Post on 05-Feb-2023
ART HISTORY 290 STAFF:ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SANDY KITA. OFFICE: ART/SOCIOLOGY BUILDING, ROOM 4225. (301) 405 8363
TAs:
TA NAME HERE
TA NAME HERE
TA NAME HERE
TA NAME HERE
TAs’ OFFICE HOURS AND LOCATION NOTED ON THEIR SYLLABI.
GRADING POLICYTHERE IS A MIDTERM AND A FINAL EXAMINATION. THE MIDTERM IS IN CLASS AND COUNTS FOR
30% OF THE GRADE (THE TA SYLLABUS, MENTIONED LATER, HAS THE DATE OF THE MIDTERM). THE FINAL
IS CUMULATIVE AND COUNTS FOR 30% OF THE GRADE (SEE THE UNIVERSITY’S SCHEDULE FOR DATE).
THERE IS ALSO A CLASS PROJECT, A SUMMARY OF THE COURSE LECTURES DUE AT THE TIME OF THE FINAL.
IT COUNTS FOR 10% OF THE GRADE.
YOUR TAs DETERMINE THE FINAL 30% OF YOUR GRADE. TAs GIVE OUT A SYLLABUS AND THEIR
OWN GRADING POLICY/ THE TAs DESIGN THEIR SECTIONS SEPARATELY, SO SECTIONS MAY DIFFER IN
CONTENT AND PRESENTATION. HOWEVER, ALL HAVE IN COMMON UNANNOUNCED IN-CLASS QUIZZES (A
MINIMUM OF 4 BEFORE THE MIDTERM AND SOME AFTER) AND TAKE-
HOME WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. CLASS ATTENDANCE AND
PARTICIPATION ARE ALSO USUALLY COUNTED TOWARDS YOUR
GRADE. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS MAY INVOLVE DESCRIPTION OF AN
OBJECT OR SUMMATION OF KEY COURSE IDEAS.
THE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES ARE THE BASIS
UPON WHICH TAs AND INSTRUCTOR CONSTRUCT THE MIDTERM AND
THE FINAL. THUS, BY SEEING HOW YOU DO IN THE QUIZZES AND
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS, YOU SHOULD HAVE A VERY GOOD IDEA OF
HOW YOU WILL DO ON THE MIDTERM. IN FACT, THE QUIZZES AND
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH 8 POINTS AT
WHICH YOU WILL RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON YOUR PERFORMANCE IN
THIS CLASS AND AT WHICH YOU CAN JUDGE HOW YOU ARE LIKELY
TO DO ON THE MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS. SUBJECT TO YOUR TA’s
APPROVAL, SOME QUIZZES AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS CAN BE
REDONE SO THAT YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR GRADE. THIS IS NOT THE
CASE FOR MIDTERM AND FINAL WHERE PERFORMANCE IS NOT
SUBJECT TO READJUSTMENT IN THIS WAY. THUS, YOU SHOULD
LOOK AT SECTION AS PREPARATION FOR THE BIG EXAMS. IN ALL THIS, YOU MUST WORK CAREFULLY AND
CLOSELY WITH YOUR TAs SINCE THEY ARE THE FINAL JUDGES OF YOUR PERFORMANCE. THE TA IS MEANT
TO WORK WITH YOU CLOSELY IN A WAY THAT THE INSTRUCTOR CANNOT. THUS, WHILE THE INSTRUCTOR
AND TA DETERMINE GRADES TOGETHER, THE TA’s OPINION WEIGHS HEAVILY.
3
MAKING UP MISSED EXAMSBECAUSE EXAMINATIONS ARE CONSIDERED OFFICIAL TESTS, A MISSED MIDTERM AND FINAL IS
A FAILED MIDTERM OR FINAL, WINNING YOU ZERO (0) POINTS TOWARDS YOUR FINAL GRADE. THERE ARE
NO MAKE-UP EXAMINATIONS. IF YOU MISS AN EXAMINATION FOR A LEGITIMATE REASON, HOWEVER,
YOU CAN WRITE A MAKE-UP PAPER, BUT YOU MUST FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE OUTLINED HERE.FIRST, INFORM YOUR TA, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SUBMIT AN EXCUSE IN WRITING TO THE
INSTRUCTOR. DO THIS IN THE FORM OF A LETTER EXPLAINING WHY YOU MISSED THE EXAMINATION.
INCLUDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION (LETTER FROM THE DOCTOR, ETC.). YOU MUST MAKE A GOOD CASE
FOR WHY YOU MISSED BECAUSE YOUR TA AND I
WILL JUDGE WHETHER YOUR REASON IS
LEGITIMATE. IF THE REASON IS JUDGED NOT
LEGITIMATE, YOU HAVE FAILED THE EXAM. IF
THE REASON FOR MISSING THE EXAMINATION
IS JUDGED LEGITIMATE, YOU THEN HAVE
PERMISSION TO WRITE A MAKE-UP PAPER. YOU MUST HAVE PERMISSION TO SUBMIT A MAKE-UP PAPER.
