Quiz Four / Final Exam

Choose any three of the following questions -- at least one of which must be on Islamic art and at least one of which must be on Japanese art-- plus the Final Question, and answer each. Use your own words; if you use any outside sources (even those linked to the website) please use MLA format to cite those sources. As always I will be reading your answers for accuracy, clarity, and depth (of  understanding). Answers are due at the final class meeting: 10.15 on Wednesday, May 2.

1. Spirited Away: Explain the concept of aware (beauty and sadness) using examples from Miyazaki's film

2. Zen Art: explain the purposes and meaning of one specific work of art -- either Ryoan-ji, the haboku painting of Toyo Sesshu, or ukiyo-e woodblock prints -- how the work both represents the world & calls attention to its falseness

3. wabi-sabi: explain how this concept can be seen in at least two aspects of the tea ceremony or the objects associated with it

4. Hokusai's "Great Wave:" explain the meaning(s) of this image

5. Islamic Decorative Art: describe the three principal types of decoration used in Islamic art, and what they all have in common.

6. Mosque: describe the essential and most common features of a mosque and the purpose of each.

7. Taj Mahal: who made it, and what is it for? Describe at least three ways of looking at the Taj.

8. Final Question: Our college's General Education program requires all students to complete work in each of ten different areas of competency. Below are descriptions (from the catalog) of two of them. Choose one of these competencies -- either Cultural Literacy or Diversity and Social Consciousness -- and explain how your work in this class fits that description. Use at least two specific examples from the course material to support your answer.

Cultural Literacy: To develop the skills and cultural knowledge base necessary for effective membership in the larger community; to read and comprehend artifacts and texts in their historical and cultural contexts.

Diversity and Social Consciousness: To demonstrate an awareness of the diversity that exists among all human groups, and to develop the necessary skills to understand diverse cultures and traditions.

Islamic Art: Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal Links:

Wikipedia entry

Asian Historical Architecture

Islamic Architecture

MANAS (UCLA)

1001 Wonders 

Photosynth Image

Other Videos

History Channel Construction Description (can't embed)

Overly Dramatic National Geographic Documentary [1/10]

Tourist's Home Video [SLYT]

Bonus Pop Culture Bit: "Taj" scene from  Salaam-e-Ishq. In this film with six interlocking love stories, an American woman comes to India to meet the Indian man who ran away from her. Meanwhile, a taxi driver dreams of meeting the perfect. Because of language confusion, the taxi driver takes her to the Taj Mahal instead of the Taj Hotel. She's upset. He tries to help. Eventually they find her "fiance" -- at his wedding -- but twoo wuv wins the day. It's a Bollywood film with a Bollywood ending. (And it's mostly in Hindi -- deal with it. )

Islamic Art: Mosques: the Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran

the Shah (or Imam) Mosque, Isfahan, Iran

Wikipedia

World Heritage Panorama
Asian Historical Architecture
Islamic Arts

Islamic Art: Mosques

The site "Islamic Architecture" offers links to a lot of information about Islamic architecture, including articles on both specific buildings and on general topics.  For example, the article on mosques describes the history, functions, and uses of mosques, and gives links to many specific mosques in different parts of the Islamic world

Particularly important mosques to look at would include:

• the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
• the Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia
• the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
• the Great Mosque in Damascus, Syria (7-5)
• the Great Mosque in Kairouan, Tunisia (7-8)
• the Mezquita in Cordoba, Spain (7-11, 12, and 13) and here & here
• the Djenne Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali (10-1 and 10-8) more
• the Mosque of Selim II, Edirne, Turkey (7-20 and 7-21)
• the Great Mosque in Isfahan, Iran (7-2)

The article on Mosques at Wikipedia is also excellent, as is its article on Islamic Architecture

A couple of the most important Islamic buildings that are not mosques:

• the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (7-2 and 7-3)
• the Taj Mahal in Agra, India (2-6)

MOSQUE FEATURES:

• qibla wall
• mihrab

• minbar
• maqsura
• courtyard w/ fountain
• minarets
• hypostyle hall
• iwans

Also very good is this video 

Pattern in Islamic Art

Qur'an fragment (Timurid Samarkand) attributed to Umar Aqta

Please wander through this amazing website, created by David Wade:
PATTERN in ISLAMIC ART

especially the page on the Religious Origins & Significance of the Decorative Arts in Islam

also good are the TOAH essays on

Calligraphy in Islamic Art
Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art

and

Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art

Also very good is this page on Arts of the Islamic World at the Freer / Sackler website

Mosque Lamp of Sayf al Din (7-29) British Museum 

Carpet Fragment (Mughal Kashmir or Lahore)

Also on ArtStor 

Tile from the Alcazar in Seville, Spain

scores

In case you're inclined to worry, or are curious, here is a general set of score-to-grade equivalents.

15, 14 = A
13 = A-
12 = B+
11, 10 = B
9 = B-
8 = C+
7, 6 = C
5 = D
4 & below = F

This is total quiz score, not individual elements. Final grades will reflect an average across the quizzes and the final, adjusted by overall class performance and by individual attendance & participation. If you have any questions, let me know.

Understanding Islam (background)

PBS TV series Islam: Empire of Faith 

TV series The Prophet Muhammad [MLYT] 

History Channel Biography of Muhammad

Browse the newly reopened Islamic Art galleries at the Met (NY)

Browse the Islamic art collection at LACMA

Browse the Islamic Middle East gallery at the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford) 

Thematic Essays on Islamic Art (TOAH)

The Nature of Islamic Art (TOAH)

contemporary Japanese art

Photo of Takashi Murakami by ~FacelessRebel at deviantart

Naturally there are many, many contemporary Japanese artists worthy of attention.  Here are some links to a few of them.

To start with, there was a famous exhibition at the Asia Society in NYC called "Little Boy" in 2005; a 2007 exhibition at the same place called "Making a Home" was also very interesting.

Probably the most famous contemporary Japanese artist is Takashi Murakami. There's a Wikipedia entry with some useful links.  His page at Kaikai Kiki, the art company he founded is also useful, as is this page from an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.  (There are tons of YouTube videos featuring Murakami as well.  Here's one where he's interviewed by  designer Mark Jacobs about Murakami's work for  Louis Vuitton.)

And he shows in galleries and other museums too.

Besides Murakami, Kaikai Kiki handles a number of artists
Yamamoto Gendai is a Japanese gallery handling many contemporary artists.

Other artists to look at:

• Tsuchiya Kimio
• Yoshitomo Nara
• Kohei Nawa  
• Motohiko Odani
• Chiharu Shiota
• Markio Mori
• Chinatsu Ban
• Yayoi Kusuma 

And then there's the *real* pop stuff.

• Leekspin
• Leekspin (Hatsune Miku 1) [SLYT]
• Leekspin (Hatsune Miku 2) [SLYT]
• Leekspin (Megarine Luka) [SLYT]
• no kotowari shimasu -- "No Thank You" -- (Hatsune Miku) [SLYT]
• who is Hatsune Miku?

Hokusai's "The Great Wave"

"Under The Great Wave at Kanagawa"

by Hokusai

from the series "Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji"

Freer / Sackler (Smithsonian) 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

British Museum

The BBC's "History of the World in 100 Objects" (no. 93)

"Hokusai: A Man Before His Time" (Freer / Sackler)

"Hokusai: Mad About Painting" (Freer / Sackler)

Wikimedia Gallery of works by Hokusai

ukiyo-e

ukiyo-e resources:

Wikipedia article

"Art of the Edo Period" (toah)

"Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-E Style" (toah)

"Art of the Pleasure Quarters and the Ukiyo-E Style" (toah)

The Production of Japanese Woodblock Prints

"The Floating World of Ukiyo-E" (Library of Congress)

Lots of Good Examples (mia)

"The Floating World" (ashmo)

wabi-sabi

Shino ware water jar "Kogan"

wabi-sabi

wabi-sabi Aesthetics

"In Search of Wabi-Sabi"

from about 6.00 on = tea ceremony

30 Translations of (and notes on) Basho's most famous haiku 

Japanese Tea Ceremony 1

You can spend your whole life learning about the Japanese tea ceremony. Here's a start.

• Chaihatsu page at the Minnesota Institute of the Arts
• Tea Ceremony page at Wikipedia
• Chaihatsu page at Wikipedia
• A commercial page that has lots of good information on the Tea Ceremony
• an excellent explanation of "Japanese Aesthetics, wabi-sabi, and the Tea Ceremony" 

Third Quiz

Choose any three of the following questions and answer each in a brief paragraph. Use your own words. As always I will be reading your answers for accuracy, depth, and clarity. Answers are due at class time on Wednesday, April 4.

1. The Soldiers from the First Emperor's Tomb: what were they made of? how were they made? what's interesting about that?
2. Night-Shining White: what is this painting for? what message does it send?
3. Night-Shining White: why do you paint something white using black ink?
4. Calligraphy: what's the relationship between painting and calligraphy in Chinese art?
5. Travelers Amid Mountains & Streams: why is there no focal point in this painting?
6. Sunflower Seeds: why sunflower seeds? why not real sunflower seeds?

