Guanxiu (832-912 CE), Luohan (from set of Sixteen Luohans), hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Five Dynasties, c.880 CE

A Luohan is thought to a worthy one, aperfect saint that were diciplies of the Buddha and that they have made their way to enlightenment. Their mission is to protect the Buddhist laws and teachings. We find that the Liohans are a way of worthy ones, a perfected saints. They are like Bodhisattvas, except that they are protectors of the Buddhist laws. Why were they so popular at this time? Something is appealing about them, of endurance, of survivors and they bring in stability. This particular Liohan looks scary and repulsive, because of the face, which is very grotesque. His gesture and hunched pose reinforces this. Wrinkled and his eyebrows. Through this intense study and meditation have made their way with great pain and endurance to become protectors of the teacher. Their repulsiveness is their attraction. Appearances don’t really matter. Remember that the world around us is an illusion in the Buddhist teachings. Their duty is not based on their physical attraction. The artist emphasizes their grotesqueness, which heightens their endurance. Rigid lines under him, not the smooth curvy lines we saw in the past. The idea of endurance here is played up. 

Workshop of Jin Dashou, King of Hell, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Song dynasty, c.1150-1195

Syncretism. The belief here is that reincarnation- the ultimate goal to improve yourself. Here, the Chinese depict the King of Hell, the time that you die and the time you are reborn, there is this idea of going down to the Underworld and these kings decide what is next for you in the afterlife. Your records are written of how you conducted yourself in the previous life. Should you be making pains? If you do, you’ll be punished in various ways such as being tortured by a demon or turned into a beast. This idea is so incredibly UN-Buddhist. This great idea of syncretism- of bring together values of two things together. There is this idea of an underground bureaucracy of the afterlife. That there is this similar structure in the underworld. There is this idea of bureaucratic hell. Practices of folk religion. In the picture we see that there is a Chinese official in his high chair. This painting uses that high-level technology of Song sophistication. Good karma- used for storytelling and that they even might be used for meditation. Realistic- we can see the blood being out from the hammer pounding and there is a lot of color and pattern used. This constant idea of realism. The Buddhist idea here is so Chinese-isfied. Mixed with Buddhist beliefs that create a new belief. 

Liang Kai (active early 13th century), Sixth Chan Patriarch Huineng Chopping Bamboo, ink on paper, hanging scroll, Southern Song, 13th century 

Chan Buddhism believes that Buddhism has become too diverse. They wanted to get back to the basics. Chan Buddhism advocates that you must have this inner-belief in yourself. That reading and ritualization is an illusion. Tap into yourself and reach beyond rationality and tap into yourself to find your true Buddhist nature. Heavily impacted by Daoist beliefs. Not through learning and not through laws. How you learn is through transmission through your teacher. It is through self-meditation and through discipline that you will tap into your Buddhist nature. We have this idea of syncretism- where it is popular among the most elite. What is famous about Huineng is that he reached Enlightenment about chopping wood. Doing daily tasks was also another form of meditation. Painting itself would be another form of meditation. How? Well, it is extremely simple and it probably took him quickly and spontaneously with his quick strokes. The bamboo must have took 7 simple strokes and Huineng himself looks like a simple ordinary person. Clearly this working man, again..this Song belief that the world is just an illusion. Humble, unassuming subject that Enlightenment can come anytime and that we must find it from within. Anti-conventionality, which makes it fascinating. 

Anonymous, Flour Mill Powered by a Waterwheel, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty, c.970s CE

You see a lot of the lines of the architectural piece. Difficult and demanding, and we don’t know who the artist is. TO draw this kind of painintg, there is a lot of rigidity and technical. Conveys real sense of space, very detailed. You can see people working and the process of how flower is being produced and weed is then grounded, dried, and bagged. The land was owned by the government. The court is in control, even though it is a period of turbulence and recovery. Propaganda piece because everything is smooth sailing. Suppose to give you a sense of prosperity, where it is not meant for everybody to look at. Commoners are not going to see this and it is more for the court. You also don’t want to give this feeling that the court is in control either. An image of the court because of the economic prosperity under the command of the imperial court. We see the production and consumption of the economy at the inn. Cutting edge technology that the court is able to run. 

Fan Kuan (active c.990-1030 CE), Travelers Amid Mountains and Streams,

hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty, c.1000 CE

This is about 7 ft tall. This mountain is a host peak, representing the emperor. The smaller mountain is a guest peak, supporting the emperor. A psychological painting as a metaphor for the emperor and China. You cannot see the bottom of the mountain. The travelers are so small in comparison to the mountain(China). Sanyuan has three perspectives: ganyuan: height, pingyuan: level distance, shenyuan: deep distance (depth). Many of the paintings at the time conform to these perspectives. If you look at the texture closely, you can see the trees and all the leaves, the caravan, which indicates the minute details which takes A LOT OF TIME to come up with the details. Raindrop dots, in a sense you can see all the raindrops of the thousands of brush strokes. Repetition, repetition, and more is used to create that realism. Sense of order, it tells you who is in charge of the country, and who is his followers. Gives you a sense of order. Almost all the paintings we’ve seen conveys the sense of order. Even though it is a turbulent time. One of the things is that Fang Kuan is that he is a Daoist, so he believes in nature and one of the things he feels is WHAT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE. Not just Confucianistic, but also Daoist. You need to be in harmony with nature. His signature was discovered in 1958. You would not have even noticed that. Oldest extent painting from that time. We are able to verify that this is a real Fang Kuan painting. About the court’s power and authority. We see landscape painting as an image of imperial power, because of its size (7 ft high) and it is a theme of hierarchy. This central peak represents the emperor (the postpeak) and the sides represent his ministers whereas the rest are the Chinese commoners. The emperor binds the heaven and the earth together. The scale of this landscape is large, where you can be lost. A cosmic landscape, an image of the universe. Links the supernatural and the human together. 

