Asian ArtsChapters 15-17 & 32-34

AP Art History

Images of the 250

182. Bamiyan Buddhas

• Location: Bamiyan Valley, central Afghanistan• Along the Silk Road: material wealth/ideas traded

• Many merchants were Buddhist

• Importance of both trade and religion revealed

• Existence revealed the importance of Buddhism in this region.• Buddhism allowed practitioners more freedoms than

other faiths at this time.

• Practitioners could worship anywhere, at anytime!

• Larger Images: 175’ Smaller Images: 120’

• Destroyed in 2001!

Reflections of Cultural

Connections

• Large Buddhas: reflect international

environment (India, Central Asia, Greece)

• Flowing robes and wavy curls of hair

(Gandharan Buddhist imagery combined

with Hellenistic Greek)

• Indian subject matter

• Best Description: Chinese monk Xuanzang

(Hsuan-Tsang)

• Dazzling golden color

• Adorned with brilliant gems

• Copper Buddha statue (100’)

184. Jowo Rinpoche,

Jokhang Temple, Tibet

• Buddha Shakyamuni• An image of the “precious one”

• Gilt metal: gold with blue hair

• Seated on a gold and bejeweled throne

• Most sacred image in Tibet

• Not sculpted from life

• Not the first Buddha statue in Tibet

• Most recent restoration and/or reconstruction: after the Cultural Revolution

• What is the Cultural Revolution?

• 1966-1976: movement to preserve

“true” Communist ideology in

China and purge any remnants of

capitalist and traditional sentiment

• Origins: a marriage dowry to emperor

Songtsen Gampo in 641.

• Created using cloisonné technique

The Shahnama

• Persian Book of Kings: one of the largest epics in world literature!• Epic Poem narrating the history of the ancient kings of Iran• Mythic beginnings to the Arab conquest in 651• Completed c. 1010 by Abu’l Qasim Firdausi (Ferdowsi)• Dedicated to the Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud of Ghazni• This king appears to be the long-awaited ruler who could end the

dynasty of strife – reunify the region!• How is the book divided? 3 successive dynasties

• The Pishdadiyan: early shahs who fought forces of evil• The Kayanids: those who fought with Turan• The Sasanians: last glorious dynasty

• Human experiences: moral struggles, romantic interludes, and death of protagonists

• This is the model for conduct of rulers…to be a GOOD ruler…

189. Bahram Gur Fights the Karg (Horned Wolf)

• Illustration from the Shahnama• Completed in the 14th Century (400 years after the original text

was completed)• Story: Bahram V (Bahram Gur – a Sasanian Empire king)

• gur = “wild ass” one of the world’s fastest running animals

• Known as a great hunter, talented warrior, chivalrous, and

romantic

• King of India (Shangal) recognized Bahram Gur’s abilities –

asked him to help rid India of the fierce Karg (rhino/wolf

combo)

• Bahram Gur slays the beast alone – his men were scared!

• Uses arrows to weaken animal – sword to slay animal

190. Court of Gayumars

• The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp• One of the most luxuriously

illustrated copies of Firdausi’s epic• Made of fine paper enriched with

large gold-sprinkled borders• 759 folios of text written in nasta’liq

script• 258 paintings of exquisite quality

and artistic originality• Artists involved: Sultan Muhammad,

Mir Musavvir, and Aqa Mirak• Shows harmony between man &

landscape

Why is the Shahnama of

Shah Tahmasp I important?

• Part of the Book of Kings (Shahnama)• Painting styles are blended from

Tabriz and Herat

• This copy stands out among Central

Asian productions

• This copy was begun for the 1st

Safavid ruler (Shah Ismail I) and

completed under his son (Shah

Tahmasp I)

• Images in Islamic Arts? Depends on

the culture and period!

• King Gayumars (1st Persian king) rises above his courtiers (at the base of the work)• Taught the people to wear leopard pelts

• Siyamak (son) stands on cliffs

• Hushang (grandson) seated right

• Gayumars has just been told (by angel Shurush) that his son will die at the hands of the Black Div • Who is the Black Div? The son of demon Ahriman

• This is good v. evil!!!

• Gayumars has also been told that his grandson will avenge Siyamak’s death…killing the Black Div.

