Asian Art
Japanese Screens and Scrolls
Many artists, such as Impressionist painters
sees pa Cassatt and Monet, were heavily influenced by
eens’ Asian Art. Vincent Van Gogh once said...
Bamboo and Rocks,
‘Yuan dynasty
“lf we study Japanese Art, we see a man who is
undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent,
who spends his time doing what? In studying
the distance between the earth and moon? No.
In studying Bismarck’s policy? No. He studies a
single blade of grass."
Self-portrait Van Goghgeography
Japan- a nation of islands that were
able to avoid invasion and develop
a homogeneous culture.
The terrain of Japan affected the
kinds of landscapes that were
produced.
Nearby countries, such as China,
affected Japan.
Map of JapanReligion
How did religion affect
Japanese Art?
*Mood or feeling
*Subject Matter-
illustrating the teachings
of their beliefs
Would you like to hear of example of a tale that would
have been told to to help pass on Buddha’s teachings?
ClickReligion
What religions can you think of that might
have been prevalent in Asia?
HINDUISM Buddhism
Jainism
Taoism
Sikhism
Shinto
ConfucianismBuddhism
This sculpture depicts
Buddha- “Enlightened One”
which means perfect human.
Buddhism- founded in India by
Sidhartha Gautuma.
Zen Buddhism- from China-
the art of meditation.
Seated Buddha, Tang Dynasty
Would you like to hear a story about a young man
trying to attain Enlightenment?Bodhisattva
Boe- dee-saht-vuh
What is a Bodhisattva?
A Bodhisattva is someone who has.
stopped one step short of becoming a
Buddha to help other attain
enlightenment. Guanyin (gwan yin) is
the Chinese name of this bochisattva.
Would you like to hear another tale
by the Zen masters? It’s called
Baby Snake in a Cup. Click
Head of Guanyin, Bodhisattva of MercyComposition
Let’s take a closer look at the composition in
the battle scene in this screen painting:
The Battles of Hogen and Heiji, Edo periodComposition
How would you
describe the space
in this painting?
Detail of The Battles of Hogen and Heiji
Detail of The Battles of
Hogen and Heiji
Detail of The Battles of Hogen and HeijiMedia
What media (materials)
did the artists use to
create this screen
painting?
Ink- permanent. There’s
no correcting or
repainting it.
Ink wash creates an
atmospheric perspective
in the background.
Bamboo and Rocks, Yuan dynastyWhat is Monochrome?
The Old Plum, Edo period
Chinese style Monochrome
ink paintings were a
popular style in Japanese
screen Paintings.
Monochrome- or
monochromatic is a color
scheme that uses tints and
shades of one color.Hanging Scrolls And Hand Scrolls
itt ae
Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine (Kitano Tenjin
Engi), Kamakura period
Hand scrolls or Emakimono (E mock e mo no) were introduced
from China in the 8th Century. Within a century, Japanese painters
were producing the most exquisite hand scrolls on the continent.
Hanging scrolls were used in the Japanese tea ceremony (as we'll
discuss later). Scrolls were usually silk or paper.
This scroll contained illustrated legends of Zen for a religious shrine.
Would you like to hear a tale from Buddha’s teaching about 4 men who
learn an important lesson while practicing Zen? ClickFolding Screens
Landscapes in the Style of An Kyon, Choson dynasty
Other than
decoration- what
purpose did folding
screens serve?Woodblock Prints
Woodblock print- very popular
in Asia during this time.
This famous landscape print by
‘ 3 Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
ae, was one of 36 views of Mount
——
> Fuji.
The Great Wave at Kanagawa Hokusai
Describe what you see in this picture- look closely.
Who do you think Hokusai believed was in control-
man or nature?The Way of Tea
*The tea ceremony was to
be enjoyed in a small room
with selected “tea” scroll
paintings.
*Tea began as a medicine
and grew into a beverage.
*Teaism- purity and
harmony, the mystery of
mutual charity, the
romanticism of the social Ewer for use in tea ceremony,
order. Momoyama period
*Worship of the imperfectSelected Bibliography
Addiss, S. and Seo, A. Y. (1996). Lee, S. E. (1997). Screens
How to look at Japanese art. Harry N. and Scrolls: Japanese art from the
Abrams, Inc, Publishers: New York. collection of the Ackland Art
Museum, The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill: Chapel Hill,
NC.
Baker, J. S. (1984). Japanese Art. Man-Tu Lee (1999). The
Thames and Hudson Ltd: London. Japanese Tea Ceremony. Element
Books Limited: Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Johnson, N. (1993) Selected TeaHyakka Magazine: The
Readings for Anthropology 1999, pt. 1: Encyclopedia of Japanese Tea
gardens, shrines, and temples of Japan. Ceremony. Available at:
Copytron: Chapel Hill, NC. hutp://www.teahyakka.com/
Martin, R. (1995). One hand clapping: Zen stories for all
ages. Rizzoli International Publications, Inc: New York.Image Credits
Seated Buddha, Tang dynasty (618707), ca. 650 China. The Metopalian Museum of At. Avaliable at:
Bamboo and Rocks, Yuan dynasty (12797968), 1918, The Metropolitan Museum ofr. Avalabe at
Van Gogh Self Portrait (1990's) Courtesy of Jim Grattan
JIMS FINE ART COLLECTION. Available at:
Landscapes in the Style of An Kyon, Choson dynasty (19927910), Sth century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Available at:
Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine (Kitano Tenjin Engi), Kamakura period (11857333), 13th century. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available at:
‘The Old Plum, Edo period (16157868), ca. 1645 Attributed to Kano Sansetsu (Japanese, 18587716) Japan
purchase, Louisa Eldridge McBurney Gift, 1953 (53.7.1-2) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Available at:
The Battles of Hogen and Heil, Edo period (16157868), 17th century Japan Rogers Fund, 1957 (57.156.4-5).
‘The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available at
Eight-Planked Bridge (Yatsuhashi), Edo period (16157868), 18th century Ogata Korin (Japanese, 18587716)
Japan Purchase, Louisa Eldridge McBurney Gift, 1953 (63.7.1-2) . The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Available at:
‘The Great Wave at Kanagawa (from a Series of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji), Edo period (16157868), ca.
183173 Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 17607849) Japan Polychrome Ink and color on paper; 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in, (25.7 x
87.9 om) (Oban H..O. Havemeyer Collection, Baquest of Mrs. H. O. Havameyer, 1929 (JP'1847). The Metropolitan Musoum of
‘Ant Avallable at:
Ewer for use in tea ceremony, Momoyama period (15687615), early 17th century Japan Stoneware with
overglaze enamels (Shino-Oribe ware); H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm) Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1988 (1988.156ab) . The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Available at:
Seated Buddha, Tang dynasty (618707), ca. 650 China, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available at:
Diy lacquer with traces of gilt and polychrome pigments; 38 x 27 in, (96.5 x 68.6 cm) Rogers Fund, 1919
(19.186). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available at:
Head of Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Mercy. Gilded and painted cast iron, 13" century Ackland Fund Northern
Chinese Jin Dynasty (115-1234),