Art History II
Instructor Dustin M Price
Japan
-The era when members of the Ashikaga
family occupied the position of shogun is
known as the Muromachi period (13921573), named after the district in Kyoto
where their headquarters was located
- This period is also known as the Ashikaga
era
- the Muromachi period was economically
and artistically innovative. This epoch saw
the first steps in the establishment of
modern commercial, transportation, and
urban developments
- Contact with China, which had been
resumed in the Kamakura period, once
again enriched and transformed Japanese
thought and aesthetics
Su Dongpo in Straw Hat and Wooden Shoes,
Muromachi period
-One of the imports that was to have a farreaching impact was Zen Buddhism
Japan
-Although known in Japan since the
seventh century, Zen was enthusiastically
embraced by the military class beginning in
the thirteenth century and went on to have a
profound effect on all aspects of national
life, from government and commerce to the
arts and education
- The samurai were highly fond of Zen
philosophy The military elite dominated
Japanese politics, economics, and social
policies between the twelfth and nineteenth
centuries
-Known as bushi or samurai, these warriors,
who first appear in historical records of the
tenth century, rose to power initially through
their martial prowess—in particular, they
were expert in archery, swordsmanship,
and horseback riding
Japan
- Pure Land Buddhism which had been
introduced earlier remained popular but Zen
became the dominant cultural force in
Japan among the ruling class
- The private villas that the Ashikaga
shoguns built there served as elegant
settings for the pursuit of art and culture.
- During the Muromachi period brightly
covered narrative hand scrolls continued to
be produced but ink painting in its
monochromatic grays and blacks,
introduced to Japan from the continent
became the most popular type of brush art
Portrait sculpture of a Zen priest, Muromachi period
(1392–1573), 14th–15th century
Japan
Lacquered wood
- Muromachi in painting was highly
influenced by Zen aesthetics
-Japan’s first great master of ink was the
monk-artist Shubun
Japan
- Shubun is known for his influence and his
pupils work but no actual works of art by
him are known
- One of his students, Bunsei has two
surviving landscape paintings one of which
Landscape you can see to the left
-You can see heavy Korean influences
within the work and because the Koreans
copied many Ming Dynasty Chinese works,
you can also see their influence
-Sesshu (next slide) was another of
Shubun’s students, Sesshu is believed to
have outshined his master and is now
known as one of the greatest Japanese
painters of all time
- Although they completed training to
become Zen monks Shubun and his
followers specialized in art rather than
religious ritual or teaching
Landscape Sesshu
Winter Landscape Sesshu 1470’s
Zen Rock Garden
- Dry gardens began to be built in the 15th
and 16th centuries in Japan
-Zen rock gardens, or karesansui
(translated as "dry-mountain-water"),
originated in Japan and are renowned
for their simplicity and serenity
- Zen monks in Japan lead simple monastic
lives, they meditated daily, and engaged in
manual labor to provide for themselves and
maintain their temple properties
- Many Zen temples constructed dry
landscape courtyard gardens
- Creating, maintaining, and cleaning these
gardens was a kind of active meditation
- The most famous of these can be found in
Kyoto at the 15th-century Ryoanji, the
Temple of the Peaceful Dragon
Zen Rock Garden
-"While there are other similar gardens of
great beauty," says James Ulak, curator of
Japanese art at Smithsonian's Freer and
Sackler galleries, "Ryoanji remains the ursite of the type—powerful, abstract, Zen
Buddhist landscapes designed to invoke
deep meditation.“
-Measuring 98 by 32 feet, the Ryoanji
garden is about the size of a tennis court
and is composed solely of 15 large and
small rocks, some encircled by moss,
grouped in five clusters on a bed of
carefully raked white sand. From a
distance, the rocks resemble islands, the
sand a tranquil sea
- Many feel the rocks do represent land
masses or islands in the sea, or mountain
peaks resting above clouds, even a
constellation of stars and planets
Zen Rock Garden
-In 2002, a research team at Kyoto
University claimed to have cracked the Zen
code. Relying on computer models, they
found that the garden's rocks—when
viewed from the proper angle—
subconsciously evoke the tranquil outline of
a branching tree
-Over the centuries, however, visitors have
discerned images as diverse as a tigress
escorting her cubs across water and the
Chinese character for "heart" or "mind."
Since the anonymous designer left no
explanation, the garden's exact meaning
remains a mystery, which no doubt
contributes to its enduring allure
- Nowadays, (from what I hear) it is overrun
by tourists so any attempt at using the
facility to meditate is disrupted by people
laughing and talking and camera flashes
The Tea Ceremony
-Tea was introduced to Japan in the 9th
century, Zen monks used it for meditation
and others felt it had medicinal properties
- The Japanese ritual of drinking tea “The
Tea Ceremony” has no counterpart in
Western culture
- What we commonly refer to as the
“Japanese tea ceremony” is called
chanoyu ( lit. "tea hot-water") or also
chado or sado ("the way of tea") in
Japanese
- the Japanese tea ceremony is a
multifaceted traditional activity in which
powdered green tea, called matcha, is
ceremonially prepared and served to others
- Interestingly, Zen Buddhism was integral
to its development, and this influence
pervades many aspects of it
The Tea Ceremony
By the 16th century, tea drinking had
spread to all levels of society in Japan.
During this time, Sen no Rikyu, perhaps the
most well-known historical figure in tea
ceremony, perfected his teachings
- He is largely responsible for the aesthetic
of modesty, refinement, and rusticity
-The principles set forward by Sen no Rikyu
harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility are still central to the tea ceremony
- These ideals influenced the Tearoom (next
slide) a traditional tearoom combines simple
elegance and rusticity. It is made of natural
materials such as bamboo and wood
Tea Bowl, Called Mount Fuji Hon’ami Koetsu
- Every utensil connected with tea, including
the water pot, the kettle, the bamboo spoon,
whisk, tea caddy is important but the tea
bowl is by far the most important
video
Exam III
Vocab:
Zen rock gardens, or karesansui
Japanese Tea Ceremony, or chanoyu
Artwork:
Winter Landscape Sesshu 25-3
Ryoanji Rock Garden 25-4
Tea Bowl, Called Mount Fuji Hon’ami
Koetsu 25-8
The Great Wave Katsushika Hokusai
25-12
Read pages 943 – 959 by Monday