191. Ardabil Carpet

• One of the OLDEST Islamic carpets!• The carpet is named for the city of Ardabil: home to a Sufi saint (Safi al-Din Ardabili)

• Shah Ismail (descendant of Sufi saint) gained power in 1501

• Shah Ismail’s rule began the Safavid Dynasty) – one of the MOST important periods for

Islamic arts!

• This carpet was one of a matching pair – laid side by side in the Shrine of Ardabil! • Made from wool – holds dye better than silk

• Dyes were made from pomegranate rind and indigo – 340 knots per square inch

• Geometric patterns, vegetative scrolls, floral flourishes

• Thoughtfully laid out and executed design

• Series of cartouches found on the frame and 4 lines of inscription at one end (a poem)

How did the

carpets leave Iran?

• 1843: visitors noted at least one carpet remained.

• Earthquake damage = carpets SOLD!• damaged carpets restored

• 1893: V&A purchased

• J.P. Getty bought 2nd carpet

• 1953: donated to LACMA

192. Great Stupa (Sanchi)

• What is unique about this temple?• The toranas mark the four cardinal points of the compass!

• These probably reflect earlier temple gates and are richly ornamented

• Each gate capital is different: elephants carrying riders in an honorific procession,

dwarfs, and lions

• Is Buddha represented on the torana?• NO! Episodes from Buddha’s life and past lives are carved…not Buddha!

• Symbols for his presence are noted: footprints, seat of enlightenment, a stupa

• Yakshi: link the lowest architrave with the piers (sensuous figures from India)

• Interaction with the space involves circumambulation and meditation

193. Army of the 1st Qin

Emperor, Lintong, China,

Qin Dynasty, c. 210 BCE

Details: Painted Terra Cotta, average height

5’10 7/8”

How were these figures found? By a farmer

digging a well in the Shaanxi Province (1974).

Shi Huangdi brought more than 200 years of political and social turmoil to an end.

• His methods were BRUTAL

• He constructed the first portions of

the Great Wall

• Established a centralized bureaucracy

• Adopted a standard written language,

weights, and measures

194. Funeral Banner of Lady Dai

• One of the most significant Han Dynasty discoveries (1972) – Tomb of the Marquise of Dai.• Mawangdui, Hunan Province, China

• Luxurious goods used during burial ceremonies and the funeral

banner = accompanies the noblewoman into the afterlife.

• Lacquer utensils, textiles, well-preserved body (inside a nested

sarcophagus – think TUT!)

• Where was the banner placed?• This banner was draped over the coffin of Lady Dai!

• Painted silk masterpiece

• The area within the cross (top) represents Heaven.

• The vertical section represents the human realm.

195. Longmen Caves

• Buddhism was transmitted to China through trade.• Located on the Yi River, this cave-temple complex is on BOTH sides of the river and reveals assimilation!• Most carvings date from the 5th-8th centuries

• There are multiple caves/carvings at this location

• Fengxian Temple: One of the 250!

• 9 images carved in the limestone of Fengxian Temple at Longmen

• Innovative style and iconography found here!

• Sponsored by Emperor Gaozong and his wife (Empress Wu)

• High relief carvings located in a semicircle

• Central Buddha is the Vairocana Buddha – 55’ high = flanked by bodhisattva, a heavenly king, and a thunderbolt.

• Vairocana represents the primordial Buddha who generates and presides over all the Buddhas of the

infinite universes that form Buddhist cosmology.

• This idea—of the power of one supreme deity over all the others—resonated in the vast Tang Empire

which was dominated by the Emperor at its summit and supported by his subordinate officials.

Vaiśravana &

Vajrapa n i

• Vaiśravana, one of The Four Heavenly Kings, is on the left (indicated by the stupa in his right hand).

• Vajrapani (on the right) are spiritual beings that wield the thunderbolt, 673-675 C.E.

• Tang dynasty, limestone, Luoyang, Henan province, photo: Sanjay P. K. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

196. Jade Crown (Silla Crown)

• In the 5th and 6th centuries, the Korean peninsula was divided between three rivaling kingdoms.

• The most powerful of these was the Silla kingdom in the southeast of the peninsula.

• Chinese emissaries described the kingdom as a country of gold, and perhaps they had seen its crowns adorned with shimmering gold and jade.

• Fragile gold construction initially led some to believe that these crowns were made specifically for burial = also used in ceremonial rites of the Silla royalty

• In these sacred rituals, the gold crowns emphasized the power of the wearer through their precious materials and natural imagery.