Anonymous, Portrait of Emperor Taizu (r.960-976), hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Northern Song dynasty, c.970 CE

This person is actually sitting back and relaxing. When someone sits in China, someone is in power and authority. He is not just skin and bones, he is a big and sturdy person. His hat with two wings are court hats. Court officials have hats have wings. The width indicates of the highest authority, indicating his level of power. No stains on his clothing. When you look at this person, you can’t really read his emotional state at that moment, indicating he is in control. A series of art suppose to hang at the court for generations to worship. Continuity of ancestor worship continues here and this is one of the series. Meant to be worshipped by his successors and heirs and there is suppose to be about twelve of them. He changed the mandate at the time where there is an increase in civic officials so this is a time where you were not just born into power, they start having examinations. You are able to go to school and if you do well, you can gain social status and carve out of your class. What he did to unite China (Taizu) is that he treated his enemies equally as well as he did with his friends. High tribute with his enemies so he can keep peace with them around his borders. If you were his enemy, you HAD no reason to attack him. If you had all the goods, why do you need to fight? 

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji, 1082-1135, Auspicious Cranes, ink and color on silk, hand scroll, Northern Song dynasty, 1112 CE 

It was read as an auspiscious sign, where the heavens are happy with his rule. They needed everything that is usual that is seen as a mandate of heaven that is suppose to agree with Huizong’s rule. Not like a made-up event, it was a specific event commemorated into a painting. Portrayed that the heavens was happy and he was meant to rule. Who was meant to see this? Mainly for the court and ministers and they would praise him for his ruling. Shows the emperor’s power through the auspicious omen, because the cranes are flying in formation over his house. He gives the actual day it happened and what occurred. He saw it on the Chinese New Year event he attended, and while he was greeting his subjects, the cranes were forming over the roof. He was obsessed with the idea that he was allowed to rule because of the mandate of heaven. He paints in a rather impersonal style, of a public statement. Commonly accepted that he was one of the worst emperors in Chinese history. 

Anonymous, Breaking the Balustrade, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 12th century, Southern Song dynasty

The Southern Songs are aware that they are cultured, but militarily they know they lack. The subject in this painting is important, there is this statement of his legitimacy to his right to rule. He calls on this ancient Chinese model, of a story of the Hanshu, a history book on the Han dynasty. A story of moral model, in which we are forced to follow the bueracrats. What was so important is that this Confucian model is the idea of subject and ruler. The emperor’s ministers are important to his rule, but he doesn’t always want to hear your advice. You could either be a yes-man or be an upright minister. You have this relationship based on relationship. You do not want corruption and nepitism. It is a story of someone speaking out of his order. Eample of an official behaving in a way he should of being moral and upright. Clear open stage-like setting. You might notice the railing cuts across the narrative. The composition presents the story very clearly. A moral model for people to follow. Establishes Gaozong’s legitimacy as an emperor. Didactic of the Confucian model. Drawing models from the past in which we must emulate. Example of a polished technique of court painting. Bamboo is a symbol of the upright scholar, it may bend but it never breaks.

Ma Yuan (active 1190-1225), On A Mountain Path in Spring, ink and color on silk,

Song dynasty, early 13th century CE 

Painting about what the court wants. He paints something that fits the poem. He is fulfilling what his superiors wanted. This painting is about a man interacting with nature in spring time enjoying nature. Very small, very idealized corner of nature. We are able to see a line of shadows representing mountain. Scholar figure that is directed towards the birds, which are flying away. There are no cosmic statements, and instead is talking about the emperor’s aesthetics experiences with nature. And the painting matches very closely with the poem. The size of this art is meant to be used as a gift for the emperor. Quality of sadness and melancholy at the same time. How is this achieved here? There is this half empty space of the painting and all the the experience is on the left. He looks out and is turned away from us. Tells us about man’s connection with nature, in this context the emperor is the observer, a philosopher, and a scholar. He is being a part of the larger scheme of things. This was used for as a gift, as a small private form of communication to perhaps to his relatives. A statement of his status as a cultured man. In some ways this indicates the rise of the scholar. That quality of longing, large space is utilized. 

Ma Yuan, Apricot Blossoms, ink and color on silk, Song dynasty, early 13th century

For the emperor from his wife, Empress Yang. Started as this court musician. This painting is an illustration of the poetry. This painting is about a metaphor for his wife. Flowers are a common metaphor for women. This apricot blossom is bloomed, as it is spring time. Suggest that the painting is a self-image about herself and it is about as racy as Chinese art can get. This is thought to be an invitation to the emperor. We have this branch that opens up, reinforces the sense of invitation. This is a lady that had a lot of competition, so one way to do this is an invitation from a sexual, artistic way. Also about the emperor’s responsibility, to have a son, to bear a child. Through this larger context of putting it in nature by means of art. She wants to have sex with her husband in a subtle, artistic manner. Meshes perfectly with that poetry. About nature and its relation to the human realm. Continued Song interest in realism. The theme of bearing children and having sex in the context of the court. 

Qian Xuan (c.1235-before 1307), Wang Xizhi Watching Geese, ink and color on

paper, Yuan dynasty, c.1295

We are still doing landscape, nature as a metaphor. He is referring /depicting someone we know. An inscription describes him looking to the past of Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin, the chaotic time. In this painting we see that the character is retired at age 49 from office duty work. Why would he be interested in Wang Xizhi? He is advocating here a model of behavior, instead he is retreating to his home from public life. Retreated into private life and instead cultivating themselves through garden-work and just nature in general. The style looks nothing like we’ve seen earlier, and instead we see that this painting has great attention to color. There is a quality of naiveness, in that he refers to ancient models of landscapes, going back to earlier models. Assertion of Chinese identity. We have not seen such elaborate color schemes before in other works. He is referring to this lost, Chinese past that is almost a golden age. Uses this intense pattern that blocks us out from the landscape, where there is a lot of contradiction. We can only look into it from a distance, and that we are not a part of it. The only true China remains in the past, and there is a theme of lost past. Qian was a regular drinker, and there is a sense of humiliation that China has lost. Political art in terms of a loss of power. This is a political work of art because it portrays a scholar who has been alienated and distanced from the court. He uses this ancient, historical style of painting. He looks for the past, and looking for the Chinese past. Depicts Wang izhi as someone who went into retreat. 

