to be colored in a black ink, but parts of the wood is coming through the ink, especially at detailed carvings; atypical to see a standing buddha as opposed to buddh ain a yogi pose

Context:

Subject:

Title: Shingon School Buddhism, Ryokai Mandara
1. Mandala of the Diamond World (Kongokai)
- 5 Buddhas, Central one is Supreme Buddha, other four Buddhas either from supreme or different depiction
2. Mandala of the Womb World (Taizokai)
Period: 9th-10th century
Material: ink and color on silk

Function: people struggled to study buddhism at the time because the text was all written in Chinese characters, so two paintings were used to show different images related to the Buddhist universe, allowing common people study bnuddhism

Style: mainly the Buddhist image and bodhisattva’s image is shown, but also buddhist attributes and other images related to Buddhist universe; each image has a very specific meaning connecting it, so buddhist monks could interpret all the images in the paintings to their followers; this makes it so follower didn’t have to read the Buddhist texts, but could still learn about Buddhism; followers would also then memorize the meanings of each image to understand the Buddhist doctorines; this also helped attract more people to Buddhism as most couldn’t study the Chinese language; on either side of the central buddhist image are two mandaras which face each within the school; diamond mandara: wisdom side of Buddhism; images usually represented by the five buddhas, center of these five buddhas is the great buddha; also shows buddhism with different iconography (some with the typical buddhist image and others with headdresses and body ornaments; occasionally some have multiple hands, arms or heads); the other painting represents the compassion side of Buddhism; the style reflects tang style w iron lines being used; with rounded face; downcast eyes; straight nose; and wrinkles on the neck; surrounded by flowers and plants.

the compassion side: (wisdom+compassion=enlightenment—> understanding both leads to enlighhtment); five buddhas at tghe center, surrounded by other buddhist images or bodhisattvas;

Context: Buddhist images being paintings becoming increasingly popular as opposed to just sculptures.

Subject:

Title: The Tale of Genji
Period: Heian , 12th century
Material: hand scroll, ink and color on paper

Function: painting of novel

Style: handscroll painting; utilizes birdseye perspective to add more scenes to the painting; reflects things happening inside the palace; about affairs in the court because that’s what the novel is about; uses tsukuri-e (uses ink lines to outline the image and adds layer to the painting creating a very colorful effect); flat design—> not much shading (2D design); female images have similar facial features (small nose with small mouse and small lines for the mouth—> idealized look for females); very light skin color—> again japanese ideal also starkly contrasts the dark black hair; diagonal lines add depth to the space and psychological tense in the novel (higher angle=more intense scene); not strong body language shown in the figures because of the heavy garments; no distinction between female and male facial features—→ strong emphasis on placement to create the composition and tell a story; screens and curtains help divide the space; text also an important role in the piece to help the viewer understand what’s happening in the narrative.

Context: representation of famous novel; depiction of facial features similar to simple haniwa pieces (simple holes for eyes and mouth) use of hiragana and kanji tries to differentiate japanes culture from chinese culture by creating their own writing system; established unique painting style in japan and format; onna-e (girls painting)

Subject:

Title: Origin of the Temple on Mount Shigi (Shigisan engi emaki)
Period: Heian
Material: hand scroll, ink and light color on paper

Function: depicts buddhist religion when buddhist monk gave up his life for contemplation

Style: monochrome/lightly colored piece with thin linework focusing on the ideals of the piece; birdseye view adds more scenes into the composition; no shading, however dimension is shown through diagonal lines; very dynamic composition; shows golden bowl going under the house and people are trying to get it; the house shown has a tile roof and shows the granary structure building with the house of silts. People ave different garments illustrating their different social status; golden bowl then lifts the house onto the water; figure image each has strong facial expressions (exagerated facial expressions, gestures adding to the dynamic look of the piece); uses few transparent colors for the ater and the people’s garment and architecture (not as bold in color); scroll tells story of Buddhist monk who sends golden bowl which flies rich landlord's store house to mountain top; architecture is more realistic, while figure images are more caricatures.