197. Todai-ji

• The roots of Todai-ji are found in the arrival of Buddhism in Japan in the 6th century.

• Buddhism made its way from India along the Silk Route through Central Asia, China and Korea.

• Mahayana Buddhism was officially introduced around 552 by an emissary from a Korean king.

• Why build on such an unprecedented scale?

• Emperor Shomu and his consort, Empress Komyo fused Buddhist doctrine and political policy—

promoting Buddhism as the protector of the state.

• Emperor Shomu’s motives seem to have been a mix of the spiritual and the pragmatic: in his bid to

unite various Japanese clans under his centralized rule, Shomu also promoted spiritual unity.

• Todai-ji would be the chief temple of the Kokubun-ji system and be the center of national ritual.

Bronze Buddha

• Todai-ji included the usual components of a Buddhist complex:

• At its symbolic heart was the massive hondō (main hall), also called the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall).

• The Daibutsuden held a huge bronze Buddha figure (the Daibutsu) created between 743 to 752.

• Subsequently, two nine-story pagodas, a lecture hall and quarters for the monks were added to the complex.

198. Borobudur

• This temple is very unique in form and meaning! It is COLOSSAL• How do you access this work: 4 stairways aligned to the cardinal points of the compass

• Made of millions of blocks of volcanic stone

• 1500 stupas, 500 life size Buddhas and at least 1000 relief panels greet visitors

• What is the meaning of this structure?• Constantly debated: cosmic mountain or a 3D mandala that guides worshipers to ultimate

enlightenment

• What is agreed upon?• Borobudur is dependent on Indian art, literature, and religion

• Nothing comparable exists in India – it is very sophisticated

199. Angkor Wat

• This complex is an engineering marvel!• A complex of temples and palaces within a rectangular grid of

canals and reservoirs

• How was this work constructed?• Each Khmer king built a “mountain” – installing a personal god

(Shiva, Vishnu, Buddha)

• Part of the king’s name was given to the deity – they were a

manifestation of god on earth (think Egypt)

• King would be absorbed by the deity at death

• Built by Suryavarman II in Cambodia• Largest Khmer temple complex – central tower surrounded by 4

smaller towers = symbolizes Mount Meru (sacred mountain)

• Carvings of Vishnu and Suryavarman II unite religion/politics

200. Lakshmana Temple

• What is SO important about this temple?• This is the 1st of several temples built by Chandella kings in Khajuraho (new

capital)

• The Chandellas patronized artists, poets, and performers

• The Chandellas built irrigation systems, palaces, and temples of sandstone

• Lakshmana is one of 30 temples that remain today• Central deity: Vishnu in the form of Vaikuntha (he has 3 heads)

• Excellent example of the Nagara style Hindu temple

• Shrine (vimana), flat-roofed porch (mandapa), “mountain peak” (sikhara)

Approaching the Divine

• Hindu devotees approach the temple from the east and circumambulate the entire temple.

• Sculpted friezes depict images of daily life, love, and war – and recall the Chandella history

• As practitioners move around the temple, they will climb the stairs:• Encounter images of Ganesha

• Images that appear to move (swaying hips, bent arms,

tilted heads)

• Circumambulation allows the devotees to physically experience the sacred space.

Neo-Confucianism: a reinterpretation of Chinese

moral philosophy

• Buddhism introduced a system of metaphysics and a coherent worldview in China. • truth and reality, being and non-being, substantiality

and non-substantiality.

• Neo-Confucian thinkers rebuilt Confucian ethics using Buddhist and Daoist metaphysics: • Yin: feminine, dark, receptive, yielding, negative, and

weak.

• Yang: masculine, bright, assertive, creative, positive,

and strong.)

• The interaction of these complementary poles was

viewed as integral to the processes that generate

natural order.

201. Travelers Among Mountains and Streams

• Artist: Fan Kuan (Daoist hermit) Early Song period

• The term for landscape painting (shanshui hua) means “ mountain water painting”

• This is an orderly statement of the artist’s worldview• Landscape as Subject:

• Outstanding example of Chinese landscape painting

• Landscape has ALWAYS shaped Chinese mind/ character

• Mountains are viewed as sacred – abode of the immortals

• After a period of upheaval:• The Song Dynasty was a period of upheaval – scholars fled to the

mountains (frustrated with human affairs)

• Travelers expresses a cosmic vision of coexistence with the universe.