India, Asia, and Southeast Asia Flashcards
buddha
means enlightened one, he is said to have found a path for overcoming suffering
teachings of buddha
dharma (buddhism)
acceptance of difficulties, desire for enlightenment
hinduism
reincarnation, karma, polytheistic
confucianism
basef on philosophy of confucius; self discipline; ancestral worship
daoism (the way)
laozi, yin yang, harmony
shinto (the way of the gods)
many gods, respect for nature, respect for ancestors.
buddhist practices
buddhist origins
The Buddha (Enlightened One) was born around 563 BCE as Prince Siddartha Gautama.
A prophecy foretold that he would grow up to be either a world conqueror or a great religious leader.
When he was 29, he went out of the grounds of the palace and encountered suffering which he recognized to be an inevitable part of life. He saw 4 sights: man bent over with old age, a sick person, a corpse, and a wandering ascetic.
Siddartha responded to the suffering he saw in the world by renouncing his opulent life and becoming a wandering ascetic searching for knowledge through meditation.
Six years later, he achieved complete enlightenment, or Buddhahood, while meditating beneath a pipal tree, the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya (place of enlightenment in eastern India).
circumambulate
walk around something completely
stupa
a dome-shaped structure erected as a Buddhist shrine.
the great stupa- holds remains of the buddha, gateways placed at four cardinal points
east torana, east gate great stupa- represents fedelity
mudras
hand symbols done by buddhas that represent different things and comunicate to buddhist
attributes of buddha portraits
- Urna: curl of hair between eyebrows, shown as a dot.
- Ushinisha: cranial bump shown as hair.
- Palms and soles of feet imprinted with wheel
- eloganted earlobes
- mudras.
consistently shown with knotted bun and strectched earlobes, other stylistic features vary along the spread of image on the silk road (immense trade route across asia and europe)
hindu practices
worship, fire rituals, devotion, fasting, chanting, meditation, sacrifice, chairty, selflessness, learning and knowledge, scripture, homage to ones ancestors.
hinduism in indian art
worlds third largest religion, dates back to 1000 bce
practices and gods vary amongst hindus; but they all believe spirit is eternal
popularized by rulers who encouraged worship by building temples.
hinduism
not monotheistic, adherents approach the spiritual through many gods and varying paths.
the buddha was one of the 10 incarnations of vishnu, one of the three principal hindu dieties.
Unlike Buddhism, Hinduism does not have a founder or a great prophet. Hinduism also has no descriptive definition but means “the religion of the Indians.”
Practices and beliefs of Hindus vary widely, but an integral part of worship is to make ritual sacrifices in temples to the gods.
The goal of sacrifice is to please a deity in order to achieve release (moksha, liberation) from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara) and become one with the universal spirit.
Hinduism began to assume its mature form only in the fourth century C.E.
The most characteristic features of mature Hinduism are the worship of divine images and the construction of temples to house these images.
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple
Part of large temple complex
Built by King Vidyadhara, c. 1020 ce
Dedicated to Shiva, Hindu god of creation and destruction
Shikharas (towers) pull eyes upwards toward heavens; suggests nirvana
Detail of exterior walls of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple.
Covered with a profusion of sculptures depicting mortals as well as gods, especially pairs of men and women embracing or engaged in sexual activities (mithunas). These motifs were considered protective as well as suggesting fertility (propagation of life).
Mughal Period
Ruled over hindu population.
The Mughals of Central Asia unified northern India by 1658, and the Mughal Empire lasted until 1858.
Mughal architects inherited a 300-year-old tradition of Islamic building and synthesized it with Indian, Persian, and Central Asian elements for forts, palaces, mosques, and tombs.
syncretism
merging of different traditions, beliefs, or practices.
In religion, syncretism is the blending of elements from multiple religions into a new system of worship. This can result in a new belief system or teaching. For example, in China during the Warring States period, Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism were blended together.
china
Earliest traces of civilization found along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers
Integration of beliefs: Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism
Many artworks found in tombs
Reverence for ancestors
Importance of afterlife
Qin Dynasty 221-210 BCE
After a tumultuous period in China’s history between 475-221 BCE, the king who finally restored order was Qin Shi Huangdi. He is known as the first emperor.