Context: no text associated with this painting included; shows people everydays life; very public and somwhat political depiction; otoko e (boys painting)

Subject:

Title: Caricatures of Animals and People (Choju jinbutsu giga)
Period: Heian
Artist: Anonymous
Material: hand scroll, ink on paper

Function:

Style: black and white images using a calligraphy brush to achieve the various line weight; flat image general without too much shading; however some ink washes can be seen to create a slight shadow; illustrates animals, humans and mythical creatures engaging in various activities; creates dynamic effects with the use of lines; fairly stick and quick lines; the lines used evoke the dagger line (thicker on one side before thinning out); the depictions of creatures are not very realistic, however they keep the general forms of the animals being shows; texture is created through line weight as well as some stippling effects in the trees; some areas, such as the rabbit ears and filled in with ink add some contrast to the piece; the piece utilizes negative space to draw attention to the various creatures; exaggerated expressions, gestrurs and body language (otoko e style); birds eye view

Context: set of four scrolls; earliest example of linear monochrome drawing style that became increasingly popular in Japanese painting; personified animals as representations of nobles and Buddhist monks who held political power; political satire that criticizes wrong doings of spiritual powers into the political realm

Subject:

Title: Phoenix Hall (Hoodo) of the Byodō-in
Period: Heian, 11th century
Site: Kyoto

Function:

Style: uses traditional chinese wooden structure building; two corridors and pavilions on either side; tiled roofs upheld by posts; floating on lotus pond connecting back to buddhism; the building shape is similar to the pheonix; surrounded by water because it wasbelieved that the western paradize was located on top of the lotus pond; top of the building has a pheonix depiction; has a stone platform with stairs in four direction; flaired roof with bracket system; insde there’s the made image of amida buddha made of wood; inside there’s high relief wooden sculptures inside (dancers and entertainers again connecting with happiness of the western paradise); mural paintings: depicts flying angels (also entertainers)—> different forms depicting the buddhist universe

Context: for pure land buddhism (if you were good in life you could join the buddha in western paradise); buddhist temple typically follows a simolar structure

Subject:

Title: Amida Buddha
Period: Heian
Material: Gilted Wooden sculpture
Artist: Jocho
Site: Phoenix Hall in Kyoto

Function:

Style:downcast eyes, straight nose, round face, three wrinkles; the halo is quite different because it isn’t circular. has a meditation mudra and is in a typical yogi pose; he sits on a lotus connecting to the idea of compassion as well as where the western paradise is located; the halo is gold colored with intricate designs (the luxury material is from the royal family supporting the buddha); used unique technique to create the sculpture. has typical buddhist iconography; uses multiple blocks of wood to create this sculpture (yosegi zukuri); his chest is exposed and the drapery falls over his body very elegantly and realistically; has elongated ears, simple knot for the hair; surrounded by dancers and entertainers that would be found in the western paradise

Context: worshipped in purwe land buddhism; similar to tang style; Amida Buddha believed to live in Western paradise and greet those with good karma to the after life in pure land Buddhism; inside the pheonix hall

Subject:

Title: Descent of Amida with Divine Attendants
Period: Early 12th century
Material: triptych - ink on panels
Site: Mount Koya

Subject:

Function: raigo painting (aka welcome painting) which shows the amida buddha welcoming people into western paradise; amida buddha is central with various bodhisattvas surrounding yhe buddha with the two major bodhisattvas on either side; bodhisattva is holding a lotus and people are meant to follow him to the western paradise; shows tang style with roiund face, three wrinkles on the neck; the background shows curved lines which dds a flowing look to the piece—> depicting japanese landscape; firm even lines for the painting; uses various colors in buddhist images; the drapery elegantly falls over the buddha; bodhisattvas are decorated in jewelry and different garments; lotus bodhisattva (compassion) welcomes the deceased; he wears a headdress with seated and standing buddha shown on the headdress; two panels on the side shows minor bodhisattvas and entertainers; also realistic landscape elements shown;

Context: inside the pheonix building

Content:

Title: Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji)
Period: Muromachi Period
Site: Rokuon-ji, Kyoto
Material: wood covered in gold

Function: buddhist temple with buddhist sculpture on the side

Style: combines both Japanese and chinese architectural ideas; pond in front is manmade with islands around it; exterior wall of the pavilion completely covers the golden wall; has to be restore every couple of decades; main floor is detached from the gorun (granary structure type style supported by wooden posts); top originally covered with leaves and bark, but after being created into a buddhist temple it changed into the tile roofs. Three floors include; first floor: meditation room; 2nd: amida image 3rd: bodhisattvas on top because they were popular; bracket system seen to support the roof; windows on the third floor with rounded windows (adopted from the tnag dynasty); general building form kept the same in the restorations other than minor changes;

