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Introduction
in 1210 Genghis Khan (1167-1230) and the Mongols invaded
northern China from Central Asia
by 1215 they had destroyed the Jin dynastys capital at
Beijing
1235- Mongols attacked the Song dynasty in southern China
Kublai Khan (his grandson) killed the last Song emperor and
proclaimed himself the new emperor of China and founded
the Yuan dynasty
trade between Europe and China increases thus spreading
culture
Bamboo
Bamboo was a favorite subject of Chinese painters because the plant was
a symbol of the ideal Chinese gentleman, who bends in adversity but
does not break
Guan Daosheng (1262-1319) was best known for her paintings of bamboo
in her handscroll she dedicates another noblewoman and a second
inscription stating that she painted the hand scroll in a boat on the
green waves of the lake
she purposely blurred the bamboo in the distance to suggest fog
contrasting in style, Wu Zhen (1280-1354) shunned the Mongol court and
lived as a hermit but was considered a scholar-artist
uses the abstract patterns of the bamboo and leaves
each stalk is clearly differentiated
Guan Daosheng, Bamboo Groves in Mist and Rain (detail) Yuan dynasty, 1308. Section of
handscroll, ink on paper. 9 x 3
Wu Zhen, Stalks of Bamboo by a rock, Yuan dynasty, 1347. Hanging scroll, ink on paper,
2 x 1
Chinese Pottery
Temple vase, Yuan dynasty, 1351. White porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze,
2 x 8
in 1368 Zhu Yuanzhong led an uprising that drove the last Mongol
emperor from Beijing thus begins the Ming dynasty!
Ming Beijing was planned as three nested walled cities. The outer
perimeter wall was 15 feet long and enclosed the walled Imperial City
the Imperial palace compound was named the Forbidden City due to the
restricted access
The noon gate had five portals. Only the emperor could walk through the
central doorway, the two directly next to it were reserved for the
imperial family and high officials while others had to use the outermost
passageways
created using traditional Chinese bracketing system
Fan Painting
Men primarily painted landscapes while most women painted flowers and
other subjects
Wen Shu (1595- 1634) was well known for her arc-shaped fan paintings
the artist paints on a flat paper, then it gets folded and mounted on
sticks to be hung in homes or purchased and put in a collection
fragile red flowers contrast with the bold rocks
The Ming familys power slowly began to decay which permitted another
group of invaders, the Manchus of Manchuria, to overrun China
These Northerners quickly restored effective imperial rule, although
southern China remained rebellious
The second Qing emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) succeeded in pacifying all
of China
The Mancus adapted themselves into Chinese life and cultivated
knowledge of Chinas arts.
Primordial Line
Shitao, Man in a House beneath a Cliff, Qing dynasty, late 17th century. Album leaf, ink and
colors on paper, 9 x 11
The overthrow of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic
of China under the Nationalist Party in 1912 did not bring an end to the
traditional themes and modes of Chinese art
Marxism triumphed in 1949 when the communists took control of China
and founded the Peoples Republic
this inspired a social realism that broke drastically with the past, the
intended purpose of this art was to serve the people in the struggle to
liberate and elevate the masses
in Rent Collection Courtyard, a team of sculptors grimly depicted the old
times before the Peoples Republic
114 life size figures
the message: we must not repeat the past or only collective action could
affect the transformation of a society
Ye Yushan
and others,
Rent
Collection
Courtyard,
China, 1965.
clay,
approx. 100
yards long
with life size
figures
A Heavenly Book
In the late 1980s and 1990s Chinese artists began to make a mark on
the postmodern international scene (chapter 34)
Xu Bing (b. 1955) created a large installation called A Book from Heaven
First exhibited in China and then in Japan, the United States, and Hong
Kong
presents an enormous number of wood-block printed texts in characters
that look like Chinese writing, but what the artist invented
it has been interpreted both as a critique of the meaninglessness of
contemporary political language and as a commentary on the illegibility
of the past
but of course, thats up for the viewer to interpret
Conclusion
From 1279 until the founding of the Republic of China in 1912, three
dynasties ruled China
Just like in early Chinese art, there is a focus on nature and the natural
world (also just like Japan!)
Landscape continued to be a favorite subject
this period saw a rise of the literati movement in art, when scholarartists retreated from court life and practiced painting, calligraphy and
poetry
Chinese artists were able to keep their traditional forms of art, while
involving the new ideals brought by Western society