TO WRITE THE MAKE-UP PAPER, BEGIN
WITH A PAPER PROPOSAL. THE PROPOSAL
SHOULD BE ONE PAGE LONG, TYPED, AND
SHOULD INCLUDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF AT LEAST
5 ITEMS. YOU CAN PROPOSE ANY TOPIC
INVOLVING ASIAN CULTURE BUT YOU MUST USE
SOME IDEA DEVELOPED IN CLASS. BE CREATIVE.
IF YOU LIKE JAPANESE ANIME FILMS, WRITE
ABOUT THAT. OR, VISIT A MUSEUM AND
RESEARCH SOME OBJECT THERE.
YOUR PAPER IS GRADED ON HOW
THOROUGHLY YOU RESEARCHED IT AND HOW
CREATIVELY YOU USED CLASS IDEAS. TO MAKE
UP A MISSED MIDTERM, I RECOMMEND A PAPER
OF AT LEAST 5 PAGES. FOR THE FINAL, AT LEAST 10. THE PAPER REPLACES YOUR MISSED EXAMINATION BUT DOES NOT EXCUSE YOU FROM THE CLASS PAPER OR FINAL PROJECT.
YOU CAN ALSO SUBMIT A PAPER FOR EXTRA CREDIT. SEE THE INSTRUCTOR, BUT THE PROCEDURE
IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME.
REQUIRED TEXTSHERMAN E. LEE, A HISTORY OF FAR EASTERN ART
COURSE BOOK FOR ARTH290
4
READING ASSIGNMENTS
REQUIRED READINGS SUPPLEMENT THE LECTURES AND COURSE BOOK. THEY DO NOT REPLACE THE
LECTURES OR COURSE BOOK. IF YOU MISS LECTURES AND NEED TO MAKE THEM UP YOU WILL HAVE TO
READ THE REQUIRED READINGS FIRST AND THEN GO TO THE RECOMMENDED WORKS AT MCKELDIN OR AT
THE ART LIBRARY IN THE ART-SOCIOLOGY BUILDING. LECTURES OFTEN SUM UP POINTS THAT A BOOK
WILL BRING OUT. SO, IF YOU READ A SECTION IN THE REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READINGS THAT
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND, READ THE REST OF THE BOOK.
LECTURE GROUP I:LEARNING HOW A SCHOLAR THINKS
THE CHINESE BRONZE
1: THE CHINESE BRONZEREQUIRED READINGS ARE IN BOLD: SHERMAN LEE, A HISTORY OF FAR EASTERN ART. ABRAMS: 1982, PP. 18-41RECOMMENDED READINGS ARE IN NORMAL TYPE:
RITA GILBERT, LIVING WITH ART, 5TH EDITION, 1998, PP. 3-44
WEN FONG, “THE STUDY OF CHINESE BRONZE AGE ARTS: METHODS AND APPROACHES.” THE GREAT
BRONZE AGE OF CHINA, CHAPTER 2, PP. 20-34
2: THE WORLD OF THE CHINESE BRONZE MAKERLEE, PP. 42-56MIRCEA ELIADE, RITES AND SYMBOLS OF INITIATION, HARPER TORCHBOOKS, 1965
MARTIN POWERS, ART AND POLITICAL EXPRESSION IN EARLY CHINA, YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS,
1991, PP. 1-31
3: QIN AND HAN PAINTING AND SCULPTURELEE, PP. 57-75MAXWELL K. HEARN, “THE TERRACOTTA ARMY OF THE FIRST EMPEROR OF QIN (221-206 BC)” IN WEN
FONG, GREAT BRONZE AGE OF CHINA, PP. 353-368
OSVALD SIREN, CHINESE PAINTING: LEADING MASTERS AND PRINCIPLES, INTRODUCTION, PP. 1-16
5
LECTURE GROUP II:LEARNING HOW SCHOLARS THINK
Part 1: INDIA AND BUDDHISM
1: PREHISTORIC AND EARLY INDIAN ARTLEE, PP. 76-102
A. L. BASHAM, THE WONDER THAT WAS INDIA, NEW YORK: GROVE PRESS, 1980, PP. 1-44
2: INDIAN ART FROM THE 1ST TO THE 5TH C. ADLEE, PP. 103-135BASHAM, PP. 44-79
3: LATER INDIAN ARTLEE, PP. 168-177BASHAM, PP. 242-345
4: THE INDIAN AESTHETICLEE, PP. 178=199ANANDA K. COOMARASYAMY, THE TRANSFORMATION OF NATURE IN ART, DOVER PUBLICATIONS,
1956, PP. 1-59, 153-170
LEARNING HOW SCHOLARS THINKPart 2: LATER CHINESE ART
1: THE CHINESE TRANSFORMATION OF THE INDIAN AESTHETICLEE, PP. 136-147, 252-287LUDWIG BACHHOFER, A SHORT HISTORY OF CHINESE ART. NEW YORK, PANTHEON, 1946.
POWERS, ART AND POLITICAL EXPRESSION, PP. 188-279
2: SECULAR ART IN CHINA: PAINTING IN THE TANG, SONG AND YÜANLEE, PP. 343-375, 402-472JAMES CAHILL, CHINESE PAINTING, SKIRA BOOKS, 1980
6
LECTURE GROUP III:USING THE COURSE
JAPAN
1: APPLYING OLD IDEAS TO NEW MATERIAL: INFLUENCE VS. NATIVE DEVELOPMENT IN THE STUDY OF PREHISTORIC JAPANLEE, PP. 288-312LANGDON WARNER, THE ENDURING ART OF JAPAN, GROVE PRESS, 1958.
NOMA SEIROKU, ARTS OF JAPAN, KODANSHA, 1978, VOL. 1, PP. 9-15, 33-38
YASUTADA WATANABE, SHINTO ART: ISE AND IZUMO, HEIBONSHA SURVEY OF JAPANESE ART,
1990, PP. 27-84
2: BUDDHIST JAPAN: THE RITUALLY REAL GODSLEE, PP. 313-333NOMA, PP. 61-66, 81-86
SEIICHI MIZUNO, ASUKA BUDDHIST ART: HORYU-JI
3: TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS AND LATER JAPANESE BUDDHIST ART (8-11TH C.)NOMA, PP. 113-119, 161-166
TAKESHI KOBAYASHI, NARA BUDDHIST ART: TODAI-JI, PP. 11-91
TOSHIO FUKUYAMA, BYODOIN AND CHUSON-JI, PP. 9-79, 140-148
4: RELIGIOUS TO SECULAR: MEDIEVAL JAPANESE ART (12-13TH C.)LEE, PP. 376-401AKIYAMA TERUKAZU, JAPANESE PAINTING, PP. 11-19
DONALD KEENE, AN ANTHOLOGY OF JAPANESE LITERATURE, PP. 33-54
IVAN MORRIS, THE WORLD OF THE SHINING PRINCE, PANTHEON BOOKS, PP. 132-210
5: THE JAPANESE AESTHETICLEE, 473-503AKIYAMA, JAPANESE PAINTING, PP. 103-123
TANAKA ICHIMATSU, JAPANESE INK PAINTING, HEIBONSHA SURVEY OF JAPANESE ART, VOL. 12,
PP. 9-58
7
THE ARTIST’S PREFACE
THIS IS THE COMIC-BOOK VERSION OF PROF. KITA’S COURSE BOOK. THIS SEMESTER, YOU WILL
HAVE THE CHOICE BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL FULL-TEXT VERSION AND THIS ONE.
THIS IS A SERIOUS WORK. THE COURSE BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY IS REPRESENTED HERE. THE
IMAGES AND DIALOGUE ARE NOT JUST LEISURELY RELIEF, THEY CARRY AS MUCH OF THE CONTENT AS THE
TEXT PARAGRAPHS DO. IN A SENSE, THIS COMIC-BOOK IS A METAPHOR OF PROF. KITA’S TEACHING STYLE.
HIS CHRONOLOGY, WHAT HE STATES UP FRONT IN AN ORDERLY FASHION, IS COMPARABLE TO THE TEXT
IN THIS BOOK. HIS ANTHOLOGY, THE THINGS HE IMPLIES AND BUILDS UP TO MAKE A POINT, ARE NOT
UNLIKE THE IMAGES AND SKETCH-UPS I ADDED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK. OTHER REFERENCES TO ASIAN
CULTURE MIGHT COME TO YOUR ATTENTION.
I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS COURSE BOOK, BUT DO NOT FORGET TO DO THE READINGS, ATTEND THE
LECTURES AND STUDY. TO SUCCEED IN MAKING A COMIC-BOOK, READING OTHER COMIC-BOOKS IS NOT
SUFFICIENT. LIKEWISE, TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE, COURSE BOOK AND TEXT BOOK ALONE ARE IN NO
WAY A SUBSTITUTE FOR SERIOUS STUDY.
IN ANY CASE, THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THIS VERSION OF THE COURSE BOOK. ONE LAST THING:
IF YOU ARE WONDER WHAT THE PROFESSOR MEANS WITH “BE CREATIVE,” KNOW THAT THIS COMIC-BOOK
WAS A LECTURE SUMMARY FOR THIS SAME COURSE IN ITS EARLIEST AND MORE COMPACT VERSION.
8
THIS IS AN EASY CLASS FOR STUDENTS WHO STUDY. IT IS VERY, VERY
DIFFICULT FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT. IF YOU ARE STUDYING HARD AND HAVING
TROUBLE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SEE ME.
IN THE NEXT SECTION, I WILL DISCUSS HOW THE SECTIONS OF THIS COURSE
INTER-RELATE BUT I WANT TO FINISH OFF HERE WITH ONE OTHER POINT.
COURSE BOOK AND TEXT
A FINAL PRELIMINARY MATTER CONCERNS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
COURSE BOOK AND THE TEXT. IN MOST OF MY INTERPRETATIVE LECTURES, I WILL GIVE YOU
MORE THAN ONE INTERPRETATION, SO YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A MEANS OF COMPARISON
AND SO CRITICISM. IT IS WITH THE SAME INTENT THAT I HAVE ASSIGNED THE SHERMAN
LEE TEXT. THE TEXTBOOK GIVES A DIFFERENT VIEW OF ASIAN ARTS THAN THAT WHICH I
USE IN CLASS FOR THE MOST PART. I DO THIS SO YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER VIEWPOINT
THAT YOU CAN USE TO THINK ABOUT AND TO CRITICIZE THE PRINCIPAL ONE THAT I USE.
THE TEXT IS ALSO USEFUL IN PROVIDING NAMES, DATES, AND OTHER FACTS YOU
WILL NEED TO KNOW. BUT WHAT YOU MUST BE AWARE OF IS THAT THE TEXT IS IN NO
WAY A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE LECTURE. IT IS A SUPPLEMENT. YOU CANNOT READ IT
INSTEAD OF COMING TO LECTURE.
SO, TOO, WITH THIS COURSE BOOK. THE COURSE BOOK IS A GOOD GUIDE TO WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE LECTURE, BUT IT IS NOT THE LECTURE IN WRITTEN FORM. IT IS USEFUL
WHEN YOU MUST MISS A LECTURE BUT IT IS NOT MEANT TO SERVE AS A SYNOPSIS OF
THAT LECTURE. IT CAN MAKE THE SAME POINT AS A LECTURE IN A DIFFERENT WAY OR
MAKE A DIFFERENT BUT RELATED POINT. AGAIN, THEN, THE COURSE BOOK WILL NOT
SUBSTITUTE FOR LECTURE.
THE COURSE BOOK ALSO PROVIDES SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND GUIDES ON HOW TO
STUDY. KEY TO SUCCESS IN THIS CLASS, THEN, IS COMING TO LECTURE. DO NOT MISS
LECTURE IF YOU WANT TO DO WELL.
12
CLASS STRUCTURE AND KEY THEMES
REMEMBER, THIS CLASS IS A BROAD SURVEY OF THE ARTS OF INDIA, CHINA AND
JAPAN THAT MEANS TO TEACH YOU SOMETHING FUNDAMENTAL ABOUT ART IN THESE
THREE NATIONS. THUS, THE COURSE SEEKS BOTH BREADTH AND FOCUS, BUT THESE ARE
CONTRADICTORY GOALS. IT IS HARD TO DO BOTH AT ONCE. INEVITABLY, SOME CLASSES
SERVE ONE PURPOSE, AND OTHERS, THE OTHER.
I NOTED IN THE SECTION JUST BEFORE HOW THIS CLASS HAS AN ORGANIZING
THEME. THIS THEME BRINGS ALL OF THE PARTS OF THIS COURSE TOGETHER. IT GIVES
FOCUS. BUT, WE CANNOT JUST CONCENTRATE ON THAT THEME IF WE ARE TO SURVEY THE
ARTS OF ASIA SUFFICIENTLY BROADLY. INEVITABLY, WE MUST DIGRESS INTO OTHER
AREAS. SOME CLASSES PUSH OUR THEME ALONG, THEN, AND OTHERS DO NOT. BUT, IN
GENERAL, THE PATTERN IS TO ESTABLISH AT LEAST ONE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF THE
INDIAN, CHINESE, AND JAPANESE AESTHETIC TRADITION AND TO SURVEY THE ARTS OF
THESE COUNTRIES WITH THAT KEY PRINCIPLE IN MIND.
NOTHING HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF ART IN INDIA,
CHINA, AND JAPAN BETTER THAN BUDDHISM. IN INDIA AND JAPAN, AND TO A LESSER
DEGREE CHINA, THE CODIFICATION OF NATIONAL ARTS FOLLOWED UPON THE
CODIFICATION OF NATIVE TRADITIONS OF RELIGION. THAT, IN TURN, OCCURRED IN EACH
OF THESE COUNTRIES AFTER THEIR PERIOD OF ENGAGEMENT WITH BUDDHISM. THUS, I
USE BUDDHISM AS ONE FOCAL POINT AND ONE KEY ORGANIZING STRUCTURE. MY CLASS
EXAMINES THE PRE-BUDDHIST PERIODS OF INDIA, CHINA AND JAPAN, THEIR BUDDHIST
ERAS, AND THEN HOW BUDDHISM LED TO A CODIFICATION OF NATIVE RELIGIONS AND ART
IN EACH OF THESE THREE COUNTRIES. FINALLY, I LOOK AT HOW THE NATIONAL
AESTHETIC EXPRESSES ITSELF IN THE LATER SECULAR ARTS OF ALL THREE LANDS.
WHY BUDDHISM PLAYED SO IMPORTANT A ROLE IN THE CODIFICATION OF NATIVE
RELIGIONS AND NATIONAL IS NOT KNOWN. BUT IT IS COMMON SENSE THAT INDIA,
JAPAN, AND, AGAIN TO A LESSER DEGREE CHINA, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CODIFY
THEIR NATIVE TRADITIONS OF RELIGION UNTIL THEY HAD SOMETHING DIFFERENT. HOW
COULD THEY KNOW WHAT THEIR NATIVE BELIEFS WERE IF THOSE NATIVE BELIEFS WERE
ALL THAT THEY HAD? THAT IS TO SAY, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE FOREST
BECAUSE OF THE TREES. THEY REQUIRED A STANDARD OF CONTRAST—SOME MEANS OF
STANDING OUTSIDE THEMSELVES—TO SEE WHAT LAY WITHIN.
I LIKE THIS MODEL OF A CULTURE LOOKING OUTSIDE ITSELF TO SEE INSIDE
BECAUSE THIS CLASS IS A DIVERSITY CLASS. DIVERSITY CLASSES SEEK TO GIVE YOU MUCH
THIS SAME EXPERIENCE OF STANDING OUTSIDE TO SEE WITHIN. THEY SEEK TO TEACH
YOU SOMETHING DIFFERENT SO THAT YOU WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND YOURSELF. YOU
LEARN ABOUT ASIA, THEN, TO BE A BETTER, MORE SELF-AWARE AMERICAN.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE WE ADOPT THE ABOVE MODEL FOR THIS CLASS, WE CANNOT
DIVIDE ASIA UP GEOGRAPHICALLY, STARTING WITH INDIA AND THEN PROCEEDING ON TO
13
CHINA AND JAPAN. INSTEAD WE MUST HAVE A MORE COMPLICATED STRUCTURE. WHAT WE
WILL DO IS START WITH CHINA, MOVE TO INDIA, AND THEN GO BACK TO CHINA, AND
FINALLY PROCEED TO JAPAN. I DO THIS SO I CAN SHOW YOU HOW THE CHINESE
DEVELOPED A NATIVE AESTHETIC OF THEIR OWN IN THEIR VERY, VERY EARLY BRONZE AGE.
THEN, I WILL SHOW YOU HOW INDIA DEVELOPED AN AESTHETIC OF ITS OWN AND HOW
THAT AESTHETIC PERMEATED THE ARTS OF BUDDHISM, WHICH ALSO DEVELOPED FIRST IN
INDIA. IN ADDITION, WE WILL SEE HOW IT WAS IN CONTRAST TO BUDDHISM THAT THE
INDIAN NATIVE RELIGION OF HINDUISM DEVELOPED (LOOKING OUT TO SEE IN) AND HOW
THE CODIFICATION OF THE INDIAN NATIVE RELIGION LED TO THE CODIFICATION OF
INDIAN CONCEPTS OF AESTHETICS, SUCH AS PRANA. THEN, WE WILL TURN BACK TO CHINA
TO SEE HOW BUDDHISM AND BUDDHIST ARTS ENTERED THAT LAND. YOU WILL SEE HOW
CHINESE BUDDHIST ART CAME IN THE END TO REFLECT NOT THE INDIAN AESTHETIC, BUT
THE OLD CHINESE ONE OF THE BRONZES. MORE, WE WILL SEE HOW THE CHINESE CODIFIED
NOT ONLY THEIR RELIGION BY LOOKING TO SOMETHING FOREIGN, BUT ALSO THEIR ARTS.
FINALLY, WE WILL MOVE TO JAPAN TO SEE HOW THE JAPANESE IMPORTATION OF CHINESE
ART AND BUDDHISM LED TO A CODIFICATION OF THE NATIVE RELIGION OF SHINTO AND A
CODIFICATION OF THEIR NATIVE AESTHETIC OF YAMATO-E.
