Non-Western

 

This week I will be looking at Chinese art from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The Ming dynasty was one of the most stable of China, it perfected the civil system, meaning that government officials generally ended up there by passing an exam. This is also where the Chinese replaced the Prime Minister with an emperor. Thankfully a stable empire tends to lead to expansions in art. 

This piece is called Windblown Bamboo by Xia Chang (1460). In Chinese culture bamboo often represents integrity and strength because of how it bends without breaking. The artist uses very fine line work to string together the bamboo leaves and stocks. The artist also uses the pressure of the strokes to create dimension in the lighter and darker shades. Xia Chang helped to spread this calligraphic style across Korea, Japan and the rest of South East Asia. Of the pieces here this is my favorite. I like how light it feels, and the symbolism of integrity. 

This is called Two Hawks in a Thicket by Lin Liang (15th century). This is also a monochrome piece but rather than using pressure to create dimension the artist uses blank space. The line work here is also mostly very fine, and although I was unable to confirm, the smudging in this piece makes me think the artist also used oil paints. In Liang's other paintings hawks tend to represent heroism and are often seen soaring in the mountains. In this painting the hawks are inviolable and inaccessible tucked away in a bamboo forest. To me this feels like a way to "humanize" the hero, the hawk in its nest with its mate.

Finally, this post would not be complete without the blue and white ceramic. It is just called "Jar with Dragon" with unknown artist, created sometime in the 15th century. The blue and white ceramic is very famous traditional Chinese art that became incredibly famous during the Ming dynasty. Additionally the dragon is hugely symbolic in China, representing "yang, the principle of heaven, activity, and maleness in the yin-yang of Chinese cosmology".  Once again in this piece line work is the center. On a white canvas any mistake you make is immediately evident, which means every stroke has to be perfect. To me this type of work being so famous is evident of people's drive for perfection that doesn't necessarily exist outside of art. This specific art form (blue and white ceramic) is also incredibly famous broken

References Cited:

Chinese, L. L. (n.d.). Lin Liang: Two hawks in a thicket: China: Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45676

Chinese, X. C. (n.d.). Xia Chang: Windblown bamboo: China: Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44590

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2023, November 7). Ming Dynasty. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ming-dynasty-Chinese-history

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). What does the Chinese dragon represent?. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/question/What-does-the-Chinese-dragon-represent

Jar with dragon: China: Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Xuande Mark and period (1426–35). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39666