Asian Art: Exploring Japanese Art

Japanese Art

Introduction

  • The lesson will explore Japanese art, particularly during the 19th century.
  • The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai:
    • A popular colored woodcut from 1831.
    • Summarizes characteristics of Japanese art:
      • Focus on nature's simplicity, beauty, and power.
      • Expressive power of nature over humanity.
    • Most Japanese art uses ink with a brush and diluted grays, on mulberry paper or silk.

Lesson Objectives

  • Evaluate the technique of Japanese ink painting.
  • Examine the art in different periods of Japanese history.
  • Discuss characteristics of Japanese Zen gardens.

Key Terms

  • Ink painting
  • Muromachi period
  • Seshu
  • Momoyama period
  • Edo period
  • Maruyama Okyo School
  • Zen

Japanese Ink Paintings

  • Many Japanese paintings are ink paintings using water-soluble black ink.
  • The ink can be diluted with water for lighter gray tonalities.

Japanese Scrolls Example

  • Two Japanese scrolls were written by Ikaiu in the 15th century during the Muromachi period.
  • The Japanese writings are called characters.
  • One scroll says, "Do no evil," and the other says, "Perform every good."
  • This is an example of calligraphy where script writing is transformed into a visual performance.
Scroll Description
  • Read from top down.
  • The artist begins with a clear shin style rendering.
  • The script evolves to the geo style in the middle and then to the sew style at the bottom.
  • This evolution reflects the artist's immediate changes and experiences.
  • Areas of white are left untouched due to the speed of the brush stroke, known as flying white.
  • Producing "flying white" requires speed and resolution, showing a preconscious understanding of the calligraphy.
  • The artist exists in the moment with no hesitation, capturing spontaneity prized in Japanese art.

Muromachi Period

  • Winter Landscape by Seshu (1470s):
    • Seshu was a famous artist during this period.
    • Forceful style with jagged brush strokes delineating rocky hills.
    • Overlapping planes creating a fractured composition.
    • White areas indicate snow, while grays suggest the sky.
    • Expresses the harshness and chill of winter.

Momoyama Period

  • Historical reference:
    • Civil war spread throughout Japan, exposing flaws in the political system.
    • Samurai were loyal to their feudal lords (similar to city-states in Europe).
    • Battles grew more frequent.
    • A powerful feudal lord was needed to unite Japan, otherwise civil war would continue.
    • In the early 1600s, Western influence, including European warfare techniques (musket and cannon), was introduced.
  • Himeji Castle (White Heron Castle):
    • Fortified castle perched on a hill.
    • European influence in warfare technology.
    • Difficult to access with maze-like walkways and paths fortified by large walls.
    • Slows enemies down and allows preparation.
    • New development in architecture.
  • Despite the turmoil, this period was one of the most creative in Japanese art history.

Edo Period

  • Characterized by different schools or styles of painting.
  • Maruyama Okyo School:
    • European influence of volume.
    • Unlike earlier flat art, this school incorporated dimension.
    • Example: Artwork by Okio (1765), showing volume with dark tonalities and highlights on a tree trunk.
    • Okio studied Western paintings and incorporated volume.

Japanese Zen Gardens

  • Elegant, simplistic, profound, and personal.
  • Result of disciplined meditation and manual labor.
  • Associated with Zen Buddhism, which entered Japanese culture in the late 12th century.
  • Zen monasteries were self-sufficient.
  • Monks were responsible for their physical and spiritual needs.
  • Simple tasks (weeding, raking, washing clothes) provided opportunities for meditation and reflection.
  • Tasks were done with a sense of perfection.
  • Zen Buddhism seeks enlightenment through meditation and self-discovery in the present.
  • Zen gardens are an opportunity for reflection and meditation.

Characteristics of Zen Gardens:

  • A particular garden dimensions are approximately 29 \times 70 feet.
  • Boundaries are low plastered walls.
  • Natural environment in the background is borrowed scenery.
  • Stones exist in islands of moss.
  • The rest of the garden is barren with gravel.
  • Lines are raked into the garden for exploration and meditation.
  • Can be interpreted as islands in the sea, mountains above clouds, or constellations.
  • The austere beauty invites meditation onto the path of enlightenment.

Lesson Objectives Review

  • Evaluate the technique of Japanese ink painting.
  • Examine art in different periods of Japanese history.
  • Discuss characteristics of Japanese Zen gardens.

Conclusion

  • Artwork: Bull and Puppy by Rosetsu (18th century).
  • Japanese art progressed through various periods, but certain characteristics remained.
  • Focus on nature, landscapes, simplicity, beauty, the quest for perfection, and perception of oneself in the present moment.