Japanese Zen Gardens

Although we could look at many web pages, we can do the job very well with just this one: The Japanese Garden — created by Clifton C. Olds, Professor of Art History Emeritus at Bowdoin College in Maine.  

I encourage you to look through the whole thing, but in class we will focus on two gardens:

Daisen-in and Ryoan-ji. The Zen Garden at Ryoan-ji (shown above) is probably the most recognizable and important works of art ever made. 

For Ryoan-ji you can also consult the official site, the Wikipedia article, and this site from Columbia University. 

Japanese painting: Haboku "Broken Ink" style

Zen Buddhism had an important influence on Japanese painting during the Muromachi period.  Zen is a form of Mahayaana Buddhism which developed in China and later flourished in Japan. It is NOT a matter of chilling out and being passive; it does involve spontaneity, but only in contrast to great discipline. 

"Zen Buddhism’s emphasis on simplicity and the importance of the natural world generated a distinctive aesthetic, which is expressed by the terms wabi and sabi. These two amorphous concepts are used to express a sense of rusticity, melancholy, loneliness, naturalness, and age, so that a misshapen, worn peasant’s jar is considered more beautiful than a pristine, carefully crafted dish. While the latter pleases the senses, the former stimulates the mind and emotions to contemplate the essence of reality. This artistic sensibility has had an enormous impact on Japanese culture up to modern times."

Zen had a huge influence on Japanese art, as we'll see. It meshes very well with the Shinto aesthetic. But the best place to begin is with paintings like the one above by Sesshu Toyo, a Buddhist monk, using the Haboku (or "Broken Ink") style.

Japanese Painting: yamato-e

yamato-e ("Japanese-Style") painting

Yamato-e style is the authentic national style of Japanese illustrative art, often used for painted scrolls, but also in other forms and media. In looking at yamato-e  from Japan, we’ll be looking at illustrations of The Tale of Genji. Genji monogatari is one of the most important works of Japanese literature -- and the first modern novel in any language. It's still very popular today.

• a complete edition of Genji with woodcut illustrations by Harumasa Yamamoto
• "1000 Years of Genji" (Japan Times) 
• a 1987 anime of Genji (14 eps MLYT)

Ameratsu Shrine at Ise (Ise-Jingu)

Websites and Movie Links

• Ise Jingu official site (in English though) 
• "anime" introduction for children (^_^) -- slow but good information
• Wikipedia article on the Ise Grand Shrine
• useful page by Chris Witcombe of Sweetbriar College

(I know the guy is pretty odd but the info is good)

Study Questions for "Spirited Away"

1. look for examples (people, places, images) of the following categories and consider the ways in which they relate to each other (conflict, contrast, alignment):
• old / traditional Japan
• new / Westernized Japan
• the natural world of Japan
2. How does the film portray power? What (people, places, images) in the world of the film seem most powerful? What kinds of power are there?
3. How does the film portray beauty? What (people, places, images) in the world of the film seem most beautiful? What kinds of beauty are there?
4. How does the film portray sadness? Is sadness a flaw or a strength?
5. Why is the film's main character a young girl? Why does she have more than one name? 

Enjoy the film! Enjoy learning from the film.

Ai Weiwei : Sunflower Seeds

Ai Weiwei "Sunflower Seeds"

Ai Weiwei is one of the most famous artists in the world today.

One of his most famous pieces is the installation "Sunflower Seeds" which was on display in the Tate Modern Gallery in London from October 2010 to May 2011. The installation was composed of 100 million hand-painted porcelain replicas of sunflower seeds. To understand the meanings behind this installation, as well as to get an idea of its power as "one work of art made of one hundred million works of art" you should watch the videos below.

Ai Weiwei's work is currently on display at the Hirshhorn Museum at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Chinese Painting III

Fan Kuan. "Travelers amid Mountains & Streams"

Fan Kuan:

• Fan Kuan at Wikipedia
• Page on Fan Kuan & "Travelers" at the Epoch Times
• another article on Fan Kuan & "Travelers"

The Song Dynasty; Northern Song Painting

• Timeline of Art History
• Columbia University
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts
• University of Washington
• Wikipedia

Chinese Painting II

Zang Zeduan Detail: "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" (Song dynasty): Bridge

Zang Zeduan "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" (Song dynasty)
[Please click HERE to examine the entire scroll]

Article on this painting at Wikipedia HERE

To "read" a Chinese painting is to enter into a dialogue with the past; the act of unrolling a scroll or leafing through an album provides a further, physical connection to the work. An intimate experience, it is one that has been shared and repeated over the centuries. And it is through such readings, enjoyed alone or in the company of friends, that meaning is gradually revealed. 

