Chinese art was heavily influenced by the philosophies of Daoism and Confucianism. Calligraphy was the most respected art form, while paintings came in scrolls, fans, and albums. Architecture featured courtyard homes expressing family and social hierarchies. Art aimed to be monumental. Culturally diverse, China was divided into historical periods named for ruling dynasties like Tang and Ming. The Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven are grand architectural examples. Sculptures included the Terracotta Army and seated Buddhas. Literati artists painted individually rather than for commissions.

1. Chinese Art
李鑫荃 （or Victoria Liu)
泊林 (or Shoba Patel)
Token White Girl (or Grace Leyden)

2. Key Ideas:
● Chinese thought, and fine arts were often based off of
many of the philosophies of Laozi and Confucius
● Calligraphy is the most respected Chinese art form
● The format of chinese paintings included handscrolls,
hanging scrolls, fans and album leaves.
● Chinese architecture is based on courtyard style housed
that express the bases of Chinese philosophy in regard to
family and social position
● Chinese art is often created with the intent to be
monumental and grand

3. Historical Background
● Culture is seemingly monolithic, but actually quite diverse
● Art is divided into historical periods named after families
that ruled for long periods of time (dynasties)
● First ruler of a united China- Shih Huangdi (3rd century BCE)
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unified China politically, standardized weights and measures, establishing a
uniform currency
started Great Wall and his great tomb
● Other notable dynasties:
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Tang (618-906 CE, also height of the dynastic fortunes)
Yuan (under Kublai Khan 1217-1294 CE)
Ming (1368-1644 CE, Forbidden City built during this period)

4. Quick Chinese Philosophy lesson:
Overview of Daoism and Confucianism
Daoism:
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“Dao” means “the way”
Started by Laozi (604-531 BCE)
Harmony between human life and the
universe
Can’t be named, only described
Be like water
Stresses the importance of intuition
Journey for self-expression
○ Laozi realized societal pressures
Yin and Yang derived from Daoism
DAO in nature
Confucianism:
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Begun by Confucius (551-449 BCE)
Ideal qualities of man are: loyalty,
morality, generosity, & humanity
Emphasizes duty, self discipline, &
deference
Attaining equity
Focus on rational and moral ideas
DAO in right social relations

5. Patronage and Artistic Life
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Ethnically diverse, with the same sized population as all of Europe
○ Multiple languages, and cultures reflected in the diverse artistic styles
○ Historical art periods divided by the years and name of the families who
ruled China at the time who formed dynasties
Central Expressions
○ Calligraphy
■ Artistic style between poetry and painting
■ Part of the exam to have a state position
■ Emperor's accomplished calligraphies
○ Standard writing
■ Artistically rendered cursive, or running script seen in paintings
■ Employs characters, not letters, which represent an idea or word

6. Patronage and Artistic Life
● Artists worked under religion or the state
● Except the Literati Group○ Nonconformist artists
■ Took a more individualized standpoint, going
against public commissions, producing paintings
which were individualizing nature

7. Most famous Literati Artist
● Shen Zhou
○ East Coast Chinese
○ 1427-1509
○ “Poet on a Mountain”

8. Pagoda-
A tower built of many stories. Each succeeding story is identical in style to
the one beneath it, only smaller. Pagodas typically have dramatically
projecting eaves that curl up at the ends
First traditionally found in India the idea of
pagodas and the architecture began to move
eastward (along the Greater Silk Road)
Temple of Heaven (1406-1420 Rebuilt in 1889)
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Located in Beijing, The Temple of Heaven
is made of wood and has three distinct
levels.
○ The roof is made of ceramic blue tiles
(symbol of heaven)
The building is sacred, hence “temple”
○ Emperors would have two rituals a
year here in order to insure a good
harvest
Interior has 12 column (12 months in a
year) and then an additional four columns
which symbolize the four seasons

9. Forbidden City 1446
● Beijing, China
● In the heart of the city
● Largest and most complete imperial palace Complex in
China, and the world!
● Depicts traditional ancient Chinese palace architecture
Hate this pic...keep it small

10. Forbidden City (continued)
● Size/History:
○ 14 years of construction
○ Residence to 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing
dynasty (1644-1911)
○ Rebuilt multiple times, kept the same architecture
○ Over 720,000 square meters
○ 753 meters East>West
○ 961 meters North>South
○ Several dozen compounds, over 10,000 rooms!