Gong Kai (1222-1307?), Emaciated Horse, hand scroll, ink on paper, late 13th century, Yuan dynasty

When the Song falls, he took a stance of not to serve. He painted perky ones, and one that he is known was horse painting. Horses were associated with military power, and yet we are not able to see any in Song dynasty, as they were not as strong. Here, this horse looks like it is about to die and compared to Night Shining White, was filled with life and bigger. We can see the ribs of this horse and the style here is NOT going for beauty, as he uses no color. He is talking about authenticity, as he wants you to feel the emotion in this painting. This horse has become emaciated, deteriorating. One common metaphor of the horse is that it is a servant of the emperor. A metaphor for the artist’s role linked to the emperor. It is crude, and he talks about who he is. Heartfelt image of his own emotion, as it is a painting of a personal political statement who remains loyal to the Song dynasty. 

Liu Guandao (active c.1275-1300), Khubilai Khan Hunting, Yuan dynasty, ink and color on silk, hanging scroll, 1289 CE

This is mysterious, in that it is fascinating in how it conveys the court. We have a little camel caravan, something that you do not normally see in Chinese culture. One of the figures is shooting out towards the sky. These guys are out hunting and the most important figure in the painting is the man in the white. Khubilai Khan is the one in white, and he Is also slightly bigger than everyone else. Horse painting makes a resurgence at this time. Showcasing Mongolian forte – hunting. We see for the first time how the emperor detaching away from Chinese culture. Invested in the Yuan culture. Hunting is seen as a metaphor for the court’s prowess with their military. Never seen the emperor in this manner, who is an active participant of the painting. Lots of metaphor for the nation at large, as the Mongolians are good at hunting. Mongolian empire was multi-ethnic, as seen in the painting. The range of people here are seen with different colors. Completely different landscape, as there is an emphasis on the North. Promotes the identity of the court and a celebration of power of the Yuan dynasty. 

Huang Gongwang (1269-1354), Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, 1347-1350 CE,

Ink on paper, Yuan dynasty

- Imagery, calligraphy, personal reference, social act, process, high-minded reclusion

Ni Zan (1301-1374), Rongxi Studio, ink on paper, 1372, Yuan dynasty 

Wang Meng (c.1309-1385), Dwelling in the Qing Bian Mountains, hanging scroll, ink on paper, Yuan dynasty, 1366 CE

Painting of personal self expressive. This is a very weird, emotional landscape. Very narrow and vertical composition. This mountain is very chaotic, there is a lot of movement that acts like its moving. It is not stable. We might notice that it is hard to enter. We see a figure that is going to break into the landscape through these walls of rocks. Even if he does enter in, its still hard to navigate through this area. Everything is moving and vibrating in this uncomfortable way. Very unstable landscape. As we get to the top, things seem unsecure and unstable. It is a very volatile landscape, and it is this emotional internal landscape when the Dynasty was about to explode. He finds this visual language for it that is used with the past as a model. He uses chaos, unrest, and instability where he is saying, it is not like the Fan Kuan mountain. It is not the same anymore. It is not good as the past anymore. It is his feelings of where the country is going. Espousing the scholar values. Not an accurate description of the Qingbian Mountains, but he is painting under biographical circumstances. He is painting during the time when there is peasant rising in the Yuan dynasty. In this particular area, he had his friend Zhao Lin read his work, expressing this mountain as his home that is being attacked. He expresses the ending of his world through the mountains being hard to enter. The landscape itself is incredibly unstable, and it makes it extremely unstable which the mountain range is weaving. Hard to make sense of the place, as space is in and out. Dynamic, telegraphic lines. Gives this further movement and life in to this landscape where it is unnatural and unstable. Language of the scholar retreat. Portrait of Wang Meng’s feelings of the Yuan dynasty collapsing. Again, drawing on from the past by using a landscape from the Northern Song dynasty.

Anonymous, Portrait of the Yongle Emperor, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk,

Ming dynasty, late 15th century

This Yongle emperor is shown here as with a direct reversion to the Tang dynasty. Wearing ancient Chinese clothing. He is lining himself to his legitimacy with a successful dynasty. He has quite a magnificent throne, where the person sitting is the prestigious/ruling one. The incredible use of pattern in his throne is used to achieve the sense of wealth and labor of decoration into his throne. Highly organized and clear, but it is also not that realistic in a lot of ways. Abstraction in the pattern and the emperor is more of an abstract force. His expression is his distant, like he is better than us/above us. He does give off a little sense of movement and the reason why he is holding his belt is that they were concerned with rank, so the number of plaques on the belt tells the rank of the person. Dragon on his belt, and under the Ming dynasty that the dragon is an imperial symbol of the court’s power. This sense of who can wear what is strictly enforced. The number of dragons ornament the throne. Facial hair on his face, perhaps to convey wisdom. A sign of age and experience. A sign of STATUS. Beards are associated with strong man. A macho connotation. Remember also that the Ming dynasty had a strong military presence so his beard is synonymous with Ming military power. The emperor’s bulky pose is a statement of manly power. Also remember that this is a model to earlier works such as the Portrait of Emperor Taizu. Here, this emperor is more macho than the nerdy one from the past. His countenance is that of majesty and reverence. Depicted as more than an ordinary mortal. This image tells us an idealized, macho, imposing pose. Little more bulk and is shown as a hefty-powerful man. The Ming are very concerned with rank, as this is a peasant dynasty that questions their own legitimacy. Uniforms and court dresses under the Ming indicates right away their status. Only the emperor could have a belt with 5 dragons on it. Emphasis on pattern here, giving the painting more remote and powerful. Strong use of geometry for his face. Indicates more than just a man. A son of heaven and the earth. 

