ARTH-212 – History of World Art 2
Instructor: Ann Porter
Office: 304A
Phone: 642-6275
E-mail: AnnPorter@bhsu.edu
Chinese and Korean Art, pages 830-849
Jenghiz Khan c. 1162-1227
Yuan Literati Painting (1271-1368), pages 832-835
The late Yuan Dynasty signified a change in literari style. Four Great Masters of the Yuan
Dynasty emerged -- Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan and Wang Meng, and gave life into the
literati tradition. The Masters painted landscape on paper, rather the traditional silk. The style
focused on the literati or intellectual interpretation of the scenery rather than the actual
representation. The brush work and the expression of the artist's thoughts and feelings were more
important than the accuracy of the landscape
Huang Gongwang (Huang Kung wang) (1269-1354)
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/painting/4tpmhgw0.jpg
Wu Zhen (Wu Chen) (1280-1354)
http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/jpgs/213/JCH/Lecture15/05WuChenPineTrees.jpeg
Ni Zan (1301-1374) The Rongxi Studio, 21-2 page 835
Ni Zan was from a wealthy family and until middle age was able to devote his life to scholarship
and artistic pursuits. He built a pavilion to hold his great library and collection of antiques,
paintings, and calligraphy and entertain his many quests. A series of floods, droughts, and
consequent famine and uprisings brought this ideal existence to an end as the Yuan dynasty began
to unravel. For twenty years, beginning in 1351, Ni Can wandered with his family through the
southeast, living in a houseboat or staying with friends. Scholars read Ni Zan's paintings of
simple, almost barren, unpeopled landscapes as expressive of a longing for a simpler world.
Wang Meng (1308 - 1385)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.clevelandart.org/educef/asianodyssey/illus/1997.94.jpg&imgrefurl=h
ttp://www.clevelandart.org/educef/asianodyssey/html/5621287.html&h=162&w=230&sz=11&tbnid=2bDMi8hclMEJ:&tb
nh=72&tbnw=102&start=60&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWang%2BMeng%26start%3D40%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%
3DN
Expulsion of the Mongols, rise of the Ming
Ming Court or Professional Painting (1368-1644), pages 835-838
During the reign of the Ming, artists, scholars, poets were welcomed back to the imperial court.
These new court painters were referred to as the “Ming Academy”, though there were no
organized body of artists. Though, the Ming artists only partially succeeded in re-capturing the
greatness of the Song painters.
However, art theory and art criticism were abound in the Ming period. Dong Qichang (15551636), a painter, calligrapher, scholar and the most influential art critic of his time, classified the
different styles of paintings into two schools: the Northern and the Southern school. The Northern
school, the Zhe School, were characterized by professional artists; the Southern school, the MaXia tradition, were dominated by the literati artists. Dong criticized the Northern tradition as being
superficial and emphasized too much on fine detail that was characteristic of court painters. He
praised the literati artists, who relied on brushwork to express personal insights into the paintings
rather than to capture the likeness of the subject.
Qiu Ying (about 1494 – about 1552), Spring Dawn page 838
Chinese historical writings refer to Qiu as one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming period
(1368–1644), along with Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming and Tang Yin. He was certainly the most
versatile of the four. He was born into a humble family and studied painting with Zhou Chen in
the literary and cultural city of Suzhou, enter of the Wu school of painting. He lived and worked
on the fringes of scholarly Suzhou society. His livelihood depended solely upon his skill in
satisfying the tastes and demands of his patrons. He was, however, more fortunate than other
commercial artists in having three art collectors as patrons, with each of whom he stayed for
several years.
Ming Literati Painting (1368-1644), pages 841-843
Shen Zhou, page 842
Forbidden City, page 839
http://web.mit.edu/sloanabc/www/photo_download/2003-03_Sloan_China_Trip/outside%20the%20forbidden%20city.jpg
http://english.cas.cn/English/image/TWAS/A%20Tower%20in%20the%20Forbidden%20City.jpg
http://www.lanuevacuba.com/graficas/china-forbidden-city-b.jpg
http://www.cox-tv.com/snapshots/albums/album03/IMG_2204.jpg
Manchu invasion of Beijing 1644
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)—Orthodox & Individualist Painting, pages 843Wang Hui (1632-1717)
A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines, 21-2 page 814
Shitao (1642-1707)
Landscape, page 844
http://www.chinapage.com/painting/shitao/shitao.html
Arts of Korea, Pages 845-848
Horizontal Wine Bottle, page 845
Panoramic View of the Diamond Mountains, page 847
Picnic at the Lotus Pond, page 847
Contemporary Work
Wu Guanzhong, page 845
Gim Hwangi, page 848
Nam June Paik, page 1188
Chen Zhen
The installation artist Chen Zhen (1955–2000) thrived on creative contradiction, fusing classical Chinese
philosophy with the fractured energy of contemporary commodity culture.
http://www.canadianart.ca/online/features/2008/04/24/a-china-portal/
Art to remember for Exam:
The Rongxi Studio, 24-3
Spring Dawn, 24-6
Forbidden City, 24-9
Landscape, 24-13
Vocabulary to remember for Exam:
Literati Painting, Court Painting, Feng Shui, Confucianism, Daoism
Bibliography:
Text
Cahill, Chinese Painting; Crown, 1960
Ketchum, Arts of China; American Heritage, 1969
http://www.moifa.bravehost.com/content/history/history_yuan.htm
www.artnet.com
Art in America, Focus: China, #6 June/July 2004
Chen Zhen’s Legacy, #2 February 2003
Essay Question for Exam on Tuesday, March 24:
Discuss briefly the function and history of the Forbidden City.
Describe in detail its architectural style and decorative techniques involved.
How do these architectural details reveal issues that were important to Chinese culture at
that time?