AS WE DO THE ABOVE, THIS COURSE WILL ALSO INTRODUCE YOU TO CERTAIN
METHODOLOGIES IMPORTANT IN THE STUDY OF ASIAN ART. FOR THE MOST PART, I AM
CONCERNED WITH HOW ASIANS STUDY ASIAN ART, BUT THEIR METHODS ARE NOT UNIQUE
AND ARE RELATED OR EQUIVALENT TO WESTERN METHODS. SO I WILL INTRODUCE THESE
METHODS BY GIVING THEIR WESTERN COUNTERPARTS, SINCE THE WESTERNERS WROTE OR
WERE TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH AND YOU CAN READ THEIR WRITINGS. HOWEVER,
REMEMBER ALWAYS THAT ASIAN ART HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY PRESUMES AN
UNDERSTANDING OF ASIAN
LANGUAGES AND IS CONDUCTED FOR
THE MOST PART IN ASIAN
LANGUAGES, SO THAT IT WOULD BE
MUCH, MUCH MORE USEFUL FOR YOU
TO READ THE ASIAN AUTHORS I
MENTION IF YOU CAN.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IN
JAPAN IS CALLED KANSHIKI
EQUATES WELL WITH THE METHODS
OF CONNOISSEURSHIP INTRODUCED
INTO THIS COUNTRY MAINLY BY
GERMAN SCHOLARS DURING THE
1950s AND 60s. THOUGH NOW
CONSIDERED AN ANTIQUATED
METHODOLOGY FOR THE STUDY OF
WESTERN ART, THESE METHODS REMAIN ABSOLUTELY FUNDAMENTAL IN ASIA AND, MORE
IMPORTANTLY, IN THE AMERICAN STUDY OF ASIAN ART, AS JOHN ROSENFELD OF HARVARD
RECENTLY NOTED IN HIS STATE OF THE FIELD ADDRESS. MANY OF THESE CONNOISSEURS
STUDIED THE PRE-BUDDHIST PERIOD OF CHINA. INDEED, IT WAS THE GREAT CONTROVERSY
OVER THE BRONZE VESSELS OF CHINA’S SHANG AND ZHOU DYNASTIES THAT FIRST
ESTABLISHED ASIAN ART HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY. THUS, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS
MATERIAL FIRST, WE ARE BEGINNING WITH THE BEGINNING OF ASIAN ART HISTORY IN
AMERICA. WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE THIS METHOD OF PRESENTING METHODOLOGY IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE SUBJECT AS WE PROCEED THROUGH THE CLASS AS A WHOLE AND
14
EXAMINE ICONOGRAPHY, STYLISTIC ANALYSIS, MARXIST STUDIES, ETC., ETC.
MORE, LOOKING AT THE BRONZE AGE OF CHINA IS A GOOD WAY TO LEARN HOW TO
READ A WORK OF SCHOLARSHIP. IT CAN SHOW YOU HOW A SINGLE STATEMENT CAN HAVE
MULTIPLE LAYERS OF MEANING. BY EXAMINING THE CHINESE BRONZES, WE ALSO LEARN
ABOUT HOW RELIGIOUS ARTS BECOME SECULAR AND HOW AN IDEA CAN BE IMPLICIT, LONG
BEFORE IT IS EXPLICIT.
ONCE YOU HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT HOW TO READ WORKS OF
SCHOLARSHIP, IT IS THEN USEFUL TO CONSIDER DIFFERENT KINDS OF SCHOLARSHIP. THIS
IS WHAT WE DO WHEN WE MOVE TO INDIA AND LOOK AT HOW WESTERN SCHOLARS OF
THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATION OF INDIA (THE RAJ) AND INDIAN NATIONALISTS
APPROACHED INDIAN ARTS DIFFERENTLY. WE DO THIS IN EXAMINING THE SCHOLARSHIP
ON THE INDUS VALLEY CULTURE OF CIRCA 2300 BC. WE KNOW THIS CULTURE MAINLY FROM
EXCAVATIONS. THUS, WE ALSO LEARN HERE HOW ARCHAEOLOGY AFFECTS ART HISTORY.
SIMILARLY, WE DO TWO THINGS IN SEEING HOW BUDDHISM LED TO A
CODIFICATION OF NATIVE RELIGION OF HINDUISM IN SURVEYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF
INDIAN ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE FROM THE 3RD C. BC TO THE 5TH C. AD. HINDUISM IS
THE CODIFIED FORM OF THE NATIVE RELIGION. TO
DISTINGUISH IT FROM ITS UNCODIFIED, EARLIER
FORM ,WE CALL THE PRE-BUDDHIST NATIVE RELIGION OF
INDIA “HINDUISM” BETWEEN QUOTES. WE DO THE SAME
FOR “SHINTO” AND SHINTO IN JAPAN, THE CHANGE FROM
ONE TO ANOTHER BEING A THEME OF OUR CLASS. IN
BOTH INDIA AND JAPAN, THE CHANGE CAME JUST PRIOR
TO THE FIRST NATIVE STATEMENTS ON THE NATIONAL
AESTHETIC. WE CONSIDER THIS PROCESS IN INDIA
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE INDIAN CONCEPT OF PRANA (THE
SWELLING BREATH OF LIFE). WE FINISH WITH INDIA BY
SEEING HOW PRANA APPEARS IN LATER HINDU CULTURE,
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING UP TO THE 14TH C.