Liu Jun (active c.1450-1500), The First Song Emperor Visiting Zhao Pu on a Snowy Night, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Ming dynasty, late 15th century

Tells of a story that goes back to the Song dynasty. Paints a picture of the first Song emperor from Song history. Song Taizu had a very good relationship with Zhao Pu, his assitance. The first Song emperor wanted to tell him something, and there was a snowstorm. He wanted to tell Zhao Pu something about his time with his wife. They continue to chat. Why would the main court be interested in something like this? It is a didactic story teaching us about wise ministers and wise emperors. It is about upright ministers and concerned emperors. In this case, the emperor stops by the minister’s place even though the night is cold and snowy. You might notice that the emperor is the most important in the painting, indicating the hierarchy of scale and bright dress. Perfectly in the center of the box. Sense of Confucian hierarchy. The rocks, the trees,- they are symbols of the scholar. Sort of a miniature version of the palace. The style is clear, the narrative is so obvious, where there is a reference to the Song past. A sense of realism alludes to earlier Song art. Painting about wise administration about wise officials and wise emperors. It is a type of propaganda to keep officials, because the Ming dynasty was a period of usurp and killings of officials that didn’t agree with the court. Literally a painting of the first Song emperor. A didactic painting illustrating hiercharcy between the emperor and his subject, and that the emperor is able to attract good administrators. Strong organization and clarity I the picture. A Song style with great details and narrative a la Song painting. 

Shang Xi (active early 15th century), Guan Yu Captures General Pang De, ink on

silk, Ming dynasty, early 15th century

Enourmous, 8 feet by 10 feet. The artist’s specialty is large painting. Not intended as a hanging scroll, but a screen to mark out space. What we see is the great general Guan Yu, a famous general for his loyalty and his uprightness to his ruling. Towards the end of the Han Dynasty, a period of greatness for the Chinese. Guan Yu was this great, loyal general who kills Pang De, who tried to kill Guan Yu. This is actually the earliest surviving painting of Guan Yu. Guan Yu ascended to become a god. A god of war, a protective figure that people pray to him. During the Ming dynasty, he became a celestial figure. Again, a theme of military power conveyed by the Ming dynasty. Again, a very hierarchical pyrimid because Guan Yu is the biggest followed by smaller figures to his sides. Very polished, very colorful and detailed. Axe-cut brushstrokes is an allusion to the Song dynasty. We don’t find earlier court paintings like this. Talking about popular culture of the people. Reflects the Ming dynasty, as there is more infiltration of the people and an increase in the lower class. Linked to military culture at the time. Shanxi was actually a member of the military court. Many ways, the ritual that the Ming performed is conveyed through this painting. An artistic statement of the Ming’s military prowess. Used for some kind of stream or backdrop. Ming values represented here are military power, which is shown through with fascination with hierarchy, and the emphasis on the weapons, and the subject itself where Guan Yu is a very popular figure in China who is known as the God of War. It is a commercial time where people can rise up in society. Much greater social fluidity. All these references to popular culture that represents the fluidity of society at the time. 

Shen Zhou, Lofty Mount Lu, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, Ming dynasty, 1467 CE

Comes from Jiangxi province that lived at the foot of the mountain. As a gift to his teacher for his 60^th birthday. Paints an image of the teacher’s hometown (his teacher is Chen Kuan). And a little figure at the bottom is his teacher, almost like a hermit. What he is saying about his teacher in the painting is because of the landscape, it is a mental landscape that is very greeny and solid, and the enormous verticality. There is a diagonal line that meets, which pulls your eyes upward. A lot of movement going on but its organized where you cant help but look up. Microcosm in the larger peak. He’s literally comparing his teacher to Mount Lu. He is saying that his teacher’s achievements and status is just like the Mountain itself. A symbol of immortality is at place. He is not talking about upheaval and chaos, but a celebration of his teacher’s life. Painting that compliments his teacher and wish for long life. A huge shift that moves into visualized society, and the central peak is the scholar himself. Before, the Wang Meng painting is about the emperor. We can think of this painting for his teacher. Very momentous occasion in which gifts are an important part. His teacher is highly respected. On a most practical level, it is clear: it is a present to his teacher. You celebrate their life and achievements about Chen Kuan and his status. He adopts of course landscape painting , which he compares his teacher and his teacher’s achievments. The mountains are like a metaphor for his teacher’s achievements. He calls on earlier models, and we see Chen Kuan as a hermit, as a force in nature. Little motifs like the cave and pine tree alludes to the mountains of immortals dwell, which have these things. Using the past brings prestige to YOUR work of art. This dynamic mountin are all references to Wang Ma. 

Tang Yin (1470-1524), Tao Gu Presents a Poem, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Ming dynasty, c.1515 CE

Other people fall between the cracks of social status who are not clear. Tang Yin was a student of Shen Zhou. He gets caught in a cheating scandal and is disgraced as an official and decides to become a painter for the open market. He does painting in a slightly different way, which is slightly polished and decorative. This painting is detailed and tells a story. He tells a different story, he is also a well known person for his town. Tang Yin is known for drinking and being known as a ladies man. He is not interested in doing stories of upright bringing, but depicting stories that are caught up in popular figures. Love stories. The story he is telling goes back to the Five  dynasties with a man named Tao Gu. He bumps into a woman who thinks he is one of the local. They spend a night together and then later finds out that she is a woman of the high court. He sends her a short poem. (In PPT). Obviously not didactic, but a story of romance. Remember also that high-end women do not get out, so this is a racy picture of a man and woman together. The positions are relaxed, and informal. Garden rocks are apparent, and she is playing with a lute that is like a guitar. And he is sitting on a platform. She is playing a song for him basically at a garden. Romantic, lush garden. Wine with pen and paper on his side and there is a stream behind them that emphasizes the story. The composition itself is organized with an “aloneness” idea. The branches are composed in a way that is unobtrusive. Everything was for sale, even sex. Classic example of using Chinese stories from the past used for the present. He is selling his identity, and Tang Yin himself was known for his extreme lifestye, the consummate bohemian. It reflects his life in a way. 

