China

Key questions for the lecture: transmission and political systems.

China

Tang dynasty (618–907)Five Dynasties (907-960)Song Dynasty (960-1279)

Mongol Invasion (early 13th c.)Yuan Dynasty (13th c.)

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

Yuan Period (1279-1368)

Ming Period (1368-1644)

Qing Era (1644-1911)

Du hua“to read a painting”

The integration of calligraphy, poetry, and painting, scholar artists for the first time combined the “Three perfections” in a

single work of art.

Han Gan, Night-Shining White [Tang dynasty (618–907)], ca. 750

Zhao Mengfu, Groom and Horse, 1296, Handscroll, Ink and Color[Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)]

Zhao Mengfu, Twin Pines, Level Distance,[Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)], ca. 1300

techniques and formats of Chinese painting

Large Paintings – either on the wall or on silk, these works typically decorated palaces, temples and tombs.

Hanging scroll – displayed vertically rather than horizontally, and displayed all at once rather than viewed piece by piece. The bottom roller of the scroll was usually weighted in order to help it hang.

Handscroll – a handscroll was usually about 12 inches high and anywhere from a few feet to dozens of feet long. It could have scenes mounted on it like in an album book, or painted directly inside. The scroll could be set on a table and rolled out piece by piece, so the front would be set on the beginning of the roll, on the right, and the scroll would be read from this page to the left, rather than from left to right. The scroll was meant ot be read gradually, piece by piece rather than spread out and displayed all at once.

Album/Album Leaf – an album leaf is a single painting from an album, which is a book where sets of paintings of identical size have been mounted (like a photo album). The paintings are usually related, like scenes from one period of travel or different views of a famous site.

Fan Kuan, Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Northern Song Dynasty, 11th century, hanging scroll

Perugino, The Delivery of the Keys To St. Peter, 1481(11’ 5 1/2" × 18’ 8 1/2”)

Mantegna, Camera degli Sposi, c. 1474

Zhao Mengfu, Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains, 1296. Yuan Dynasty, handscroll.

online at national museum

Fan Kuan, Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Northern Song Dynasty, 11th century, hanging scroll

Zhao Mengfu, Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains, 1296. Yuan Dynasty.

(details)

Ni Zhan, The Rongxi Studio, 1372,Yuan Dynasty, hanging scroll.

Late Yuan Literati Painting

Yin Hong, Hundreds of Birds Admiring the Peacocks, late 15th/early 16th century. Ming Dynasty.

Shen Zhou, Poet on a Mountaintop, Leaf from an album of landscapes, mounted as part of a handscroll. Ming dynasty. C. 1500.

White clouds sash-like

wrap mountain waists,

The rock terrace flies in space,

distant, a narrow path.

Leaning on a bramble staff,

far and free I gaze,

To the warble of valley brook

I will reply, whistling.

-Shen Zhou

Dong Qichang, The Qingbian Mountains in the Manner of Tung Yuan, 1617

video

Shitao, Landscape, c. 1700

The “David” Vases,

Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds/Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, 2010