Playlist: Keys to Understanding the Arts of China
Arts of China: Intro
Topics
- Man and His Environment: Shared Cognition in Early Times
- Geology, Flora and Fauna
Part 1, Material/Jade
Five "Keys"
- Material: Jade
- Ideal: Longevity
- Shape: Container
- Realm: Ruler 's Domain
- Art Form: Calligraphy
Material/Jade
- Jade in Prehistoric Times (inc. Jade Cong)
- Enduring Value: Jade in Historic Times
- Jade believed to Prevent Decay
Part 2.1, Ideal/Longevity
Ideal/Longevity – Mausoleum of Qin Shih Huand di
- Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China (Qin Shi Huang di)
- Artifacts regularly found inside Elite Tombs
- Money, money trees, incense burners
Part 2.2, Ideal/Longevity
Ideal/Longevity – Tomb Pit of Lady Dai
- Lady Dai's Pit Tomb
Part 2.3, Ideal/Longevity
Ideal/Longevity – Lasting Ideal & Imagery
- Mountains, Animals, and Humans
- Monumental Landscapes
- Travelers among Mountains and Streams, by Fan Kuan (c. 1000)
- Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan (c.1969)
- Immortals
- Spread of Buddhist thought and architecture in Asia (maps)
- Sutra of the Ten Kings (c. 900 CE) (handscroll format) Found inside Magao Cave, Dunhuang
- Longmen caves, Magao Caves/Dunhuang), and Bamiyan
Part 3, Shape/Containers
Shape/Containers
- Prehistoric Containers
- Bronze Age Containers
- Inscriptions on Containers
- Evocative Forms and Surface Treatments
- The David Vases (Yuan dynasty, 1351) White porcelain with blue underglaze
- Jingdezhen Ware and the Imperial House
- Sunflower Seeds, by Ai Weiwei (2008)
Part 4, Realm
Realm/Ruler's Domain
- Forbidden City, the Imperial Palace, Beijing, (Ming dynasty, 15th c.)
- Imperial Function and Cult Location (diagram maps)
- Layers of Protection
- Public Realm vs. Private Realm
- Private World and Illusion
Part 5, Art Form/Calligraphy and Conclusion
Art Form/Calligraphy & Conclusion
- Oracle Bones and Calligraphy
- Printing and Woodblock Carving
- Calligraphy in the Public Realm
- A Book from the Sky, by Xu Bing (1987–1991)
Resources
- Suggested Reading
- Map of China in East Asia
- Administrative Map of China
About the Speaker
Dr. Sandrine Larrivé-Bass, Specialist in Chinese Art and Lecturer, Art Humanities Core Course on East Asian Art, Columbia University
Slides for Classroom Use
Keys to Understanding the Arts of China – PowerPoint [39 MB]
Teaching Guide
Outline & Key Points for Teachers
Recommended Reading
There are 2 books that are highly recommended as background reading for this series:
Asian Art
by Dorina Neave, Lara C. Blanchard, and Marika Sandar (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2015)
Includes sections on South Asia and SE Asia, for your reference also. Winner of the Franklin Buchanan Prize for Outstanding Curriculum Resource, awarded by the Association for Asian Studies, Committee on Teaching about Asia.
Teaching East Asian Art: Content, Context, and Pedagogy
edited by Sheng Kuan Chung (NAEA, 2012)
Other books:
How to Look at Japanese Art
by Stephen Addiss (NY: Harry N. Abrams, 1996)
How to Read Chinese Paintings
by Maxwell K, Hearn (NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008)
Related Videos
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Teaching the Arts of China across the Curriculum K-8
Keys to Understanding the Arts of Japan