Ma Shouzhen (1548-1604), Orchid, Bamboo and Rock, 1563, hanging scroll, ink on paper, Ming dynasty

If everything was for sale, so was prostitution. Now we see female artists entering the market. One interesting category are cortizon painters. Known for her charm and house, someone at the top of hierarchies of prostitutes. Paying for the privilege to spend time with the client. Scholars may spend time with her for witty conversations, art, etc. Not just for sex. Normally you don’t spend a lot of time with women and in this way, you are befriending a woman. Known for her bamboo and orchid painting. She painted this when she was 15 years old. A high ranking cortizon. In the poem, she is talking about orchids. Natural metaphors that is given with a sexual twist. Chinese orchids are small, delicate plants with a nice fragrant, with a symbol of friendship but it then turns in women. Erotic symbol, beauty of the cortizon. Juxtaposes with the bamboo, metaphor for the scholar. How do you know if it is by a woman? There are delicacy and its fragile-like. She is painting because she wants to advertise herself, she is a prostitute. She offers a whole array to amuse her clients. SHe uses the scholar language to present the orchid subject matter. The commercialism of Ming Cultureis present here. We know that this is a female artist because of the orchid, which symbolizes the scholar friendship, also has this idea of the talen of the scholar that moves unnoticed. Erotic idea that the woman is the flower. She juxtaposes the orchid with the bamboo, which is associated with the scholar. This idea of secluded beauty is venerated at this time. Delicate visual language. She probably painted in front of her customers, and there records from even parts of Vietnam to get her paintings. And remember, she started to paint at the age of 15. And in her poem, she talks about the fragrance of the orchid. Shuanggou- careful technique which is essentially outlining. 

Xu Wei (1521-1593), Grapes, hanging scroll, ink on paper, Ming dynasty, 16th century

He couldn’t make it as an official, so he made a name for himself as a playwrite, and known for his paintings. He has a lot of skill, but is an extremely bohemian figure. It seems clear to us that he is mentally unstable yet very talented. He even killed his second wife because she cheated on him. Suffered depression and tried to kill himself. We find that he often sticks to natural subjects. In this one, grapes hanging from a vine. Looks very spontaneous, working with simple brushes. He swifty brushes out those leaves. Huge and magnificent display and technique. It is recognizeable and coherent and you can see it as an abstract work of art. He also uses self-composed poem and puts his personality on display here. He is barely controlling his brush and painting, like he is also intoxicated. This sense of visual thrill that matches his volatility that interests us. He is painting out who he is. Mogu = boneless style. Artists like this are displaying themselves. In his description, he is talking about himself and reinforces the autobiographical despair about his life. Not the kind of painting people can do. Very swiftly and spontaneously. Active as an artist, and he was working close to offcials like secretary. He was also known for his over the top personality. Someone who has mental/emotional issues. The choices that he makes in his painting is this sense of incredible movement and that calligraphic brushstroke is quite personal. Dramatic, dynamic technique. Very personal painting style that showcases his technique. He is really putting himself out there. At first it looks quite disorganized, this very spontaneous technique. An indication of his own personality. Playing with the idea of incoherence and coherence. This sort of energy that also relates to his personality. He is breaking rules and boundaries. He is not following conventions. Bohemian values are at play. He is talking about things that artists don’t usually talk about. The image here is grapes, known for their wine which is a connotation of his Bohemian lifestyle. 

Chen Hongshou (1598-1652), Self Portrait: The Inebriated Artist, album leaf, ink and color on silk, Ming dynasty, 1627 CE

Comes from an educated family who DOES NOT pursue a court official job. He instead becomes a professional artist. He is painting a self-portrait for a friend. He portrays himself as sobbing, with angled eyebrows. He seems to be sitting on a giant banana palm leaves. Also leaning on a book. He is right next to a wine cup with a big jug of wine to his right. Fruits that related to lemons right next to him also. We’ve lost thousands and thousands of miles. He feels that all he can do is just cry and be in despair. Uncomfortable pose, but there Is a system of order in which everything is at a slight angle at 45 degrees. He is not sitting upright, but there is a sense of disorder/drunkenness. Widely and respected artist/figure. What is interesting about his paintings is that people DID know that his works are weird/strange, what was fascinating, bizarre about his paintings. With this artist, we find that it is odd, strange. Here, it is a portrait of himself that is intended for his friend. In the inscription he is alluding to the miles that have been lost. He is at this particular point in history in which the Chinese are being taken over. All he COULD do is drink. We have seen this eccentricity in the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. What he is saying about himself by calling on that ancient model is that: there is a sense of sadness and he is not measuring up. He is just getting drunk. A sort of sense of diappointment with yourself and you cant measure up to the past. Here we find the difference between the past and the present. He is basically saying, “I cant match your standards”. 

