1. Chapter 7: China and Korea to 1279
Nadia DelMedico, Crystal Poole, Kelly Tappan
Period 3 AP Art History, Ms. Packer

2. Key Concepts Innovations and Artworks of Neolithic China
Large, multifamily houses were uncovered at archeological sites. These houses had pens for domesticated animals, pottery kilns, storage pits, and cemeteries.
Much of the art was made for funerary purposes, such as the “earthenware” bowls and silk banners for coffins.
For example, The First Emperor of Quin was a massive tomb filled with more than 6,000 life-sized terracotta figures. This tomb led to the creation of many more as time went on.
The Han Dynasty introduced the “rubbing” technique, which was used on reliefs to transfer the design to paper.
Architecture was very grandiose with lacquered wood walls and mural paintings. Their empires were embellished with extravagant wooden structures and gold, silver, and bronze. There were large scale projects that opposed this norm, for example, a massive rock cut relief, which emphasized simplicity over detail.

3. Key Concepts Art & Architecture of the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han
Shang Dynasty ( BCE)
Royal burials at Anyang provide examples of Chinese art at the time: statuary, weapons, jade, ivory, lacquer, gold, silver, and bronze are all found in the king's tomb
This dynasty is known for the casting of elaborate bronze vessels that served as containers for ritual offerings in divination ceremonies
gong (covered libation vessel for sacrificial rites) is made of bronze during this time
animal motifs are common during this dynasty
Zhou Dynasty ( BCE)
Art from this dynasty is indistinguishable from the Shang Dynasty until the 4th century BCE when new designs arose
Carved jade reached its technical zenith. Even after the invention of bronze tools, Chinese sculptors largely relied on grinding and abrasion rather than drilling and chiseling due to the intricacy of their designs.
jade was a symbol of fortitude, moral perfection, and rank
bi disks were found made of jade (symbolized the circle of heaven and were collected and traded)
dragons became a big symbol during this time and were often found on bi disks (symbolizing the unification of heaven and earth)

4. Key Concepts Art & Architecture of the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han
 Qin Dynasty ( BCE)
Began construction of the Great Wall in the north
Terra cotta figures found in the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin
The figures are almost all unique because they were made by assembling pieces from varying molds, they are noted for the formalism and realism of detail
Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 581CE)
Traded as far as Rome through the Silk Road, bringing influence from other cultures
Painting on silk
Pictorial narratives are carved into stone walls of shrines
No Han buildings survive, but models of houses found in tombs and representations from paintings and carvings give historians an idea of the architectural style
Architectural style: walls do not bear the weight of the building, and are merely screens that separate the inside from the outside

5. Key Concepts Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Art and Architecture
Buddhism traveled to China via the Silk Road during the Period of Disunity
Buddha's are a common symbol in Chinese art (usually shown meditating with legs crossed and palms together)
Buddhist temples were built along the Silk Road where great carvings of the Buddha can be found
Early Chinese Buddhist statues were of bronze
the Shakyamuni Buddha is the first known Chinese representation of a Buddha
Chan Buddhism was created in China during the Song Dynasty
Sixth Chan Patriarch Chopping Bamboo by Liang Kai

6. Key Concepts Materials and Formats Used by Chinese Painters
Round tapered brushes
Soot-based ink
Silk, Paper, Walls
Colored minerals for pigments, finely ground and suspended in a gluey medium
Watery washes of mineral and vegetable dyes
Formats are personal and intimate, designed to be viewed by only one or two people at a time.
Hanging Scrolls, hung vertically for display on walls
Handscrolls, long and narrow scrolls the viewer would unroll horizontally in sections from right to left
Album leaves, small panels painted on paper leaves then stored in albums
Fans, usually stiff and round or arched and folding
Lohans Giving Alms to Beggars by Zhou Jichang

