Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties

1. Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties • by Sean Delos Santos • AP Art History Per.6

2. Sui and Tang Dynasties • The Sui Dynasty reigned from 581 CE to 618 CE. • It was modeled on the Han Dynasty. • Buddhism diffused into Chinese society.

3. 10-13. Seated Buddha, Cave 20, Yungang, Datong, Shanxi. Northern Wei dynasty, c. 460 CE. Stone, height 45’ (13.7 m)This image doesn’t belong in this ppt

4. 10-14. Altar to Amitabha Buddha. Sui dynasty, 593 CE. Bronze, height 30 ⅛” (76.5 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

5. Amitabha Buddha • Mahayana Buddhism was the most popular form of Buddhism in China and Japan. • It believed in the “Pure Land” where faithful followers were reborn • Who is Amitabha Budda? • writing is very small throughout ppt

6. Amitabha Buddha • Jewels on leaves • 7 nymphs on clusters • Pearls on tree trunks • Halo of flames

7. Amitabha Buddha • Bodhisattva Guanyin with pomegranate • Bodhisattva in prayer • Incense burner • Tell us what a bodhisattva is

8. Amitabha Buddha • Seated dogs • 2 smaller bodhisattvas • Combines Indian, Central Asian, and Chinese styles • describe these styles!

9. Sui and Tang Dynasties • The Tang Dynasty reigned from 618 CE to 917 CE. • The Tang may be described as “strong, vigorous, noble, idealistic, realistic, and pragmatic.” • one of the greatest dynasties in Chinese History

10. Sui and Tang Dynasties • The Tang Dynasty capital was Chang’an. • They controlled Central Asia and influenced Japanese and Korean culture. • They entered a profitable trade system along the South China Sea with the Arabs and Persians.

11. 10-15. Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians, from a tomb near Xi’an, Shanxi. Tang dynasty, c. mid-8th century CE. Earthenware with three-color glaze, height 26 ⅛” (66.5 cm). Museum of Chinese History, Beijing.

12. Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians • Displays Turkish influence • The three bearded musicians are Central Asian. • The two smooth-shaven people are Han Chinese. • Tang were fascinated with the exotic Turkic culturs of central Asia

13. Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians • The two-humped Bactrian camels were widely used along the Silk Road. • People on camelback was a popular Tang motif. • Naturalism (liveliness and motion) was also popular. • musicians on camelback were a popular Tang motif

14. Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians • Tang sculptures often had a three-color glaze. • These three colors were often chosen from amber, yellow, green, and white • glaze tecnique a specialty of Tang ceramicists • describe process, which gave feeling of spontaneity • thousands of ceramic figurines produced for Tang tombs

15. Buddhist Art and Architecture • Buddhism had been widely accepted throughout all of China.-greatest development during Tang dynasty • Mahayana Buddhism (also known as the Pure Land Sect) was the most popular of the Buddhist sects.

16. Buddhist Art and Architecture • Located in Dunhuang were 500 caves that held Buddhist artifacts. • These Buddhist artifacts included painted clay sculptures and wall paintings. • The caves were made from the 5th to the 14th century. • rare exxtended jperiod of stylistic and iconographic evoluton in one place

17. Buddhist Art and Architecture • The Seated Buddha was found in Cave 20 of the 500 caves. • but pre-Tang era

18. 10-16. The Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha, detail of a wall painting in Cave 217, Dunhuang, Gansu. Tang dynasty, c. 750 CE. 10’2” x 16’ (3.1 x 4.86 m).

19. The Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha • The Amitabha Buddha is surrounded by 4 bodhisattvas. • There are more bodhisattvas to the left and to the right. blow up details so we can see what you are talking about

20. The Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha • Musicians and dancers are performing in the foreground. • There are great halls and towers in the background. • the artist has imagined the WEstern Paraise in terms of the grandeur of Tang palaces; a worldly vision of paradise • big conrast with earlier Sui altarpiece • shows us splenor of Tang civilzation when Chang’an was probably the greatest city in the world

21. The Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha • Many people believe this area represents Chang’an, the Tang Dynasty’s capital. • Naturalism can be seen all throughout the wall painting.

22. Sui and Tang Dynasty • China had followed the idea of religious tolerance for many years. • However, as Confucians gradually rose in influence, China turned to a more conservative way of thinking.in 9th century

23. Sui and Tang Dynasty • Buddhism was then seen as a foreign religion. • The Chinese destroyed countless Buddhist temples, shrines, monasteries, and statues.