Hongren (1610-1664 CE), The Coming of Autumn, ink on paper, hanging scroll, Qing dynasty, mid-17th century CE

Very active artwork right here. Hongren (his Buddhist) name. One option for loyalists is that they were expected to change their appearance, as the overtakers had a different look, the Manchu. For people who were resisting this hairstyle, and one way is to retreat to the Buddhist church and shave their hair. HOngren’s landscape is a depecting of Mount Huang. We see that the mountains are more rectangular and he plays up the mountainous of this area. What he is doing to this rectangle is that he uses the emphasis on the barrenness of this landscape. It is very geometric, almost a grid that has vertical lines that composes the landscape. And a sense of shape that has an S shape that makes you appreciate the height of the mountain. Pristine, untouched world. The area looks very desolate, but there is one sign of life behind the tree, meaning that it is a place of reclusion for the artist. It reminds us of Ni Zan, a very important model for Hongren. Must much geometric than the Rongxi Studio, and again the emphasis on the tall, straight pine trees. It is a totally empty out landscape. It is an acceptance of the fall of the Ming, and he is reworking the world in his own mind and imagination. He is disengaging from the chaotic present. How dos he tell us about his losses? He picks this political stance in reclusion. The subject matter he is using is that of the scholar through the subject of the landscape, and that it represents his worldview. But he makes references to a specific place called MT. Huang, a famous that has lots of nationalistic associations at the time. Thought to be the place where the immortals dwell. It was a hotbed to forces. Known for dramatic peaks and pine trees. The style is through Ni Zan, referring to the past for the present. He is often seen as a loyalist. This is not a subject matter , as it is death, the end of the year. It is a commentary on a transcending of his reclusion. The organization of the landscape is clearly laid out and purified and distant from contemporary life. 

Gong Xian (c.1619-1689), A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines, hand scroll, ink on paper, late 17th century CE, Qing dynasty

Strange work of art for its period. We have a very exhausting painting because there are these sharp peaks that are up and down up and down. At first it seems very chaotic to look at. Where DO we go in this painting? There is a small shoreline that is frustraiting for the observer, because we cannot enter into the landscape. Where could we go? There is more water even if you enter from the small shoreline. There is actually a small hut that indicates human life. Far left side there is a small gathering on the left of the center rock and a house on the far left. His module is the triangle and we can see that there is this giant x motif for the entire painting. Most uninviting landscape. The sky is NOT here. Just more of these stifling mountains. This world is harsh and barren. It is uninviting. Harsh geometric world that is outside the order of heaven. He is an artist from Nanjing, it was a three day massacre day. And this is where Gong Xian is from. This is a very hostile and uninviting image of his worldview. Just creates vision of this world that is forbidden with no room for humans. He places himself in this traumatized and dark view of the world. There is no space for existence and it feels claustrophobic. Inconsistencies of space that twist in and out. Various mountain peaks that is very hostile. There is no sky, there is no heaven in this painitng. Ususally, you WOULD have skies in their paintings. Depicting a world under a foreign dynasty. 

Bada shanren, Two Mynahs on a Rock, hanging scroll, ink on paper, Qing dynasty, 1692

Bada shanren is related to the Ming house. More interested in stamping out to the foreign rulers. He was a strange individual in terms of personality. For example he stops speaking. He exhibited rather strange behavior. We find that  Bada shanren is a figure that has emotional paintings with abstraction with particular forms. A play with three dimentional shapes with abstract compositions. He certainly invents his own subject matter that other artists do not use. Big black birds do not usually fall into conventional, it comes off as ominous with negative connotations. He is like the Edgar Allen Poe of his time. The paints have really big eyes, and he emphasizes this part of the bird to show us his looseness. The bird is looking at the other bird. His animals seemt to have minds of their own, with their own thoughts and feelings. This is a strange sense of going on in this painting that we don’t know whats going on. A certainly quality of paranoia, where something bad is going and we are secluded from it. There is no context of this rock, like as if it is suspended in space. A significant day to make offering to your ancestors on 9^th day of 9^th month of the CHongyang festival. He would paint this for that day because he can pay tribute to his former empire. This is personal position of how he stands in the current empire. It all makes one larger compostion when put together. Very strange world when you enter Bada Shanren’s world. There is a shift from happy, universal harmony, instead there is instability and it is dark. Its ominous. 

Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining,1688-1766), Pine, Hawk and Ganoderma, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Qing dynasty, 1724

- Ganoderma = lingzhi fungus, Legitimacy, Hawk = ying = hero, Yongzheng emperor.

Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining), The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial

Armor on Horseback, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, Qing dynasty, 1739 or 1758

The figure in this group that has traditional armor on his horse. You master your horse like you master your kingdom. He is wearing that magnificent yellow. Decorated with multi-colored clouds on his saddle. There are inscriptions on his helmet that details his right to be a Tibetan ruler. The artist painted under 3 rulers. By their close actions of the ruler, these artists wanted to spread the religion of Catholicism. In 1739, the emperor had a meeting with his army. How do we know that it not just a regular Chinese painting? The shading of the brushstroke highlights this difference. The sky is different and indicates the style of Westerners. Almost like a documentary that is a piece of propaganda about the court’s power. This indeed is true through the painting. They might even be recalling different imperial models, ex. The Kublai Khan portrait of Khan sitting on HIS horse. Archery is a surprise skill for the Qing. They used portrait of the emperor is used in a specific way in that a classic Qing court image in that it reflects the multi-cultural aspects of the Manchu empire of the Qing dynasty. It is BY an Italian artist and is adopting through a Chinese medium but the style is extremely Westernized. There is image and light and there is volume- things that lack in previous Chinese paintings. The Armor has that imperial yellow and the use of the dragon and is a part of the Manchu interest. There is this interest in the horse as this symbol of imperial power. 

Square treasure box containing 30 items, zitan wood, Qing dynasty, 18th century

Little items can be collected and placed in this box. The outside is decorated with auspiscious symols that indicate good luck and wealth, but also to indicate possession. These are people that own millions of objects, and then they use these boxes to own these objects and that they OWN Chinese culture. This tells us that there is a symbol of power because it shows Qing control over Chinese history and Chinese culture by the variety of small antiques-ancient jades, ivory, small carvings, small scrolls, water décor, which shows ownership of these objects. These symbols on the box, where the circle represents the heavens, separating the square of the earth. OF course, THIS box was meant for the emperor so this tells us the establishment of his legitimacy. The shapes on each side of the box symbolizes the Yuan masters. An idea of microcosm of Chinese culture and history. A powerful little object that portrays how obsessively the Qing collection of arts. 