He used brutal methods to consolidate power.
Implemented a meritocracy as opposed to favoring elite birth.
He constructed China’s Great Wall, established a centralized bureaucracy, and adopted standardized written language, weights and measures, and coinage.
Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi
Burial mound of first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi (died 210 BCE)
Vast underground city palace
Thought to be a legend (historian Sima Qin (136-85 BCE); discovered in 1974
Took 36 years to complete
Soldiers from the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi
Filled with treasures for the afterlife: terra-cotta soldiers, chariots, horses (originally painted)
8,000 life-size figures stand guard
Molds used for body parts
Unique features: clothing, weapons, facial features added individually
Painted Banner from the tomb of Lady Dai Hour Fu-ren
Lady Dai
Noblewoman from Han dynasty
Tomb excavated in 1972
Silk textile laid over coffin
Shows either her funeral and journey to heaven, or views of heaven, earth, and the underworld
shikharas
a rising tower or spire in Hindu and Jain temple architecture , “mountain peak”.
confucianism
a philosophy that focuses on social harmony, morality, and respect for the community. It was developed during the Zhou Dynasty before the birth of Confucius. The philosophy was revived during the Han Dynasty and later became the national philosophy under the Wu the Great.
Confucianism is often considered a social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion. It built on an ancient religious foundation to establish the social values, institutions, and ideals of traditional Chinese society.
daoism
Daoism, also spelled Taoism, is a Chinese tradition that is both a philosophy and a religion.
It originated during the Warring States period of ancient China. Daoism is a response to the social unrest and suffering of that time. It aims to create harmony in both society and the individual.
chinese ancestor veneration
a traditional Chinese practice that involves honoring deceased family members. It is a significant part of Chinese life.
chinese belief in afterlife
death is the end of life and not another phase. They believe in preserving and prolonging life.
scroll paintings
Ink on silk or paper
Hanging or hand scrolls
Should be experienced like a contemplative journey, not all at once. Encouraged respect for nature and one’s elders.
The Three Perfections: Calligraphy, Painting, and Poetry.
During Song Dynasty (960-1279), painters called literati wrote poems—their own or the work of other poets—next to their paintings.
Room for calligraphic inscriptions on paintings.
Red stamps or seals.
Colophons are usually in black.
role of stamps and calligraphy in scroll paintings
stamps can authwenticate the work, indicate the artist’s name, show who has owned the work.
Calligraphy: This is a way to appreciate traditional culture and arts education. It can also be preserved in wall scrolls.
The more seals a piece of art has, the more valuable it is. Seals from famous artists or emperors are expecially valuable.
literati
painters who wrote poems, either their own or others, next to their paintings
Wang Meng, Ge Zichuan, Moving His Dwelling
Ge Zhichuan was a writer, alchemist, and Daoist teacher.
Depicts an historical episode from his life: move to Guangzhou to find cinnabar.
shintoism
Shintoism is based on beliefs in the supernatural and nature.
Followers believe that spiritual powers exist in the natural world.
They believe that every living thing in nature contains kami, or gods.
These kami are worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and public shrines.
Kami
Spirits present everywhere, including in nature
japanese reverence for natural world
they have their own personalities and emphasize respecting and appreciating the natural world
Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism (derived from Chan Buddhism in Chinese) arrived in Japan as a fully developed tradition in the late 12th c. Its pervasive influence on Japanese culture began in the 14th c.
Like other forms of Buddhism, Zen followers wished to achieve enlightenment.
Zen teaches that everyone has the potential for enlightenment, but worldly knowledge and daily distractions are barriers to achieving it. Thus, achieving enlightenment requires breaking through these barriers—the best way to the accomplish this is through meditation
Some Zen schools emphasize that a long-term meditation practice will lead to enlightenment, whereas others stress the benefits of sudden shocks to the worldly mind.
Beyond a personal meditation practice, the other key to arriving at enlightenment is the guidance of a Zen teacher.
Zen training for monks takes place at temples, some of which have gardens designed according to Zen principles.
Zen temples were sometimes sites of learning and funerary rituals, and even embraced many traditional Buddhist observances such as devotional rituals before images, which had little to do with meditation.
