Art Appreciation
Art Appreciation
Art Appreciation
INTRODUCTION
The historical influences of Asian art encompass a wide variety of religions, conquerors, and
cultural influences.
History marks the beginning with Hindu and Buddhist art around the 5th century BCE. These
ancient religions were largely represented by an introspective way of life, and their followers
adorned their temples with elaborately carved walls and stone statues.
INDIAN ART
The art of India begins way back in the Paleolithic culture of the Stone Age, with the
famous Bhimbetka petroglyphs at the Auditorium Cave, Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh, as well as
other petroglyphs at Daraki-Chattan, a narrow, deep rock shelter in the Indragarh Hill, near Tehsil
Bhanpura, Madhya Pradesh.
This type of rock art was the primary form of cave painting throughout the Paleolithic,
Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, often depicting animal and human forms.
The earliest known Indian art sculptures were produced by the Indus Valley Civilization between
2,500 B.C. and 1,800 B.C. They created small terracotta and bronze figures that also represented
humans and animals such as cows and monkeys.
In the 6th century B.C., the rise of Buddhism paved way for religious-themed art, often in the
form of stone and bronze sculptures. During this time, religious artists also experimented with the
creation of vast temples carved in stone and decorated with Greek-influenced columns.
Sculpture was a common practice among Indian Buddhists and Hindus. Hinduism continued to be
a main focus of Indian art for centuries, as sculptures of deities like Shiva were commonly
produced.
Each region of India offered its own distinct style of art. Religious motifs are some of the
most common subject matter, often featuring mythological human and animal forms as well
as elaborate ornamentation. The three most prevalent art forms to span India’s history are
painting, architecture, and sculpture.
Miniature Paintings
These small works created mostly as illustrations for manuscripts were initially found on palm
leaves, painted for merchants who carried them throughout their travels across the subcontinent in
the 10th and 12th centuries. The art form became increasingly important throughout the Mughal
and Rajput courts. Miniature paintings were highly detailed and intricate, drawing from Persian
techniques. Themes ranged from religious and historical scenes to depictions of everyday life.
Miniature Art in India truly thrived under the Mughals (16th-18th century AD), defining a
rich period in the history of Indian art. The Mughal style of painting was an amalgamation
of religion, culture and tradition. Persian styles melded with local Indian art to create a
highly detailed, rich art form.
Pattachitra Paintings
Another early form of painting, this style dates back to the 12th century B.C. near Orissa, an
eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal. The small villages within the area still produce this
style of painting today. Pattachitra literally translates to “cloth picture,” aptly describing this
traditional, cloth-based type of scroll painting. Known for its intricate details and mythological
narratives, the paintings call upon angular, bold lines and draw extensively from Mughal-era
influences.
Warli Paintings
Warli folk paintings, a form of indigenous Indian art, date back 2,500 years. The style originated
in Maharashtra, a state spanning the western part of Central India, where it is still widely
practiced today. Typically created on the walls of huts, Warli paintings utilize linear and
monochromatic hues and an elementary style of execution that resembles cave painting. Contrary
to other types of tribal art, which feature an abundance of colors, this style utilizes earth-tones
and neutral shades to depict daily activities of local people such as farming, dancing, and hunting.
Sculpture
Sculpture continues to be a favored medium for artistic expression in India, primarily as a form of
religious art. Buildings were profusely adorned, and subject matter largely consisted of abstracted
human forms used to illustrate the principles of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Female
deities such as Shakti, Kali, and Brahma were often depicted in Indian sculpture.
Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro
This bronze statue is believed to be nearly 4,500 years old. Made of delicate metal, it depicts a young girl
with a plethora of bangles on her arms, similar to that of women from Banjara, a community with origins
in Rajasthan.
Constructed by Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century, this series of columns is scattered
throughout India. The most famous pillar, the Lion Capital of Sarnath, features four lions on their hind
legs with their backs touching. It was adopted as India’s National Emblem in 1950.
https://smarthistory.org/lion-capital-ashokan-pillar-at-sarnath/
Ajanta Caves
Situated in the Maharashtra region, this group of rock-cut Buddhist caves includes a variety of cave
paintings and sculptures. Constructed in the 2nd century, they are largely considered to be India’s best
surviving specimens of art and architecture.
Built in the 13th century, this impressive temple is dedicated to the Hindu sun god Surya. It was carved
from stone in the form of a 100-foot-high chariot with immense wheels and horses.
The arts of China have varied throughout its ancient history, divided into periods by the
ruling dynasties of China and changing technology, but still containing a high degree of
continuity. Different forms of art have been influenced by great philosophers, teachers, religious
figures and even political leaders. The arrival of Buddhism and modern Western influence
produced especially large changes. Chinese art encompasses fine arts, folk arts and performance
arts.
These essential qualities include a love of nature, a belief in the moral and educative capacity of
art, an admiration of simplicity, an appreciation of accomplished brushwork, an interest in
viewing the subject from various perspectives, and a loyalty to much-used motifs and designs
from lotus leaves to dragons.
Art was, for them and their audience, a means to capture and present the philosophical approach
to life which they valued. For this reason, the art they produced is often minimal and without
artifice, perhaps sometimes even a little austere to western eyes.
Calligraphy
The art of calligraphy - and for the ancient Chinese it certainly was an art - aimed to demonstrate
superior control and skill using brush and ink. Calligraphy established itself as one of the major
Chinese art forms during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), and for two millennia after, all
educated men were expected to be proficient at it.
Night-Shining White
A leading horse painter of the Tang dynasty, Han Gan was known for capturing not only the
likeness of a horse but also its spirit.
Summer Mountains
Between the years 900 and 1100, Chinese painters created visions of landscape that depicted the
sublimity of creation. Viewers are meant to identify with the human figures in these paintings. In
Summer Mountains, travelers make their way toward a temple retreat.
In the early Yuan period, when the ruling Mongols curtailed the employment of Chinese scholar-
officials, the theme of the groom and horse—one associated with the legendary figure of Bole,
whose ability to judge horses had become a metaphor for the recruitment of able government
officials—became a symbolic plea for the proper use of scholarly talent.
Sculpture
Chinese sculptors have sculpted delicate objects, such as figures, animals, plants and landscapes,
with a number of new kinds of raw materials, such as sand and coal, apart from the traditional
bronze and jade. Many of the works have become precious artistic pearls in the treasure house of
Chinese art.
Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army (also known as the "Terracotta Warriors") is a massive collection
of terracotta sculpture consisting of 8,000 clay warriors and horses which were discovered in
1974 next to the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who died in 210 BCE, in
Shaanxi province, China. Each statue is unique and, according to curators of the tomb, there are
tens of thousands more figures still to be uncovered. The Terracotta Army represents the largest
hoard of ceramic art found anywhere in the world, and remains the greatest sculptural
masterpiece of Asian art.
Walled compounds, raised pavilions, wooden columns and panelling, yellow glazed roof tiles,
landscaped gardens, and a careful application of town planning and use of space are all notable
features of the architecture of ancient China, with many of them still playing an important part
in modern architecture across East Asia. Architects were influenced by ideas from India and
the Buddhism which originated there, but the buildings of ancient China remained remarkably
constant in fundamental appearance over the centuries, inspiring much of the architecture of other
neighbouring East Asian states, especially in ancient Japan and Korea.
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven, large religious complex in the old outer city of Beijing, considered the
supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture. Its layout symbolizes the belief that
heaven is round and earth square. The three buildings are built in a straight line.
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda