Art Outside the Western Tradition

Review

Hinduism:The Hindu Perspective

Origins: 2000 BCEBrahma: The Creator

Vishnu: The PreserverSiva: The Destroyer

Here there is a belief that all religions are different acceptable paths to the same god….

Buddhism grows out of Hinduism but after the 13th century-Buddhism has primarily moved from India to other parts of

Asia.

Indian/Southeast Asian Art

Angkor Wat: Know the Details of this one…A great one for religiousBelief/power/authority/Sacred space…

BuddhismOrigins: 500 BCE as a Hindu reform movement

Founded by Buddha who preached charity…equality…moderationBuddha means: I AM AWAKE.

Steps to the path:1. Everything is pain

2. The origin of pain is desire3. Extinction of desire is nirvana

4. Following the path ends all pain.When it spread to China and Japan, it became Mahayana Buddhism and

Bodhisattvas emerged as enlightened ones who stayed to help the mortals….

Ancient India

Ashoka was a king who spread the word of Buddha…he erected columns inscribedWith laws that went deep into the ground. They were said to connect the earth and Sky forming an “Axis of the Universe”. These were installed along pilgrimage routesAt sites that were important in the life of Buddha….

Figure 6-4 Lion capital of column erected by Ashoka at Sarnath, India, ca. 250 BCE. Polished sandstone, approx. 7’ high. Archaeological Museum, Sarnath.

Remains of the pillar the lion capital topped (the original “Axis of the Universe”)

still standing in India.

Persian miniatures from the 1500s-great for narrative!

Taj Mahal 1600s: power/statusThe judgement day?

Emerald Buddha 1400sSymbolism of power

CONTEMPORARY…..1972…Meera MukherjeeAshoka at KalingaRejecting violence…

Six Canons of Chinese Painting

• Bone method with the brush• Depict the forms of things as you respond to

them• Describe appearances with color• Divide, plan, position, arrange• Copy earlier models• Engender a life-like spirit in the work

Confucianism

Origins: Confucius in the 6th century But wasn’t until 2nd century BCE in the Han dynasty that the Emperor

established it as the official doctrine…Beliefs include: reason functions with the emotions and balance is

needed to correct social ills…tradition through social structure….moral ideas should exist in all commodities so they could become habits….

Ancient China

Jade was sacred in Ancient China, it was believed jade possessed magical qualities That could protect the dead. The tough, hard heavy qualities became associated With fortitude and moral perfection in the most respected people. The dragons were Believed to be good fortune as they flew between Heaven and Earth-and they symbolized The ruler’s power to mediate between Heaven and Earth.

Figure 7-4 Bi (disk), from Jincun(?), China, Eastern Zhou dynasty, fourth to third century BCE. Nephrite, 6 1/2” in diameter. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City.

Ancient China

This is a Han Dynasty pictorial narrative –that demonstrates the private patrons Who commissioned art with political overtones: the subject matter is mythological-But involves political events-the formal qualities are highly regimented and orderly-And the content of the stories relate to homage and loyalty….

A Rubbing from the Wu family shrine: original is a stone relief…147-168 CE Han Dynasty

In 210 BCE, Emperor Qin, the first Emperor of China was buried with more than 6,000 life-size terra-cotta figures

The warriors were cast in molds of clay and then hand sculpted-so that no two are exactly alike!

They are accompanied by horses and chariots, and they were placed outside the tomb to protect the Emperor for eternity….

They all demonstrate standard ceremonial costume and hairstyle of a Qin Dynasty cavalry-man, archer, lancer and hand-to-hand

fighter…

They were originally painted by hand by some of the 700,000 laborers who worked on them. They may have looked something

like this:

Purpose of the Tomb and the Warriors:

• To accompany and protect the Emperor in the Afterlife…

• To designate a sacred space that also carried the Emperor’s power into the afterlife…

• To further the sense of societal order and organization that was a hallmark of his reign…

Chinese Art

Particularly study the Song Dynasty from this era

Daoism

Origins: Religious version emerged from ancient folk beliefs and adapted much of Buddhist ritual

Philisophical version came from Laozi and Zhuangzi in the 4th century BCE….Submission to the Dao (or path) is key here…Retreat from society and

personal development is emphasized…The Dao is the:

1. Ultimate Reality2. Way of the universe and cannot be exhausted

3. The way of human life…The beliefs include the idea that nature should be befriended, not

conquered…the individual should not struggle to compete in society….humans are at their best when in harmony with their

environment…man’s part in the vastness is small…simple is better-as civilization is artificial.

Japanese ArtStudy this chapter’s Architecture especially

The AmericasStudy the MayaHere-and Chichen Itzaespecially

And North America…

As well as the Aztecs…and contemporary artists…

Coatlicue (She of the Serpent Skirt), Aztec, from Tenochtitlán, Mexico City, ca. 1487–1520.

Machu Picchu (view from adjacent peak) Inka, Peru, 15th century.

Pueblo Pottery

Africa: Study the Ife-Ife and the ideal human form

Also study early art from otherAfrican cultures/AND some Images not here from the laterAfrican chapter….

Study the Congo and ContemporaryAfrican Art

Long Essay Question:

• Cultural attitudes about women are often revealed in art.

• Select and fully identify two works of art that depict one or more women. The works must come from two different cultures, one of which must be from beyond the European tradition. Explain how each work reveals its culture’s attitudes about women. (30 mins)