Chinese and Korean Art

In 1974, a young peasant dug for well but he unearthed 7000 buried terracotta soldiers.

* Found in shaanxi

* Guarded the tomb of Emperor Shihuangdi 

- Ruthless leader who united States of China

* Carried daggers, swords, spears, and axes

* No one knew about

* At one time, bore paint, but now due to elements is mostly missing

Also found at site

* Horse drawn chariots

- Wooden parts disintegrated

* Weapons constructed out of early bronze

* Most of the weapons have been collected and kept out of the exhibition for safety reasons

* Unfortunately, most of weapons are not featured in work today for safety reasons

Xie He: Writer, Historian, Critic

Established Six principles of Chinese painting

* Spirit resonance

* Bone Method

* Correspondence to the object

* Suitability to type 

* Division and planning

* Transmission by copying

| Spirit resonance - the overall energy of a work of art

* Xie He believed that without this principle, there was no need to look further

* Bone Method - a way of using the brush

- Closely linked to calligraphy and inseparable from painting

- Calligraphers were highly honored in China, calligraphers had to sit very tall and have very firm posture, practicing strokes with brush

The Arts of Korea

* Although Korea is in between China and Japan, Korean art is distinct

The three kingdoms period - The Arts of Korea

* The three kingdoms period saw the establishment of three independent nation-states: 

- Silla 

- Baekje (Unified Silla)

- Goguryeo

* Large mounds built during the 5th and 6th centuries are enduring monuments of this period. 

Three Kingdoms: Silla

* Head dress made only for burial

* Assembled from thin pieces of gold sheet

* Ornaments suggest wings or feathers

* Found in the "Old Crown tomb"

* Crown suggests path to new world, as it shows wings

Unified Silla

* Ex: Seated Buddha

* Found in Sekguram

- Artificial cave (carved out of side of mountain) temple modeled after Chinese cave temples

* Almost floating

* Made of cut blocks of granite

* More than 11ft. in hight

Three Kingdoms: Goguryeo

Ex: Maebyeong Bottle

* Use a celadon-high fired glaze of pale, bluish green hue typically applied over gray stoneware invented in China

* Korean potters experimented with glazes

* Goryeo celadons rivaled best Chinese court ceramics-- people from all parts of life were able to enjoy them. Everyone was allowed to have them.

Extra definitions

  • Terra cotta soldiers - Lifesize soldiers found in Shaanxi that guards the tomb of Emperor Shihuangdi.

  • Shaanxi - North central province of the People's Republic of China.

  • Xie He - A Chinese writer and art historian famous for his Six Principles of Chinese painting.

  • Spirit Resonance - The overall energy of a work of art.

  • Bone Method - The way of using the brush, the link between handwriting and personality.

  • Three Kingdoms Period - Three independent nation-states including Stilla, Baekje, and Goguryeo.

  • Celadon glaze - a high fire glaze used during the Goguryeo period.