Ren Yi (1840-1896), Five Successful Sons, 1877, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, Qing dynasty 

Ren Yi is known for his figural paintings. Yi is one of those typical Shanhai artists that were not born in Shanghai, but fled to the city because of turmoil. His paintings are stories that everyone already knew. Dou Yujun is known for having 5 sons and that is remarkable about this is that all the sons passed the official court test- a dream for the parents. Everyone looking at this knows about this story. Why would someone want this hanging up on their reception hall? Its because a Ren Yi painting is already hard to acquire by itself and when you buy the Yi painting you are buying his technique and his FAME. A form of GOOD LUCK. The form of good luck it promotes- good son, fertility, education, family values- are values that is important to the Chinese. Bending the cassia branch is a common metaphor for passing the test. Father-son relationship, older children teaching the young is found here- indicating the Confucian ideas. Enormous painting that is almost 6 feet tall that is meant to fill the center of a reception hall. What Yi did to make this narrative more lively is that their direction is all focused, and he also offers the viewer a didactic painting. On another level, everyone knows the story so he makes it interesting by showing the 5^th and youngest son about to yank his father’s hat off. Little playful details that have a sense of humor that has an anecdotal appeal that has visual interest. Clearly an upscale version. For a middle class audience that shows signs of auspicion to Yi’s customers. TO even own a Ren Yi painting indicates a status symbol, because they are folktales that everyone in that time period knew. It is definitely a dream come true for the 19^th century merchant to have 5 sons and then have all of them to become successful and be officials. Celebration of standard auspicious power that the buyer of the painting desires. You are buying Yi’s style, it is decorative, stylish, and amusing. Rather humours and playful take on this playful story. Gongbi = boneless technique. Mogu technique. 

Ren Yi (1840-1896), Cold and Shabby Official (Wu Changshi) , hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, Qing dynasty, 1888 CE

You might find that artists are able to paint for their friends. You can paint it out of friendship and the artist paints his friend as a humble official. At this point in time WU Changshi feels depressed, and the whole bureaucratic system is quite heavy and the pay is low. He wants a portrait of himself as a loser to the artist. To greet someone more formal and superior to you, you have your hands positioned higher up. He is essentially telling that he is inferior to them. Classic boots that you wear to indicate texture and deepness of the painting. Assymetrical on his helmet and his facial expression is blank. The whole portrait is a commentary of how things are going with the man’s life. The backdrop is like a metaphor for him being trapped, because it is nothing but white. This painting is for more private purposes that was not meant for sale. He is painting for a friend of his, and this painting is not the most flattering painting, as it showcases Wu Changshi as a humble, lonely official who is going no where in life. Ren Yi shows his friend with grimy clothes and off-kilter hat and we show him in a humiliating pose. It is deliberately self-satirizing. He is going to hang up the painting and just get drunk while looking at it.

Wu Jiayou (d.1893), Thief in the Flower Garden, lithograph from Feiyingge Pictorial, Qing dynasty, 1891 CE

Facination with popular figures and cultures. Unlike prior periods, the courtizan is becoming a celebrity in their own right. We find that this is a tutorial magazine by Wu Jiayou. He adopts a journalistic illustration style that parallels Western journals a la Times that are picture heavy and tells you what is going on in the world. Same idea here. He is up-to-date with the foreign illustration style fused with this Chinese magazine. It is rather an evocative style and it tells the story of an actually courtizan by the name of Wang Sibao, who loves someone else. One night, her crush cuts off her hair and runs off with it. This image offers you the idea that the courtizan’s bedroom contains art and calligraphy. Her bedroom also contains European furniture and portraits that are in the medium of photographs. Her bed is ornamented with hanging calligraphy and painting. The artwork is so voyeur in that we are able to see her hair being chopped off. Fascination with entertaining the viewer in this artwork. Something didactic also in that there are instructions of how someone behaves in a modern city. By chopping off her hair, he is showing off a bad character that cannot be tolerated. Provides us with a lot of information on how Wong SIbao looks like, what her room looks like, and what the scene of the crime looked like. An idea of what you can see, and what you cannot see. A very Shanhai thing that plays with the viewers. 

Gao Jianfu (1879-1951), Eagle, hanging scroll, Ink and color on paper, modern China, 1929 CE

Another artist that leaves the country and studies in Japan. It is quite interesting about the ties between art and politics at this time. He sticks to Chinese brush and ink on the paper but the style is different in which it contains non-Chinese elements. What’s new here is that it meant to be confrontational and gets you out of your seat, what he incorporates here is the hawk but changes how it is shown. What makes it stand in your face is that he makes it bolder and menacing, and strong diagnonal composition that leads our eyes to the hawk and is really in your face. About to take off. It is at the top of a cliff that is a metaphor that China is on the edge. These sorts of painting is a plea to modernize China, a patriotic, nationalistic piece that urges a movement in China. Gushing waters like we’re about to go under. Bold, dramatic aggressive motif that shows China in a new way that involves exhibition. Message of reform and change. Influenced by art in Japan. At the same time it is a traditional medium with a traditional subject. It is nationalistic and much more broader.

Guan Zilan (Violet Kwan, 1903-1986), Portrait of Miss L., oil on canvas, modern China, 1929 CE

Doesn’t really have consequences in China. Very few artwork by Guan Zilan because she never left China. This sort of artwork depicts her friend Miss L. What makes this painting so modern is that she is switching mediums, in that the medium is oil on canvas. The subject here uses very loud, bright colors that have flat, decorative shapes. Very subject itself is a banner subject for modern China, the modern woman. People felt that the ultimate backwardness of China is their restriction on woman. It’s like they felt that half of their population is useless and that needed to be changed. This is not the same, weak beauty trapped in her room, but what’s changed here is that bop hairstyle that is fashionable in earl 20^th century. Massive amounts of make-up. Qipao is a modern version of Manchurian dress. Very bold presentation of the modern woman who leaves the home, who gets the job, who is able to enjoy city life. Whole use of color and pattern. Patches of color that is completely unnaturalistic. That old symbol of nature has become a snugged dog that has a playful tone of Shanghai touch. Image of the symbolic girl, that reflects the social changes in China.