THEN, WE RETURN TO CHINA. WE SEE HOW
CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE IS MORE CHINESE THAN
INDIAN. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW SCHOLARS ARGUE
POINTS OF STYLE, WE SHALL SEE HOW THEY HAVE USED THEORIES ON THE MEANING OF
BUDDHISM IN CHINA TO EXPLAIN THE ABOVE CHANGE IN BUDDHIST ART. THESE THEORIES
STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF “INTERFLOW” IN CHINESE ART. TO SEE THE LARGER VISION
THAT SCHOLARS SOMETIMES HAVE BEHIND THEIR SPECIFIC THEORIES, WE WILL LOOK AT
INTERFLOW IN 9-10TH C. CHINESE FIGURE PAINTING, 11-12TH C. LANDSCAPE PAINTING, AND
13-14TH BIRD AND FLOWER PAINTING. FINALLY, WE CONSIDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
LITERATI IN THE 15-17TH C. TO SEE HOW ART CAN BE TIED TO PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICS.
WE LEAVE JAPAN FOR LAST BECAUSE IT IS, IN MANY WAYS, THE CULMINATION OF
TRENDS CONSIDERED PREVIOUSLY. JAPAN IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF A COUNTRY THAT
LOOKED OUTSIDE TO SEE WITHIN. IT IS ALSO A PARTICULARLY GOOD INSTANCE OF HOW
BUDDHISM CODIFIES NATIVE RELIGIONS. MORE, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUDDHISM
AND SHINTO IN JAPAN IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTING IN THAT JAPAN’S PRE-BUDDHIST
RELIGION SHARED MUCH IN COMMON WITH HINDUISM. THERE IS THUS A THEORY THAT
THE JAPANESE, FROM THE START, IMPLICITLY UNDERSTOOD BUDDHISM BETTER THAN
15
THEIR CHINESE TEACHERS. WE SHALL CONSIDER THIS THEORY. WE DO SO BECAUSE IT
HELPS ORGANIZE OUR COURSE INTO A SINGLE BIG ARGUMENT IN WHICH CHINA CHANGES
BUDDHISM SO IT CAN MOVE TO JAPAN, BUT THE JAPANESE CHANGE IT BACK TO WHAT IT
WAS IN INDIA.
THE JAPANESE ADOPTION OF BUDDHISM ALSO BROUGHT WRITING TO JAPAN. WE
WILL CONSIDER THE QUESTION OF HOW LITERACY AFFECTS A CULTURE WHEN WE LOOK AT
BUDDHIST SCULPTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND PAINTING IN 8-10TH C. JAPAN. IN THIS TIME,
THE JAPANESE CODIFIED THEIR NATIVE RELIGION. WE SHALL SEE HOW THIS LED TO THE
EMERGENCE OF A NATIONAL AESTHETIC WHEN WE CONSIDER12-13TH C. JAPANESE
HANDSCROLL PAINTING. WE END BY LOOKING AT 14-16TH C. IMPORTATION OF CHINESE
LANDSCAPE AND INK PAINTING, AND THE REVIVAL OF JAPANESE ARTS IN 17TH C. PAINTING
AND GARDENS. THESE LECTURES ALSO INTRODUCE DECONSTRUCTION, ROLAND BARTHES
FINDING JAPAN A NATURALLY DECONSTRUCTED CULTURE. FINALLY, OUR LOOK AT UKIYO-E
SHOWS US HOW ELITE CULTURES POPULARIZE AND INTRODUCE THE NOTION OF THE
POWER OBJECT AS DEFINED BY WILLIAM LA FLEUR.
