Work
Great Stupa at Sanchi
Madhya, India
Buddhist
Sunga Dynasty
300 BCE – 100 CE
Form
Stone Masonry
Sandstone on Dome
Function
considered to be a
sepulchral
monument—a place of
burial or a receptacle
for religious objects.
Represents burial
mound of Buddha
Focal point of worship
Buddhist Shrine
Terra cotta warriors
from mausoleum of the
first Qin emperor of
China
Qin Dynasty
221-209 BCE
Painted Terra Cotta
vast underground city
guarded by a life-size
terracotta army
Content
dirt burial mound
faced with stone

A stupa is a
reliquary, and
worshippers gain
spiritual merit
through being in
proximity to its
contents
 Buddhists pray
while walking in a
clockwise or
easterly direction,
direction of the
sun’s course
 Shape of giant
hemisphere
conveys cosmic
symbolism.
 Symbol of Mt.
Meru, mountain in
center of world in
Buddist cosmology.
Axis connecting earth &
heavens
Life size terracotta
army
700 figures
Unification of China
Application of
Hierarchy of Scale
Context
Sanscrit for “heap”


Dome is replication of
dome of heaven
4 toranas at cardinal
points of compass at
entrances.
Torana: carved scene on
architrave
Ashes activated with Buddhas
energy
He is regarded as a
military genius, and
while his methods
included massacre and
destruction …bringing
the states together
justifies the violence
“Mourning Scene”
had some connection
with the afterlife.
Funeral banner of Lady
Dai (Xin Zhui)
Han Dynasty
China
180 BCE
Longmen Caves
Luoyang, China
Tang Dynasty
493-1127 CE
Painted Silk
Limestone
“name banners” used
to identify the dead
during the mourning
ceremonies, or they
may have been burial
shrouds intended to
aid the soul in its
passage to the
afterlife
Mainly carved for
individuals, then state
carvings began.
Preserve Buddhism
Affirm assimilation &
superiority
Artists made efforts to
indicate depth through
early example of
pictorial (representing the use of the
naturalistic scenes not overlapping bodies of
the mourners. They
just abstract shapes)
art in China. Secondly, also made objects in
the foreground larger,
the banner features
and objects in the
the earliest known
background smaller,
portrait in Chinese
to create the illusion of
painting
space in the mourning
hall.
Limestone cliffs
extend for almost a
mile and contain
approximately
110,000 Buddhist
stone statues
60 stupas
Buddhism, born in
India, was transmitted
to China intermittently
and haphazardly.
Starting as early as
the 1st century C.E.,
Buddhism brought to
China new images,
texts, ideas about life
and death, and new
opportunities to assert
authority
Gold & Jade crown
Three Kingdoms
Period
Silla Kingdom, Korea
5th – 6th c CE
Todai-Ji
Nara, Japan
Various Artists
including sculptors
Unkei & KeiKei
& Kei School
743 CE, rebuilt c. 1700
Metalwork
Crown, very
lightweight, maybe
used in ceremonial
occasions, perhaps
only for burial.
Silla Kingdom was
most powerful
“Country of Gold”
Bronze & Wood
(sculpture)
Wood w/ Ceramic-tile
roofing
(architecture)
“Great eastern temple”
unite various Japanese
clans under his (Shomu)
centralized rule, Shomu
also promoted spiritual
unity
Nio Guardian Figures
Antler forms
influenced by shamanic
practices in Siberia
Symbolizes geometric
trees.
Uncovered in a royal
tomb
Emphasize power of
wearer
“Spiritual rank”
Largest temple at the
time built on Japanese
soil.
was the largest building
project ever on Japanese
soil. Its creation reflects
the complex intermingling
of Buddhism and politics
in early Japan
Japan’s most celebrated
school of sculpture. It was
Protect the buddha
monument to the
Buddha
Borobudur Temple
Central Java, Indonesia
Sailendra Dynasty
c. 750-842 BCE
Volcanic-stone
masonry
Many levels of
meaning, reflecting
Buddhist cosmology
Aligned w/4 points on
compass
“City Temple”
Angkor, The temple of
Angkor Wat, and the
city of Angkor Thom
Cambodia
Hindu, Angkor Dynasty
800-1400 CE
Lakshamana Temple
Khajuraho, India
Hindu
Chandella dynasty
930-950 CE
Stone Masonry,
Sandstone
Capital of medieval
Cambodia
Classic Khmer
Architecture
Sandstone
Hindu Temple
Vishnu – Main Deity
Base has ornamental
niches.
built to impress. Twice
overall plan is that of a
three-dimensional
mandala—a diagram
of the cosmos used
for meditation
3-Layers
Pyramid
Trunk of a Cone
Stupa on Top
carved bas reliefs at
Angkor Wat,
representing eight
different Hindu stories
Corbelled roofs
Horror Vacui of
sculptural reliefs
Series of shapes that
build to become a large
tower.
Torans- stone garland
above entrances
basic structure
resembles that of a
pyramid, yet it has
been also referred to
as a caitya (shrine), a
stupa (reliquary), and
a sacred mountain. In
fact, the name
Śailendra literally
means “Lord of the
Mountain.”
largest religious
monument in the
world
dedicated to the Hindu
god Vishnu
intended to serve as
the king’s mausoleum
in death.
Sculptures have
harmonious integration
with architecture
Court Scenes &
erotica/sexual motifs.
Travelers among the
Mountains and Streams
Fan Kuan
c. 1000 CE
Ink & colors
On silk
outstanding example
of Chinese landscape
painting
expressed a cosmic
vision of man’s
harmonious existence
in a vast but orderly
universe
primarily in the service
of religion
Shiva as Lord of Dance
(Nataraja)
Hindu, India
Chola Dynasty
c. 11th Century CE
Night Attack on the
Sanjo Palace
Kamakura Period
Japan
c. 1250 – 1300 CE
Cast Bronze
Handscroll
Ink & color on paper
Shiva – most powerful
god/destroyer
composition is
expressed through the
skillful use of scale
Search for truth in
nature
Thick/Thin lines for
shading
Round face, almond
eyes, long arms.
Circle of fire
Expressive qualities of
stone temple carvings
with rich iconography
possible in bronze
casting.
Civil war depiction
Narrative read right to
left, as scroll is
unrolled
Samurai Battle in
Kyoto
Chinese viewed
mountains as sacred
and imagined them as
the abode of
immortals. The term
for landscape painting
(shanshui hua) in
Chinese is translated
as “mountain water
painting.”
sacred object that has
been taken out of its
original context
was intended to be
movable
Flame of destruction
annihilates all sound
Standing on demon of
ignorance
As scroll unrolls, time
advances
Coup where emperor is
taken prisoner
The David Vases
Yuan Dynasty, China
1351 CE
Portrait of Sin Sukju
(1417-1475)
imperial bureau of
painting
c. 15th century CE
Korea
Forbidden City
Beijing China
Ming Dynasty
15th century CE & later
White Porcelain w
Cobalt-blue underglaze
Hanging Scroll
Ink & color on silk
Offering for a general
who had been made a
god
made for the altar of a
Daoist temple and
their importance lies in
the dated inscriptions
on one side of their
necks, above the
bands of dragons
commemorated the sitter
in both life and death
High value materials
Forbidden City was
home to 24 emperors,
Stone, masonry,
marble, brick, wood, ad their families and
servants during the
ceramic tile
Ming and the Qing
dynasties.
Solidify emperors
power
White Porcelain w
Cobalt-blue underglaze
Named after person
who purchased them
most important
Dragon & floral pattern examples of blue-andwhite porcelain in
existence, and are
probably the bestknown porcelain
vases in the world
shows Sin Sukju dressed
in his official robes with a
black silk hat on his head
Political propaganda
large precinct of red
walls and yellow
(symbolic of royal
family) glazed roof
tiles located in the
heart of China’s
capital, Beijing
official honored for his
distinguished service at
court and loyalty to the
king
Korean Portrait
Conventions:
seated in a full-length
view, often with their
heads turned slightly and
only one ear showing.
Crisp, angular lines
composed of more
than 90 palace
compounds including
98 buildings and
surrounded by a moat
as wide as 52 meters.
Ryoan-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Muromachi Period
c. 1480 CE
Rock Garden
Raked Sand
Jahangir Preferring a
Sufi Shaikh to Kings
Bichitr
1620 CE
Watercolor, gold, and
ink on paper
Taj Mahal
Agra, Uttar Pradesh,
India
1632-1653 CE
Supervision of Ustad
Ahmad Lahori,
architect of Emperor
Stone Masonry &
Marble
Inlay of precious &
semiprecious stones
Gardens
Garden as a microcosm
of nature.
Zen Dry garden
Zen Wet Garden
Sufi – Islamic mystic
Jahangir favors a holy
man over kings
suitable, permanent
resting place for his
beloved wife
Grand Palace
displaying symmetry
Rocks/ Water
Peace of mind
flames of gold radiate
from the Emperor’s
head against a
background of a
larger, darker gold
disc. A slim crescent
moon hugs most of
the disc’s border,
creating a harmonious
fusion between the
sun and the moon
(thus, day and night),
and symbolizing the
ruler’s emperorship
and divine truth.
marble structure is
topped by a bulbous
dome and surrounded
by four minarets of
equal height.
Gravel acts as water,
rocks are mountain
ranges. Seen as islands
floating in a sea
Meditative focus
Sought to bring
together things from
distant lands
Showing holy men
placed above and
ranking higher than all
others
exceptional for its
monumental scale,
stunning gardens,
lavish ornamentation,
and its overt use of
white marble.
White and Red Plum
Blossoms
Ogata Korin
c. 1710-1716 CE
Under the Wave off
Kanagawa (Kanagawa
oki name ura), also
known as the Great
Wave, from the series
Thirty-Six Views of
Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai
1830-1833 CE
Painting
Ink, watercolor
& gold leaf
on paper
Polychrome
Woodblock print
Ink and color on paper
Stream cuts
rhythmically through
the scene