Liang Kai: Poet Strolling by a Marshy Bank

Chinese Calligraphy

Zhao Mengfu: Four Anecdotes from the Life of Wang Xizhi

Chinese Calligraphy (at the Met's Timeline of Art History)
Chinese Calligraphic Arts (Freer / Sackler)
Chinese Character Classification (Wikipedia)

Please watch all of this video

Shozo Sato demonstrates Calligraphy

at Northwestern University

As well as this one 

Chinese Painting I: Night-Shining White

Han Gan. Night-Shining White. Tang  Dynasty . ca. 750

Useful pages at the Met's Timeline of Art History

• Chinese Painting 
• Painting Formats in East Asian Art
• Chinese Handscrolls
• Landscape Painting in Chinese Art
• Scholar-Officials (makers and connoisseurs of art)
• Chinese Calligraphy

Also:

• Chinese Panting in Context (Asia Society) 
• Six Principles (Wikipedia stub)

Ancient Chinese Art: the First Emperor's Tomb

• Chinese Dynasty Guide at Minneapolis Institute of the Arts
• Terracotta Army -- article at Wikipedia
• Qin Shi Huang -- article at Wikipedia
• Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor -- at Unesco (source of video above)
• Explore the Necropolis -- Discovery Channel 
• Early Imperial Archaeology: More About the Tomb of the First Emperor (National Gallery of Art)
• Photosynth image of the Warriors 

Buddhist Religious Architecture: Pagodas

Wikipedia article: Pagoda LINK

Fogon Si Pagoda, Yingzian, China

The Song Dynasty in China (Columbia University) LINK

Wikipedia article: Architecture of the Song Dynasty: LINK

Wikipedia article: Pagoda of Fogong Temple LINK

Wikipedia article: Ancient Chinese Wooden Architecture LINK

"The Eight-Sided Pagoda of Foguang Si at Yingxian" by Kate Erickson LINK

Some Photos at Flickr HERE and HERE

Wikimedia page: Pagodas in China LINK

Horyu-Ji Pagoda, Japan

Horyu-Ji at Wikipedia LINK

Horyu-Ji at Great Buildings Online LINK

Horyu-Ji at Asian Historical Architecture LINK

Hindu Religious Architecture : Temples

Northern Style: the Vishvanatha Temple at Khajuraho (c. 1000) [1-23]

• UNESCO page
• UNESCO video [SLYT]
• Kandariya Temple, Khajuraho at Asian Historical Architecture
• Information at TempleNet
• Images from Prof. Pritchett's website (Columbia Univ.)
• Information at Great Buildings Online
• Panoramic Image at World Heritage Tours
• Photosynth Image 
• 7 Wonders of India: Khajuraho [SLYT]

Southern Style: the Rajarajeshvara Temple at Thanjavur (c. 1010) [1-22]

• Brihadeeswarar Temple article at Wikipedia
• Bridhadeshvara Temple at Asian Historical Architecture
• UNESCO page about "Great Living Chola Temples"
• Panoramic Image at World Heritage Tour
• 7 Wonders of India: Thanjavur Temple [SLYT}

Buddhist Religious Architecture: The Stupa

• Wikipedia article on Stupa
• Introduction to Stupas from the Stupa Information Page
• Symbolism of the Stupa from Buddhanet
• The Stupa Project for World Peace
• "Rahil Circumambulates Sanchi" [SLYT]

Examples of Stupas:

Second Quiz: Buddha & Shiva

Seated Buddha from Gandhara (Victoria & Albert Museum)

Choose either one of the images here and, in separate paragraphs, describe any three individual symbolic details and their meaning, and then conclude with a paragraph that describes how these three details fit together as parts of  the object's overall meaning. (For those of you counting, that makes four paragraphs.) Quizzes are due & will be collected in class next Wednesday, February 22nd.

Things that matter: a) accuracy of information b) the depth of thought & understanding present in your answer and c) clear and correct language that avoids any hint of plagiarism -- including paraphrasing a source without citation.

Shiva Nataraja (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Shiva Nataraja

Chola Period Shiva Nataraja (Met)

"If a single icon had to be chosen to represent the extraordinary rich and complex cultural heritage of India, the Shiva Nataraja might well be the most remunerative candidate. It is such a brilliant iconographic invention that it comes as close to being a summation of the genius of the Indian people as any single icon can."

Other useful links:

• the Chola Period Shiva Nataraja (shown above) at the Met
• Wikipedia article on Nataraja

More examples (most with good notes) at: 

• the Royal Academy of Arts
•  the Asia Society
• at LACMA  
• at the Victoria and Albert Museum 
• at the Freer / Sackler Galleries  
• at the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts 
• AND at the British Museum