ARTH183 1st Edition Lecture 19Outline of Last LectureI. Southern Song Dynasty: “Viewing Plum Blossoms by Moonlight” ContinuedA. Common Southern Song composition elements and their effecta. One-corner style; diagonals; light vs. dark; overall sizeb. Axe-cut texture strokec. The moonB. Significance of signatureII. “Twelve Views of Landscape,” Xia Gui (c. 1180-1230 CE) with calligraphy by Empress Yang Meizi. Southern Song Dynasty, ca. 1210 CEA. Patronagea. Inspiration and goal-Work processB. Form and style; content reduction, interest in space, diagonal movement, contrast, palettea. Comparison of handscroll to musicIII. Southern Song Dynasty Ceramic WorkA. Spread of tea in Chinaa. Tea bowlsB. “Tea Bowl with Hare’s Fur Glaze”a. Jian ware; why so valued, typical characteristics, comparison and contrast to Ru ware-Glaze manipulationIV. Song Dynasty Literati/Scholar-Amateur PaintingA. Role of Confucian scholar-officialsB. Source and characteristics of scholarly stylea. Beliefs about art, goals for art; awkwardness, blandness, archaistic referencesb. Who was creating itC. “Withered Tree and Strange Rock”a. Purpose of painting-Essence vs. appearance; beliefs of scholar-amateurs about court paintersV. Yuan Dynasty China (1279-1368 CE)A. Mongol rule; effect on educated populationa. Yiminb. Relationship to growth of scholarly paintingThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.B. “Wang Xizhi Watching Geese”: Artist and subjectOutline of Current LectureI. Yuan Dynasty China: “Wang Xizhi Watching Geese” ContinuedA. Forma. Significance of materialB. Stylea. Why color was used-Archaistic painting, “blue and green style”b. Inscription, its relation to literati stylec. Elements of anti-realist literati styleII. Huang Gongwang (1269-1354). “Dwelling in the Funchun Mountains.” Yuan Dynasty, ca. 1347-50 CEA. ArtistB. Stylea. Composition; use of line and ink; sense of transparency-“Hemp fiber stroke”-Value of blandnessC. Primary concern of paintingD. Inscription; what it tells us about Gongwang’s process and literati artistsIII. Ni Zan (1301-1374). “Six Gentlemen.” Yuan Dynasty, 1345 CEA. Artista. “Occasional” artB. Stylea. Composition; trees; perspective; brush/ink work-“2 strips of land, one strip of water” styleb. Value of blandness, what character traits it is related toC. Subject; symbolism of treesa. Lack of human presence and possible significanceD. Inscriptions; what they tells us about the literati communityCurrent LectureYuan Dynasty China: “Wang Xizhi Watching Geese” ContinuedForm is handscroll in ink and color on paper-we start to see paintings on paper more as they are characteristic of the literati style (much easier for creating expressive style) -Often literati paintings were monochromatic, but this one is in color for a specific reason: it is an example of archaistic painting trying to reference styles from the time of Wang Xizhi in the 4th century; In this case, the use of heavy blue and green pigment in the tops of the mountains is a reference to the “blue and green style” that goes back to the 4th c. and beyond, becoming codified in the Tang Dynasty-The inscription in the upper left is by the artist; we see a lot more writing on literati art because the artists are all incredibly knowledgeable in all areas of reading and writinggoing back to its earliest forms*Inscription talks about the relaxed, eccentric recluse of Daoist thought-The mountains themselves are much less naturalistic and convincingly 3-dimensional, and the building below is painted in a faux-naïve style; the tree near Wang Xizhi is depicted in a patternized, pointillist, anti-realist way (another naïve affectation). The artist mostly uses flat forms, is not trying to convincingly show volumeHuang Gongwang (1269-1354). “Dwelling in the Funchun Mountains.” Yuan Dynasty, ca. 1347-50 CEHuang Gongwang is 1 of the 4 Great Masters of Yuan painting-he came from poverty andbeing an orphan to being adopted by a family with no sons and receiving a classical education. He served briefly in an official capacity before being briefly jailed (reasons are unclear) and retiring upon release. A Daoist, he made his later living as a geomancer, painter, and calligrapher. The Fuchun Mountains were just upriver from the Southern Song capital.-A handscroll; beginning of scroll shows compositional variety by creating more densely populated areas juxtaposed with open space, foreground features and deep background elements moving the eye back and forth. There is a lot of unpainted paper and a sense of lightness and transparency that lets you see how the forms are built up with a variety of brushstrokes and treatments of ink*Forms are built up through the repetition of similar kinds of line; squiggly “hemp fiber strokes” are a signature of Gongwang*Repeated circular strokes give mountain forms a sense of volume in space, shows literati value of blandness (not dramatic effects but subtle homogeneity-Creating a realistic image of landscape isn’t the primary concern; it’s more aboutlandscape as a vehicle for style, self-expression, and reflecting the character of the artist-The last mountain on the scroll seems more messy and haphazard, then peters off into blank space and the artist’s inscription, which explains how the artist worked to build upthe painting over multiple years whenever he got a chance (took 3-4 years to complete)*Inscription also lets us know that painting was intended for a friend, typical for literati workNi Zan (1301-1374). “Six Gentlemen.” Yuan Dynasty, 1345 CENi Zan came from a wealthy family and classical education but chose not to serve under the Mongols. To avoid high taxation by the Mongols he starts living on a travelling houseboat and doing “occasional” art; art marking an occasion, i.e. travelling to the home of a friend who asks him to make something-Ni Zan’s distinctive style is very sparse; his compositional style is called “2 strips of land, 1 strip of water” (usually has a foreground strip of land, an unpainted area of water, andthen a background strip of land). Has tall, thin trees with light foliage; doesn’t use atmospheric perspective; paints with a very dry brush, making everything look light and insubstantial*The 6 trees are symbolic of upright, unbending gentlemen*Ni Zan’s paintings are