Chinese Art before 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 – 2000 BCE; Neolithic China -c – 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

Image of a deity from a cong; Schematic drawing of a cong; Jade 3½ X 6⅞“; Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, before 3000 BCE taotie; name of this ancient mask motif cong; object resembling a cylindrical tube encased in a rectangular block

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 – 1700 BCE; Xia c – 1100 BCE; Shang c – 221 BCE; Zhou -bronze piece-mold casting developed independently in China and reached unparalleled excellence there

Fang ding; Bronze; height 24 ½“; Shang dynasty, Anyang period, c. 12th century BCE 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

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; 1 st 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 1 st unified China (united under a single ruler) -Qin Dynasty: 221 – 206 BCE -1 st emperor built mausoleum at Lintong with life-size terra cotta soldier army; discovered by accident in 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

Painted banner Colors on silk height 6‘ 8½" Han dynasty, c. 160 BCE 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

Incense burner; Bronze with gold inlay height 10 ½“; Han dynasty, 113 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

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)

Tomb model of a house; Painted earthenware 52 X 33½ X 27“; Eastern Han dynasty, 1st– mid-2nd century CE -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

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 1 st 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

Wang Xizhi Portion of a letter Ink on paper 9¾ X 18½" Six Dynasties period, mid-4th century CE 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

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

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) – 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

Fan Kuan Travelers Among Mountains and Streams Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk height 6' 9½“; Northern Song dynasty, early 11th century CE 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

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

Guan ware vase Gray stoneware with crackled grayish blue glaze height 6 ⅝" Southern Song dynasty, 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

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