7. Key Concepts Art & Architecture of the Tang and Song Dynasties
Tang Dynasty (618 CE – 907 CE)
A period of unequaled magnificence, with an influx of foreign people, wealth, and ideas
Built large scale sculptures such as Vairocana Buddha at Luoyang, which is 44 ft. tall
Developed curved roofs supported by a complex grid of beams and brackets that supported the overhanging eaves
The golden age of Chinese figure painting
The Thirteen Emperors by Yan Liben
Song Dynasty (960 CE – 1279 CE)
Most technologically advanced society in the world in the early second millennium
Landscape painting at its zenith
Fan Kuan a pioneer in accurately depicting light, shade, distance, and texture in his hanging scrolls
The Song Dynasty was interrupted by the Liao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty saw developments in architecture such as the Foguang Si Pagoda

8. Key Concepts Korean Contributions to Art & Architecture
Much of their art was based on Chinese models.
The artisanship was high quality, demonstrated in the Silla Crown from a tomb near Kyongju. It was cut from sheet gold and embossed along the edges with jade. It was thought to symbolize life and supernatural power. The style was very intricate.
Most of the Buddhist temples did not survive the test of time; however, near the summit of Mount Toham, a granite Buddhist monument is preserved with high quality reliefs. There is an eleven foot tall Buddha carved from a single block of granite.
Crown from Kyongju, Korea

9. Significant Artworks Bi Disk with Dragons from Luoyang, China
Name: Bi Disk with Dragons
Date: ca. fourth to third century BCE
Period/Style: Eastern Zhou Dynasty
Artist: Unknown
Material/Technique: Nephrite, a species of Jade, grinded, pierced, and engraved
Function: Symbols of circle of Heaven that were status symbols in both life and afterlife
Context: The Chinese started using nephrite in the Neolithic period for its beauty, hardness, and toughness. These qualities became metaphors for the fortitude and moral superiority of the beholder. Nephrite was also believed to have magical properties that protected the dead.
Description: The circle is decorated with dragons on the outside and the inside of the drilled hole in the center. The detailing is ornate with natural, fluid lines.
Ideas: Dragons are symbols of good fortune in East Asia, hence their popularity in artwork. They also symbolized the ability to meditate between heaven and earth, as dragons flew between the two realms to bring rain.
Bi Disk with Dragons from Luoyang, China

10. Significant Artworks Army of the First Emperor of Qin from Lintong, China
Name: Army of the first emperor of Quin
Date: ca. 210 BCE
Period/Style: The Zhou and Qin Dynasties
Artist: Ordered by the First Emperor of Qin, a large army of artisans was needed (more than 700,000) 
Material/Technique: terracotta soldiers. All were produced from common molds, yet each figure has an individualized appearance.
Function: Funerary palace for the emperor that resembled the palace the emperor occupied in real life. 
Context: Became a model for many future tombs because many less large-scale tombs were excavated.
Description: Over 6,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers with varying stances, garments, equipment, and facial features. Bronze horses and chariots were also present.
Ideas: The blend of uniformity and individuality may suggest ideals of the culture during the era. "The whole is only as great as the sum of its parts."

11. Significant Artworks Shakyamuni Buddha from Sokkuram, Korea
Name: Shakyamuni Buddha, in the rotunda of the cave temple, Sokkuram, Korea
Date: CE
Period/Style: Unified Silla Kingdom
Artist: Commissioned by Kim Tae-song, a member of the royal family and prime minister
Material/Technique: Full round subtractive carving in granite stone
Function: Centerpiece of a Buddhist monument
Context: Representative of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, and faces the entrance to the chamber. The Buddha touches his hand to the earth as a symbol of the moment of his enlightenment.
Description: Broad shouldered, rounded features, meditative position, frontal, symmetrical
Ideas: Statue and monument demonstrate the importance of Buddhism to Koreans during that period, as they believed the Buddhist shrines and monuments were supernatural defenses against physical threats.
Shakyamuni Buddha from Sokkuram, Korea

12. Comparative Analysis Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 5
Three Revelers amphora
Archaic period, Ca.510 BCE
narrative, human subjects
red-figure painting
material is ceramic
Foreshortening employed
has handles
wider opening
design only in one panel
Maebyong Vase, Koryo Dynasty Ca
decorative, not narrative
made of celadon
subject is nature, cranes
varying thicknesses of glaze to create tonal variation
partially engraved
seamless pattern all around vase
Similarities
both glazed
repeated geometric designs
vessels that can hold something
show same species of figure in different, unusual positions, studies of form
rounded, hourglass and half hourglass shapes