Art Appreciation

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ART APPRECIATION

CHAPTER 1: INDIAN ART

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.

PAINTINGS IN INDIAN ART


 Each style of painting that emerged in India represented traditions, customs, and ideologies
passed down from previous generations. Though early paintings existed on walls or as
murals, the art form was eventually transferred to more modern materials such as paper,
canvas, cloth, and other mediums. Below are some of the most popular Indian folk art
painting styles.
Madhubani Paintings
Some of the most popular paintings from India are Madhubani paintings.
 Traditionally these paintings were done by Brahmin and Kayastha women.
 The wall paintings of Madhubani can be divided into figurate and non-figurative wall paintings.
 The themes for the paintings differ depending on the function or the event that they are painted
for. However, the central theme remains love and fertility. All deities of the hindu pantheon and
the rural local traditions can be found in the art.
 The Madhubani style is represented by a simple and evocative portrayal of culture and
tradition, typically depicting mythological scenes.

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.

The Ashoka Pillars

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.

Notable Indian Architecture

The Iron Pillar, Delhi


This pillar, built in the 4th century, features Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script that states it was created
in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu. The pillar showcases India’s prowess in metallurgy, a branch of
science that focuses particularly on the properties, production, and purification of metals.

Konark Sun Temple, Konark, India

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.

Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh


One of the seven wonders of the world, this mausoleum was built in the 17th century under Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan. The architectural marvel bears a combination of Hindu and Indo-Islamic techniques.

CHAPTER 2: CHINESE ART

 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.

Finches and bamboo


 Huizong was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty and the most artistically accomplished of
his imperial line. Finches and Bamboo exemplifies the realistic style of flower-and-bird painting
practiced at Huizong’s academy. Whether making a study from nature or illustrating a line of
poetry, however, the emperor valued capturing the spirit of a subject over literal representation.
Grooms and horses

 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.

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Water Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin)


 After the tenth century, one of the more prominent representations of Avalokiteshvara shows the
bodhisattva seated with the right knee raised and the left leg crossed before the body. The posture
represents the Water Moon manifestation, understood as a depiction of the divinity in his Pure
Land, or personal paradise.
Buddha, probably Amitabha
 The position of the Buddha’s arms indicates that the hands were once held in a gesture of
meditation and suggests that this sculpture represents Amitabha, a celestial Buddha who presides
over his Western Paradise. Devotion to Amitabha, a major component of Chinese Buddhist
practice since the sixth century, promotes the goal of rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land, where
conditions are conducive to achieving spiritual understanding.

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.

ARCHITECTURE IN ANCIENT CHINA

 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

Great Wall of China


 Great Wall of China, extensive bulwark erected in ancient China, one of the largest building-
construction projects ever undertaken. The Great Wall actually consists of numerous walls—
many of them parallel to each other—built over some two millennia across northern China and
southern Mongolia. The most extensive and best-preserved version of the wall dates from
the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and runs for some 5,500 miles (8,850 km) east to west from
Mount Hu near Dandong, southeastern Liaoning province, to Jiayu Pass west of Jiuquan,
northwestern Gansu province.

CHAPTER 3: ISLAMIC ART


 The term Islamic art not only describes the art created specifically in the service of the Muslim
faith (for example, a mosque and its furnishings) but also characterizes the art and architecture
historically produced in the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or created by
Muslim artists.
 As it is not only a religion but a way of life, Islam fostered the development of a distinctive
culture with its own unique artistic language that is reflected in art and architecture throughout
the Muslim world.
 Calligraphy – the art of writing – is a unique feature of Islamic art in that it has been used in
astonishingly varied and imaginative ways. The written word appears not just in pen and paper
but across all art forms and materials, often giving rise to works of great beauty.

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