CHINESE ART BEFORE 1280 Its a Beautiful Day

CHINESE ART BEFORE 1280

It’s a Beautiful Day to Take a Quiz n n n Clear your desks Take out a half piece of paper Put your name on it

1. Terracotta Warriors are from which dynasty? A. B. C. D. Tang Dynasty Han Dynasty Yarlung Dynasty Qin Dynasty

2. The variations to the appearance of the terracotta army results in a balance of _____ and ______. A. relationships and individuality B. good and evil C. uniformity and individuality D. movement and rhythm

3. Gold and jade crown is from what period? A. B. C. D. 5 th to 6 th century 7 th to 8 th century 4 th to 5 th century 6 th to 7 th century

4. What medium is the Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)? A. wood and paint B. fine paper and paint C. limestone and paint D. silk and paint

5. Who was one of the first masters at recording light, shade, distance, and texture? A. B. C. D. Fan Kuan Wu Zetian Xie He Yan Liben

Jowo Rinpoche n n The Jowo Rinpoche statue, Tibet’s most revered religious icon, was made in India by Vishakarma. At some point before the 7 th century, China gave India the special gift of Que Chen: a very rare and expensive fabric, made by female deities called Dakinis. India gave China the Jowo Rinpoche statue in return.

n n n In the 7 th century, Gar Ton Zen, the minister of Tibetan Dharma king Songsten Gampo, asked the king’s new wife, Chinese princess Wencheng, to bring the Jowo to Tibet. The Jowo Rinpoche statue is not only beautiful on the outside, but is also special because it contains the blessings of the Buddhas. In Tibet, everyone knows the Jowo Rinpoche. Tibetans pray to see the statue before they die, because it is known that its energy will transform them and help at the time of death. They have that much faith in Jowo Rinpoche. Devotion transforms the statue from an ordinary object into a real Buddha.

n For Tibetans, it is easy to get blessings because they believe that what they are seeing is very precious, a real Buddha. In Tibet, when people are sick or die, the person’s relatives offer gold to the statue. The gold is directly applied to the face and body as an offering to the Buddha. Ser yek tdak means “Golden Letters”. A sick or dead person’s name is written in gold on red paper and is then burned in front of the statue in a butter lamp.

n There is no need to meditate or recite mantra—just seeing the statue will change the person’s energy to positive. This is called “liberation through seeing”. The result depends on one’s mind: that is your motivation, devotion, and compassion. The U. S. Jowo Rinpoche will have the same ability to transform as the original. It is truly an “emanation”.

Movie on Terracotta Warriors PBS Secrets of the Dead

Funeral Banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)

Funeral Banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui) Date c. 180 B. C. E. Period Western Han There is no clear audience. The patron is the Lady Dai and it Audience/was commissioned to attract Patron: her soul to the tomb. The patron was not able to respond to the artwork and so it has not changed over the years. Location: The original location of this artwork is Mawangdui, Hunan Province in eastern China. This location houses Function Attract the spirit of the deceased to its three tombs that are tomb, where it can properly start it’s among greatest afterlife journey, rather than remaining archeological discoveries on earth to bother the living. in China during the 20 th Theme Death, religion century Medium Dyed yarn and cloth on silk Techniques Woven silk banner, painted

Cultural Information n P The banner is made from silk showing the political ranking of the Han dynasty since silk was a very fin and expensive fabric all throughout Eurasia in this time period. E This banner was found in the tomb of Lady Dai along with many other precious goods that are used to accompany noblewoman to the afterlife signifying wealth. R The banner describes Lady Dai’s journey to heaven. The soul enjoys and consumes and enjoys the burial offerings and objects that were to accompany Lady Dai to the afterlife. On the banner, in the center, the Lady Dai awaits her ascent to Heaven, where she can gain immortality. n n n S The Lady Dai’s social standing is that of a noblewoman, and as such, her tomb is filled with lavish goods. I Silk was a very fine natural product that comes from the cocoons of silkworm caterpillars and takes a lot of steps to produce. BY the second millennium it was a popular industry. A The two representations of Lady Dai are considered the earliest portraits in Chinese art. One of the portraits is located in the center of the banner, the other in the bottom portion.

Longmen Caves

n n n ● Date: 493 -1127 C. E. ● Style: Tang Dynasty, Northern Wei ● Period: End of 5 th century and the middle of 8 th century ● M/T: Limestone ● F: The Wei dynasty was founded by Tuoba tribesmen who were considered to be barbaric foreigners by the Han Chinese

n The Central Binyang Cave was one of three caves started in 508 C. E. It was commissioned by Emperor Xuan Wu in memory of his father. The other two caves, known as Northern and Southern Binyang, were never completed.

n n n The Longmen Grottoes or Longmen Caves are one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres south of present -day Luòyáng in Hénán province, China ● Northern Wei made use of Buddhist images for authority and power ● Tang dynasty leaders thrived during China’s golden age

Gold and Jade Crown

Basic Information n n Name: Gold and jade Crown Date: 57 B. C. E. - 676 C. E. Style: Ancient Korea, Silla Kingdom Period: Fifth to sixth century Patron: King Soji or King Jijeung Audience: Mainly intended for Kings and royalty. Medium: Gold, Jade, had a inner structure made from the bark of the white birch, and was covered with silk. Techniques: The edges of the crown headband were decorated with patterns composed of lines, dotted waves, and small circles. The headband vertical ornaments were also decorated with small protruding circles onto which spangles were attached. A pair of gold and jade chains were attached to the headband. Function: These crowns were made for the burials of deceased kings. Both kings and queens were buried in the tombs together. The crowns were very fragile and easy to break. Theme: The themes were death and religion.

Audience/Patron n n The Gold and jade Crown was mainly created for the king at the time which was either King Soji or King Jijeung. Each king and queen where put in a specific location in the Silla tombs have preserved hoards of precious ornaments buried within. The Silla tombs were constructed of wood, sealed with clay, and covered with mounds of stone and earth. These tombs also contained a lot of ancient treasury like pure gold: crowns, caps, belts, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and decorative swords

Location n The crown was found in the south in royal tombs at the Silla capital, Gyeongju. The name of the tomb that it was put in was called The Heavenly Horse Tomb. The tomb, in typical Silla style, is a wood-lined chamber running east to west and is covered in a mound of boulders and earth.

n n n The Gold and jade crown contained many patterns. Many jades were connected onto the crown along with golden chains. Two additional antlershaped protrusions may refer to the reindeer that were native to the Eurasian

Materials n n n The headband crown is distinctive for its tree-like vertical projections. A typical headband crown consists of three opposing branch-like vertical ornaments and two alternate ones. The Gold and jade crown has three tree-shaped vertical elements evoke the sacred tree that once stood in the ritual precinct of Gyeongju. The sacred tree was conceived of as a “world tree, ” or an axis mundi that connected heaven and earth.

Cultural Information n Koreans practiced shamanism, which is a kind of nature worship that requires the expertise of a priest-like figure, or shaman, who intercedes to alleviate problems facing the community. Silla royalty upheld shamanistic practices in ceremonial rites such as coronations and memorial services. In these rituals, the gold crowns emphasized the power of the wearer through their precious materials and natural imagery.

Travelers among Mountains and Streams Explain in detail the artist’s technique and composition as it relates to his expression of his philosophical view of nature.