Context: originally wasn’t a temple structure (wasn’t a religious building at first, but retreat for generals)

Subject:

Title: Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku ji)
Period: Muromachi
Site: Jishoji, Kyoto
Material: wood

function: buddhist prayer, tea rituals and making medicine

Style: buddhist image on teh second floor and meditation room on teh first floor; there are sliding doors that open to the scenery and the gardens; bell windows again adopted from tang dynasty; overlooking an artificaial landscape; the roofs use the bracket system and is made of tile like the kinkakuji; again, the building is elevated from the ground; the gardens has a stone arrangment arranged by buddhit monks every morning as part of their meditation for zen buddhist practice; also shows a balcony where people could overlook the scenery

context: grandson followed his grandfathers idea; smaller than the kinkakuji; doesn’t actually have silver like the ginkakuji; was for zen buddhism practice; name may have been created to explain the moon light reflecting off the buildings dark exterior of black lacquer creating a silver appearancel

subject:

Title: Garden of Daisenin
Site: Daitoku-ji, Kyoto
Period: Muromachi

Function

Style: dry land scape is very important to create small garden setings because zen buddhism is more personal. naturalistic flowing arrangements to create a sense of tranquility and uses rocks to create a look of mountains and the sand is arranged in a pattern to look like waves of water; extremely small and personal; creates a miniatur landscape scene in the small setting because people facing the landscapes could get status and give up their rational way of thinking to achieve enlightment status (must concentrate their mind to reach this status and gain enlightenment);

Context: reflects zen buddhist idea and was a space for meditation; meditation done in a personal/intimate setting;

Content:

Title: Catching a Catfish with a Gourd
Artist: Josetsu
Period: Muromachi
Material: hanging scroll; ink and light color on silk

Function:

Style: hand scroll painting; the foreground and background are separated by the mist in the piece; the negative space draws attention to the figure in the foreground, the washes of the piece also create a sense of depth; the foreground remains fairly simplistic with one one bamboo shoot and thee man above a singular fish; the catfish represents the emperors rhetorical question as the man tries to no avail to catch the catfish with the gourd; the painting itself is very minimal in color; utilizes washes to create some depth as well as lines to create some texture (the reeds on the side; the man himself is quite squat and hunched over; the clothes on him create folds and depth through the dagger lines and subtle shading; however it’s far from realistic. ko’an—> paintings supplemented with commentary.

Context: one of the earliest ink wash paintings in japan; accompanied by inscriptions above it; commissioned by the emperor at the time; the writing is a nonsensical riddle and the painter was meant to represent the writing (emperor asked how does one catch a catfish with a gourd); follows Chinese style for the composition with the landscapes in one corner; brush works also use angular lines from this time period in china; ink wash for landscape

Subject: depicts as old man in ragged clothes with a bottle gourd next to a narrow winding stress; bamboo in the foreground and mountains in the background

Title: Landscape in the haboku technique
Artist: Sesshu Toyo
Period: Muromachi, 1495
Material: hanging scroll; ink on paper

Function:

Style: haboku (broken incr) doesn’t use outlines, but areas of splashed ink wash and layers of ink shading creating 3D effects. while you’re left with the impression of a landscape, it is still a fairly abstract piece; calligraphy lines in the background create simplistic images of hiuses/temples. the piece is broken up into a foreground and a background, with negative space evoking mist helping to break up the major images of mountains and trees. the high contrast piece draws attention to the major figures. layer the ink also adds to the depths of the piece; the abstract naturalistic pieces contrast the human made images which are more crispin design and clearly can be made out what they are. The foreground utilizes darker inks, while the background blends into the negative space with lighter washes. vertical format with poems above it; brushwork follows Chinese tradition; also uses hatsuboku technique (splash ink); creates incredibly dynamic shapes and fluid; artist randomly splashes ink and adds stroke on to to create the landscape

Context: the seal of the piece has rougher paper around it, suggesting the seal may have been tampered with over times.