24. 10-17. Nanchan Temple, Wutaishan, Shanxi. Tang dynasty, 782 CE.

25. Nanchan Temple • The Nanchan Temple displays a curved tiled roof, which is reminiscent of the Han tomb model of a house. • one of the few structures earlier than 1400 to have survived

26. Han Tomb Model of a House

27. Nanchan Temple • The temple has a bay, a structural element made of four posts and their lintels. • The bay became a module (a basic structural unit) for later buildings.

28. Nanchan Temple • Larger structures were made with repeating patterns of bays • Nanchan only has 3 bays.

29. 10-18. Great Wild Goose Pagoda at Ci’en Temple, Xi’an, Shanxi. Tang dynasty, first erected 645 CE; rebuilt mid-8th century CE.

30. Great Wild Goose Pagoda • The Great Wild Goose Pagoda was made in honor of Xuanzang after his 16-year pilgrimage to India. • The pagoda originated from the Indian stupa which holds relics.

31. Indian Stupa

32. Great Wild Goose Pagoda • The pagoda resembles a Han watchtower.In China, the stupa blended with the Han watchtower to produce the pagoda • It features low relief bays and bracket systems. • The pagoda is made of masonry but was made to resemble wood.

33. Great Wild Goose Pagoda • The pagoda was originally five stories but two more stories along with a finial were constructed. • The pagoda emphasizes the Tang beliefs of simplicity, symmetry, proportion, and grace.

34. Figure Painting • There are very few pieces of Tang art that feature figure painting. • However, the Dunhuang painting gives a good idea of what it looked like.--discussed earlier, slide 10-16

35. The Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha • unnecessary--delete

36. Figure Painting • The Song Dynasty was greatly influenced by the Tang Dynasty. • The Song Dynasty borrowed many artistic styles from the Tang Dynasty.

37. 10-19. Attributed to Emperor Huizong. Detail of Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk, copy after a lost Tang dynasty painting by Zhang Xuan. Northern Song dynasty, early 12th century CE. Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 14 ½ x 57 ½” (36 x 145.2 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

38. Women Preparing Newly Woven Silk • The painting contains several sections, each depicting women weaving or ironing silk.

39. Women Preparing Newly Woven Silk • The original painting by Zhang Xuan, a famous Tang painter of women at the court, was lost.

40. Women Preparing Newly Woven Silk • A Song copy of Zhang Xuan’s work was made. • This is evident from several inscriptions on the painting itself • missing some formal analysis

41. Song Dynasty • The Song Dynasty reigned from 960 CE to 1279 CE. • Its capital was located at Bianjing near the Yellow River. • In 1126, Northern China was conquered by the Jurchen tribes from Manchuria. • This caused the unconquered part of China now known as Southern Songto enter a period of introspection and reflection.

42. Song Dynasty • While Northern Song lasted from 960 CE to 1126 CE, Southern Song continued on from 1127 CE to 1279 CE with a capital at Hangzhou. • The Song Dynasty borrowed from the agricultural, commercial, and technological advancements of the Tang Dynasty.

43. Song Dynasty • Although the Song Dynasty had a dark past, its artworks maintained the ideas of grace and simplicity.

44. where is slide and info from box “Elements of Architecture” on p.377

45. 10-20. Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva. Liao dynasty, 10th-12th century. Wood with paint and gold, 95 x 65” (241.3 x 165.1 cm). The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.

46. Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva • A bodhisattva was a Buddhist who had already reached enlightenment but stayed behind to help others. • They were depicted as princes with royal garments and jewelry.

47. Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva • Guanyin was the bodhisattva of infinite compassion. • He appears in many forms such as the Water or Moon Guanyin.

48. Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva • Guanyin is seen in the royal ease, a pose characterized by the following: • A bent right knee with the right arm resting on top • A hanging left leg and arm with the foot atop a lotus blossom

49. Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva • The original sculpture was made in the 11th or 12th century but was painted and gilded in the 16th century.

50. Song Dynasty • The Song Dynasty was known for its “intellectual” art style. • Unlike the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty contained artworks that were mostly, if not purely, Chinese. • It was known for its brilliant scholars, poetry, painting, and ceramics.