16
KEY TERMS:
XIA (HSIA), SHANG, ZHOU (CHOU)
DYNASTIES
AN YANG, CAPITAL OF SHANG
TAO-TIEH
BERNHARD KARLGREN AND
ICONOGRAPHY
MAX LOEHR, LUDWIG BACHHOFER,
HEINRICH WOLFFLIN AND STYLE
K. C. CHANG
VANDERSTAPPEN: TENSION VS. FLABBY
MIRCEA ELIADE, RITUALLY REAL GOD VS. TRADITIONAL GOD
IMAGE = REPRESENTATION, DUAL COGNITION (A = B)
QIN (CHIN) AND HAN DYNASTIES
EMPEROR QIN SHI HUANGDI (CHIN SHIH HUANG TI)
PRINCIPLE (LI) AND MANIFESTATION (CHI, QI)
LAO ZI (LAO TZU), ZHUANG ZI (CHUANG TZU), TAO, TAOISM
CONFUCIUS (KONG FUZI), MENCIUS (MENG ZI), MANDATE OF HEAVEN, CONFUCIANISM
GU KAIZHI (KU K’AI CHIH), NYMPH OF LO RIVER, THE ADMONITIONS SCROLL
XIE HO (HSIEH HO) AND THE SIX LAWS OF PAINTING
LIFE’S BREATH EQUALS THE CREATION OF MOVEMENT
THINGS TO DO:
1. MEMORIZE THE FIVE STAGES.
2. BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY TO WHICH STAGE A BRONZE BELONGS IN THE SYSTEM
3. BE ABLE TO DISCUSS HOW THE SYSTEM IS INTERDEPENDENT
4. BE ABLE TO DISCUSS HOW THE SYSTEM MAY HAVE AN UNDERLYING FORCE
5. DISCUSS ART AS SYMPATHETIC MAGIC VS. ART AS IMAGE-MAKING
6. DISCUSS HOW DUAL COGNITION IS KEY TO A ZHOU BRONZE
7. LEARN THE SIX LAWS OF PAINTING. THE FIRST WILL COME UP AGAIN WHEN WE
TALK OF CHINESE BUDDHISM.
8. BE ABLE TO DEFINE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONFUCIANISM AND TAOISM.
30
KEY TERMS
MONISTIC AND PLURALISTIC
BANNERJI AND INDUS VALLEY
ARYAN AND DRAVIDIAN
RG VEDA
CHANNIVIRA
DOHADA
HINAYANA AND MAHAYANA
MAURYA COLUMNS
BHARHUT AND SANCHI
BHAJA AND KARLI
CHAITYA
MATHURA
GANDHARA
KUSHAN
KING KANISHKA
ANANDA COOMARASWAMY
PRANA
THINGS TO DO:
1. BE ABLE TO DEFINE FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES OF BUDDHISM
2. BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RAJ VIEW OF INDIAN ART
AND BANNERJI’S
3. WHAT WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INDUS SITES?
4. KNOW THE PARTS OF THE STUPA
5. GIVE THE DUAL INTERPRETATIONS OF BUDDHIST COLUMNS, ARCHITECTURE AND
SCULPTURE
6. GIVE TWO THEORIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUDDHA IMAGE
7. DISCUSS PRANA
44
KEY TERMS:
ICONOGRAPHY AND ICONOLOGY
SPACE CELL
LITERATI
BLAND PAINTING
THINGS TO DO:
1. GIVE THE 9-STAGE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE BUDDHIST ART
2. DISCUSS THE IDEAS OF KENETH CHEN
3. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CHINESE AESTHETIC OF BRONZE AND BUDDHA?
4. DISCUSS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE PAINTING FROM FIGURE TO LANDSCAPE
TO BIRD AND FLOWER.
52
KEY TERMS:
LEE AND WARNER, WAVE THEORY
ALICIA MATSUNAGA
NATIVE DEVELOPMENT VS. FOREIGN INFLUENCE
JOMON, YAYOI, KOFUN
ISE AND IZUMO
SHIMENAWA, HIMOROGI, SHIN NO MIHASHIRA
(HEART PILLAR)
“SHINTO” VS. SHINTO
MAREBITO
OUTSIDER GOD
PRINCE SHOTOKU (SHOTOKU TAISHI)
HORYU-JI
SHAKA TRINITY OF 623
YUMEDONO KANNON
WARIHAGI
AMIDISM
PHŒNIX HALL
THE CULT OF BEAUTY
THINGS TO DO:
1. GIVE THE PLURALISTIC AND MONISTIC VIEWS OF PREHISTORIC JAPAN.
2. WHY IS ISE SUCH A PUZZLE AND WHAT IS THE EXPLANATION OF THE PUZZLE?
3. GIVE THE STORY OF THE ENTRY OF BUDDHISM.
4. HOW IS THIS STORY TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS A MYTH COME TRUE?
5. HOW DOES MIZUNO’S WORK SUPPORT MATSUNAGA’S WORK?
6. GIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEMPLE COMPOUND.
7. DISCUSS HOW BUDDHISM WAS ABSORBED IN JAPAN AND MIXED WITH SHINTO.
8. HOW IS THE RELIGIOUS SECULAR AND THE SECULAR, RELIGIOUS IN JAPAN?
9. HOW DID ZEN CREATE AN INDIVIDUALISTIC ARTIST?
73