Concentration of a
few details
 Deeply personal
view of nature
 Emphasis on
fragile, tender, and
gentle nature
rather than
awesome,
threatening or
overwhelming
Organized into patterned
compositions
most iconic work of
Japanese art.
polychrome (multicolored) woodblock
print, made of ink and
color on paper
Ukiyo-e, which
originated as a
Buddhist term, means
"floating world" and
refers to the
impermanence of the
world
Tarashikomi technique
in which paint is
applied to a surface
that has not already
dried from a previous
application, creates
dripping effect useful
for depicting flowers or
streams



Rhythmic
composition
Painted on a screen
View is limited to a
few details that are
carefully painted
Hokusai’s print displays
the influence of Dutch art,
and proved to be
inspirational for many
artists working in Europe
later in the nineteenth
century
Ukiyo-e prints are
recognizable for their
emphasis on line and pure,
bright color, as well as
their ability to distill form
down to the minimum
Chairman Mao en route
to Anyuan
Artist unknown
Based on painting by
Liu Chunhua
1969 CE
Color Lithograph
portray Chairman Mao
as a revolutionary
leader committed to
championing the
common people
Idealized – appears
superhuman
Propaganda
Striding atop a
mountain peak
wearing a look of
determination on his
face
he would lead the
country through a
decade of violent
class struggles aimed
at purging traditional
customs and
capitalism from
Chinese society.
Founding father of
China