Storytelling
oldest examples in japanese art appear on a wooden shrine in the Buddhist Horyu-ji temple in Nara: the Hungry Tigress
The Hungry Tigress:
Panel from wooden shrine in Horyu-ji temple
The Hungry Tigress: Jataka (story from the life of Buddha)
One of the oldest examples of storytelling in Japanese art
Continuous narrative: multiple scenes of a story are shown in one pictorial space
Garden at Ryoan-Ji
Zen Buddhism
Discipline; raking gravel often
Enlightenment; 15 stones can not be seen at same time
Microcosm of larger landscape
Water (white quartz gravel)
Islands (big rocks)
Ukiyo-e
Japanese woodblock prints
Mass produced: inexpensive
“Pictures of the floating world”
Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji most famous one.
meditative aspects of mundane tasks
japanese practice
Zazen, a sitting meditation where one sits upright and follows breathing techniques, is the most commonly known form of zen meditation. However, zen principles can be found at the core of many Japanese cultural arts, one being tea ceremony.
Some Zen schools emphasize that a long-term meditation practice will lead to enlightenment, whereas others stress the benefits of sudden shocks to the worldly mind.
Beyond a personal meditation practice, the other key to arriving at enlightenment is the guidance of a Zen teacher.
Simple forms of the tea ceremony started in Japan in Zen temples as a way to symbolically withdraw from the ordinary world to cultivate the mind and spirit. These practices spread to other social groups, especially samurai.
yin-yang
the balance of positive and negative forces in nature recognized in early chinese religions like confucianism and daoism.
storytelling and continuous narrative: floating world and woodblock prints
Ukiyo-e is a Japanese woodblock print style that originated in the 17th century.
The term translates to “pictures of the floating world” and refers to the impermanence of life.
The prints depict scenes from everyday life in Japan, such as:
Landscapes, Travel, Actors and courtesans, Folk tales, Pleasure districts.
Ukiyo-e was popular during the Edo period (1615–1868). The prints were made in large numbers and gave rise to some of Japan’s most well-known artists.
Continuous narrative is a method of visual storytelling where multiple episodes are depicted in sequence without being divided into separate scenes.
Korea
Between China and Japan, influenced by both cultures and struggled to maintain its freedom from the expansionistic ambitions of both countries.
India
Peninsula in southern Asia bordered on north by Himalayas
Importance of Buddhism/Hinduism
Shrines and temples designed to be microcosms (small replicas) of the universe
They are places to meditate and worship
Japan
Country of many small islands
Combines Shinto and Buddhism
Kami = spirits present everywhere, including in nature
Art reflects reverence for nature, desire for meditation, quiet reflection, and mental discipline
China
Earliest traces of civilization found along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers
Integration of beliefs: Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism
Many artworks found in tombs
Reverence for ancestors
Importance of afterlife
Do Ho Suh, Some/One
Identity as individuality vs. collectivism
Artist’s military experience; become part of collective
Individual dog tags create whole
Viewer sees themselves in mirrored surface; questions identity
Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2001 (installation at the 49th Venice Biennale, Korean Pavilion). Stainless steel military dog tags, nickel plated copper sheets, steel structure, glass fiber, reinforced resin, and rubber sheets, dimensions variable
Traditional armor of type worn by 16th c. commander Yi Sun-sin
Southeast Asia: Cambodia
Site of largest religious monument in the world: Angkor Wat
Syncretic, different religions are blended in architectural styles
Hinduism and Buddhism
Angkor Wat
The site of Angkor was founded by King Indravarman (r. 877-889). Worked on by successive kings for next 400 years. Each of the Khmer kings built a temple at Angkor and installed his own personal god (Shiva, Vishnu or Buddha). Angkor Wat, built by King Suryavarman II (r. 1113-1150). It is the largest of the many Khmer temple complexes.
Angkor Wat, plan and aerial view. Like the other Khmer complexes, its purpose was to associate the king with his personal god, Vishnu.
The centerpiece of the complex is a tall, stepped stone tower surrounded by the four smaller stone towers connected by covered galleries. The 5 towers symbolize the peaks of Mt. Meru, the sacred mountain at the center of the universe.