11. Forbidden City (Architecture)
● Medium/Decoration:
○ Buildings were made of wood,all are roofed with yellow
painted ceramic tiles, which were added to the stone
foundation
○ Brilliant, vibrant colors
● Protection:
○ 10-meter high city walls
○ 52-meter wide moat surrounding the complex
○ 3 storied towers placed on each corner of the wall

12. Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
● Contains:
○ 1 million historical relics from the Shang Dynasty
through the Qing Dynasty
● Today:
○ Made it to the world cultural heritage list in 1987
○ Acts as the largest museum of Chinese cultural relics
today
○ Considered a masterpiece in architectural history

13. Paintings (before and after 1279)
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Paintings came in many forms
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Album leaves, fans, murals, scrolls
Not allowed for permanent view; to be admired, not just for decoration
Silks were preferred by painters, porcelain also used (but had to be glazed). Paper used too
Texts mixed with paintings; red stamps are seals that mark artist or owner
Acceptable to write about art (colophon)
read right to left;
intimate form of art

14. Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains
(1296 CE)
Zhao Mengfu. Handscroll, ink and color on paper. 28.6 x 9.3 cm. Yuan Dynasty
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Zhao painted it for a friend from Jinan (painting supposedly depicts Jinan)
Mountains and trees painted in the archaic manner of the Tang Dynasty
Nostalgia from Tang Dynasty and for Jinan
Wide open space and emphasized prominent features of the two mountains
The hills and shoals are done in Dong Yuan hemp-fiber strokes
Coloring is archaic blue-and-green for a revivalist manner
The texture strokes, however, are calligraphic, reflecting Zhao's own innovation.
Work brims with clarity, ease, and calmness
Imagery from the mind and heart
“Spirit of antiquity”
Similar to “Winter Landscape” from Japan in terms of the depth of the painting and focus on nature, albeit Winter
Landscape has a more forceful style (seen in that brushstrokes) as a result of the violence from that period

15. Sculptures
Seated Buddha
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(themes, stylistic techniques, before and after 1279)
c.460
Carved in situ rock in Shanxi, China
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45 feet tall
Gentle smile, with Indian influences in the face
Buddha symbols-- top knot on head, sitting in
lotus position, tight garments
Asian influences-- broad shoulders and pleated
drapery.
Bi with Dragons
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(fourth-third century BCE)
Circular jade disk with round center, many
believe this symbolizes the heavens
Dragons are the chinese symbol for good luck
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also they are symbols for weather,
specifically rain
The surface is a very hard jade which has been
carved with finely modulated and raised spirals
and very finely carved surfaces.

16. Sculptures-The Terracotta Army
Terracotta army (210 BCE)
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Consist of 8,000 terracotta warrior, 100
wooden chariots 2 bronze chariots and 30,000
weapons.
○ Soldiers are approximately all six feet tall
(taller than the average person at the
time- idealized)
○ Some show proud expressions, some
fierce some confident
Represents the Chinese army marching into the
new world.
The fact that each soldier is different-expresses the Daoist belief of individualism
Would have been colorfully painter at the time
Was not discovered until 1974!

17. Sculptures-The Terracotta Army
One of only the two created bronze chariots
This image shows the differences between each
soldier. From afar they look similar but up close they
are all different

18. New Vocabulary
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Bi-- a round ceremonial disk found in ancient Chinese tombs. They are characterized by having a circular hole in the
center, which may have symbolized heaven
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Colophon-- a commentary on the end panel of a Chinese handscroll (such as poetry in praise of what has been read or
seen)
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Confucianism-- a philosophical belief begun by Confucius that stresses education, devotion to family, mutual respect,
and traditional culture
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Daoism-- a philosophical belief begun by Laozi that stresses individual expression and a striving to find balance in one's
life
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Literati-- a sophisticated and scholarly group of Chinese artists who painted for themselves rather than for fame and
mass-acceptance. Their work is highly individualized.
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Porcelain-- a ceramic made from clay that when fired in a kiln produces a product that is hard, white, brittle, and shiny
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Yin and Yang-- complementary polarities. The yin is a feminine symbol that has dark, soft, moist, and weak
characteristics. The yangis the male symbol that has bright, hard, dry, and strong characteristics.