Li Hua (1907-1994), Roar, China!, woodblock print, modern China, 1936 CE

A masterpiece of the period that this naked bound man is a metaphor for China. His feelings here indicate a dramatic in your face image. Adds a stuttering quality to it that shows a large emphasis on the figure shrieking. Quickly and cheaply made and is used to rally up China. Artist like Li Hua with radical politics about government problems. The government is suffering from political turmoil at this time. Japan takes over in Manchuria and they had an intent to break into China. New form of art is adopted in a woodblock print that is NOT traditional. A form of Woodblock print that has bold, symbolic image that conveys the message of change. Woodblock is cheap, and does not require a whole lot of skill. We get that sense of real struggle, that China is naked, bound, and blindfolded and that they WILL make it through in the end. Very powerful, visual metaphor for what China will accomplish. In the 20^th century there is this issue of how China is modern and how we can make Chinese art modern. 

Fu Baoshi (1904-65) and Guan Shanyue (b.1912), This Land So Rich in Beauty,

1959, ink and color on paper, modern China

Both well-known artists who worked in this type of style. They were told to paint this artwork. Subject matter should be based on one of Mao’s poems. The actual matter was commissioned to them, for the celebration of the natural beauties of China. Also, they were given specific intstructions to paint, so it was a JOINT community effort. The sheer sweep of this entire painting that is deliberate. SO we have the snowy mountains, the rolling hills to the west, the sea in the east, and the rocky hills in the south. Indicates the unity of China, as this painting encompasses all of China. You might notice the Great Wall of China at the very bottom left as well. A symbol of China’s achievement. What’s most striking here is the red sun. The rising red sun in 20^th century China symbolizes communism. The communists take on the color of red. This red coloring hovers all over the features of China, and in a way hovers. A landscape that depicts a happy, united China that is a monumental landscape. Calling of old examples that the landscape is China itself that is united under one government. The use of the rising red sun is new. Done with a certain type of style adopted from the west. THE biggest picture on painting in China, and it is 18 by 29 feet. The size of this painting is a symbol of China that expresses to visitors of China, like Richard Nixon. 

Sun Zixi (b.1929), In Front of Tiananmen, oil on canvas, modern China, 1964

Art that was made to be understandable that deliberates a style called Socialist Realism. This academic, realistic style that has been used by Russia for a long time. Focuses on the form of the human figure in a realistic, detailed style. This is a painting that has been commissioned by the communists. Huge painting that is massive and very impressive. Whats happening in Tiananmen Square is people from all sorts of different occupations and ethnic backgrounds getting their pictures taken. Some occupations we see here are workers, soldiers, peasants – the common people of China. We have old and young here, representing EVERYONE. They all have big smiles and are happy to be where they are. And Mao Zedong’s portrait is right in the center. And in the far left we see ethnic minorities, and China wants to be known as a multi-ethnic country. Very hierarchical image where Mao stands right above all of them. Long life to the People’s Republic of China on the left side, and the phrase Long life to the unity of the world’s people. Chairman Mao, the Tiananmen gate, and the flat of China that this is a symbol of China itself. Such a hierarchical, symmetrical image of the people underneath the power of the People’s Republic of China. Very appealing and orderly image.

Xu Bing (b. 1955), Book from the Sky, 1987-1991, modern China, installation,

China Art Gallery, Beijing (1988)

Bing is an interesting figure, as his parents were persecuted for being professors. They had Bing do calligraphy and writing. He was quite invested in forms of writing. He produces this installation piece called Book from the Sky, where he spent 3 years making this book. He hand carves all the blocks out himself and the appearance is completely traditional, orthodox that is a Song-style script. Everything about it ranging from the commentary to the publication date… Hangs great sheets of it that make it authentic. This installation causes a huge outcry that went into display because none of it made ANY nonsense. People were horrified. Bing wanted his meaning to show his commentary on the loss of editing out China. He wants the viewer to bring meaning to his work. Some people though it was an attack on old traditional styles but some thought it was a text for everyone. He recreates an old style that defaced, underline China’s traditions.

Wu Bin (act. c.1591-1626), Steep Ravines and Flying Cascades, hanging scroll, ink on

silk, c.1610 CE, Ming dynasty

Wu Bin makes his way up to the court, and known for his Buddhist works of art. Known for quite striking landscapes. We know little of his personal views. People were not that interested in him and then people start to talk about his works of art in later years. We talk about how qi (eccentric, bizarre, and strange) to us. When we start to investigate the details of this landscape, we see something. At the bottom, there is a little plank bridge that enables us to sneak in. There is SOME sings of human life and a rather large figure on the left side. What is unusual about this part of the landscape is its quite detailed, very meticulous style he uses. If you look at the rock, it is strange and there is something about the texture of this rock that does not look rock-like. Things are not quite what they should be. It doesn’t seem like solid rock, but something soft and spongy. You might think of his elements to be uncertain. Are they really rocks? Things seem to shift and change right in front of our eyes. As we go up further, we see some kind of fleshy material. It looks soft and malleable, like if it was made out of tongue that makes it look organic in a natural way. This idea of things transformation is characteristic in Wu Bin’s art. As we go to the top, it looks like there are weird formations, like the water running and then turning into rock at the bottom. And then we see the scholars enjoying the landscape and acting like nothing is different. This is probably NOT a painting for the court. James Cahill feels that this is again the end of the Ming Dynasty. Drama and unease that is a a distortion and twisted of the Late Ming Dynasty. He is not parodying old model, like Fan Kuan, but he readjusts it that is suitable to his own time.