Subject:

Title: View of the "Dry Landscape" Garden of the Ryoanji
Period: Momoyama
Site: Kyoto

Function: it’s an expression of a pure form of abstract composition meant to incite meditation

Style: dry rock garden consisting of rocks and pebbles as opposed to vegetation and water created on the grounds of temples for encouraging contemplation; white gravel represents flowing elements such as waterfalls or rivers, while the rocks evoke something of islands or bridges. stones are raked. minimal vegetation is included in the design. The gravel, rocks, and moss of this garden and the earthy tones of clay walls contrast the foliage beyond it evokign stillness and contempation for meditation. covered in sandstones and seven rocks to symbolize an island (uses stones of different colors, textures, etc of rocks to create mountain imitations); concentrate mind to focus on natural scenes to reach status of enlightenment;

Context: associated with zen buddhism (for reflection and meditation) as zen buddhist ideas have ppl gaining enlightenment through self introspection and personal experience in daily life; inspired by both Japanese and Chinese culture taking inspiration from both shinto and chan buddhis; also evokes the monochromatic style n Chinese landscape paintings.

Subject:

Title: Himeji Castle (Castle of the White Swans)
Period: Momoyama (began in 1581 and completed in 1609)
Site: Hyogo

Function:

Style: on a stone foundation and is surrounded by three moats and paths designed to lead visitors to deadends and fated entrys.; shows power and wealth; black and white exterior reflects aspects of samurai life as it has tearooms for samurai as well as stages for dance performances. illustrates japanese castle architecture with both defensive and architectural features associated w japan. Curved halls of himeji resemplw giant fans. Princeipal material was wood and stone. Feudal crests install throughout the architecture; the white exterior resembles a bird taking flight; multiple layered roofs seen; extremely tall castle (five stories); lots of function: watch tower—> advantage over enemies; headquarters for generals (refuge place); unique coloring (all white) —> referred to castl;e of the white swan—> stands out against background—> easy to sight; extremely strong materials to protect the cattle; tall stone base to increase stability; tile roof prevents castle from catching fire; extremely small windows so enemies couldn’t enter easily through the windows; wall leading towards the walkway has hold in geometric shapes so soldiers could shoot at enemies; multiple layer doors;

Context: symbols of power; located a top a hill allowing warlords to have a view of the surrounding terrain, as well as giving them the high ground in battle; screen paintings becoming more popular as sliding doors provided privacy and were often covered in painted images

Subject:

Title: Cypress Trees
Artist: Kanō Eitoku
Period: Momoyama
Material: eight-fold screen; color, gold leaf, and ink on paper

Function:

Style: blue and gold style seen—> extremely decorative; creates contrast and realism for the details of trees and leaves; close up style shown (cuts off the compositive); unique composition for the backgrounds; gold reflects the ligth coming into the room; sloght shading creates a 3D effecting. the puigment was placed on the gold through the use of adhesive glue; the gold helps break up the composition separating the main subject in the fooreground (the tree) from the mountains. the tree extrends from one corning guilding the viewers eye from bottom right to the left of the piece; very detailed and complex on the right side of the composition and becomes more space as you move left; shading helps create a 3D effect; high contrasting colors balance the composition; depth and variation seen in the bark through the moss depicted on the surface of the tree as well as the shading on the bark; the tree is highly irregular in the way it curves around the screen, making a very engaging composition for generals to view

Context: commissioned from generals; since viewed from a tatami mat most likely, the composition is very close and from a lower angle.

Subject:

Title: Pine Wood
Artist: Hasegawa Tōhaku
Period: Momoyama
Material: pair of six-fold screens; ink on paper

Function: for privacy

Style: screen painting (for privacy; depicts silhouette of pine tree within the mist; the simple brushwork helps give the impression of the pine trees, however, the ink blurs outward creating a mysterious effect; large negative space allows the viewers to fill in the space with their imagination; monochrome colors; layering the ink creates a bold effect for trees closer to the foreground; the ink is allowed to spread naturally adding an abstract effect; the two darkest pine trees automatically capture the eyes of the viewer before they start exploring the fading trees in the background; details in the leaves are created with quick lines adding to a somewhat abstract part of this piece; the leaves are whispy showing quick brush strokes; the roots contrast the leaves as they’re very clearly defined with a singular stroke; texture is created by layerong the ink both in the leaves and the bark (open space in the bark gives the impression of depth in the bark and variation in color seen in natural bark)

Context:

Subject:

Title: Deer Scroll
Artist: Tawaraya Sōtatsu
Period: Momoyama
Material: hand scroll; gold and silver pigment and ink on paper

Function:

Style: very simple painting with calligraphy; unique in the long way it is—> scroll painting; poetry and painting combined together; text integrated into the work; deconstructed composition seen—> every parts of the painting is mixed with the poetry; deer arranged in a way to cover the entire scroll; writing and painted image serve as compositional elements; not landscape. shows close up composition; lots of line variation show demonstrating the flowing nature of the brush that created the ink; the poetry is in a darker ink than the deer, blending the deer into the background somewhat; simple flowing lines used to create the outline of the deer—> not very realistic; quite place, however dynamic in how the deers are portrayed prancing throughout the composition; kanji and kana combined in this painting (two traditions mixing in this composition); focuses on the deer by not painting a landscape

Context: Buddhist monk painting (reflects idea from zen buddhism)

Subject:

Title: Irises
Artist: Ōgata Kōrin
Period: Edo; 1701
Material: pair of six-panel byōbu; color with gold leaf on paper

Function: used for privacy

Style: very bold colors seen being used—> high contras between the purple and the green; densely shown irises surrounded by very empty space—> negative space allows the viewer to fill in their composition with the background; one subject; unique placement of flowers—> flowers seen floating on the golden background; very flat colors—> dimension shown through overlapping figures. some subtle change in color among the flowers; the leaves are fairly naturalistic in the way the leaves move; background is quite abstract in comparison to the irises. The dramatic contrast is further encouraged by the composition, color, and abstract; screen printing style

Context:

Subject:

Title: Red and White Plum Blossoms
Artist: Ōgata Kōrin
Period: Edo, 1710-1716
Material: pair of two-panel byōbu; color, gold and silver leaf on paper

Function:

Style: applied gold foil on the screen paper and painted landscapes on the piece; shows luxury life of these people and reflects the light illuminating the interior space. since gold and silver foil was heard to paint on, Japanese painters used glue to stick the pigment to the screen. close up perspective: zoomes in a single aspect of the piece and cuts the top parts of the landscape; angle is low because people would sit on tatami image to view these screens; plum blossoms seen on either side next to an extremely abstract river; center of composition is a stream in a zig zag shape with spiraling lines representing the waves of the water (abstract depiction; looks. almost flat); the plum blossom are quite realistic; top of tree nit shown; few sparce red blossoms break up the very green/brown colors primarily being used in the piece; the moss and color variation on the bark adds to the realism of the piece; the streams act more decorative compared to the realistic trees; the flowers are turned in different directions and has subtle changed in colors to create a 3D effect. empty background also contrasts the realisnm of the flowers; two types of flowers shown (red and white) angular branches contrast the softness of the petals.

Context: commissioned from generals;

Subject:

Title: Night Pilgrimage
Artist: Suzuki Harunobu (founded representation of everyday life)
Period: Edo
Material: polychrome wood block print

Function:

Style: multiple wood block creates dufferebt color in one composition; bright colors being used in the people; idealized image of a women through the light skin, elongated face and very thin body; women holds a parasol to prevent the sun; realist depiction of women activities; dark line outline the major features; the kimono flows in the composition; empty facial expression; very thin eye browns, eyes and small mouth shown (again idealized look for women); patterning on the kimono helps break up the dark color of the kimono; she has very small hands that is disproportional to the rest of her body; the bright red contrast from the shinto shrine ties into the women’s kimono with the accents of red on the outline of the piece; additionally, the dark trees in the background also contrasts the red of the shrine. the trees blend into the background by not focusing heavily on their details, unlike the kimono of the women; her hair is broken up by white lines, making it more realistic;

Context: common people could get access to painting and heshows common peoples everyday life in his compositions (everyday person going to shinto shrine)

Subject:

Title: Mount Fuji Seen below a Wave at Kanagawa
Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Period: Edo
Material: polychrome wood block print

Function:

Style: very flat colors (no subtile shading seen) color variation s shown through distinct lines separing the different blues and whites being used. however, whites and blues are somewhat blended together in the way the white drags down into the blue ocean. the background is relatively simple (just orange and white) to keep the attention on the wave and balance the piece. the boast helps break up the composition and create depth with overlapping features, making it a less flat composition; mist falls down from the main wave adding subtle details moving towards realism in that way; contrates on the landscapes; the mount fuji depicts every day people’s life in showing people in canoes in a storm; uses a close composition to show the fisherman;

Context: part of a series (36) depicting mt fuji in different ways, however mt fuji doesn’t appear to be the main subject of the painting, rather focusing on the giant wave in comparison to the small mt fuji; wood block painting allowed common people to get art displayed in their house as these paintings could be mass produced so people could buy them for fairly cheap; hokusai trained as a painter but devoted his career to prin t making;

Subject: