Chinese Art Before 1280 Essay

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Art is immortal and people all over the world are eager to enjoy the pieces of art of different civilizations indifferent thanks to this quality of the art. The art of different countries is unique and unrepeatable, especially taking into account the far civilizations. China is an extraordinary country and its culture impresses people with its beauty and eccentric nature. Chinese art is impossible to copy, as it is the other world, where art is supported by the culture and traditions of the country. The culture of China before 1280 differs greatly from the common culture and a core difference from the Western civilization culture.

Emperor Huizong of Song was the ruler of the Chinese civilization during 1101 – 1125 and was “the last emperor of the tir Northern Song dynasty” (Stokstad 375), who was not so good ruler, but whose support to the art, poetry, and music was great. During his ruling, the cultural side of the society was raised on a high level, but the political life was spoiled and the country went into depression. The economical side of the country during the discussed period is not the point of consideration, but the development of art and its place in society.

During the ruling of Huizong of Song, pictorial art got its rise. The distinctive feature of the discussed type of art was the symbolic nature of the paintings. The abstract ideas were put on carpets, vases, plates, and crockery, visiting cards, and wall pictures (Williams 297). The description of the painting history of China during 1101 – 1125 will be not full without mentioning that Huizong was a great painter and contributed the art treasury by his works (Kleiner 197).

Religious motifs are the main theme for art during the Song dynasty. The Western religion should not be confused with the Chinese one, as China, as it was mentioned above, is a unique country with peculiar traditions. The dragon was the theme for art and was displayed in different types of art, mostly in painting and ceramics. Nature was also represented in Chinese art (Williams 22).

Poetry is the other type of art that took its development during the Song dynasty ruling. The poets praised the beauty of the country and, what the most significant is, the philosophical perception of the world. The dominant religion was Buddhism, which has significant peculiarities and differs greatly from the other religion. The philosophical sense of the poetry is difficult to capture by the western person as the other culture is impossible to be gained without living in that culture, without possessing to that culture (Williams 24).

The Buddhism motives are greatly expressed in the painting and ceramics in the Song dynasty period. The religious meaning of China is of deep understanding, and the western consideration of the art in China differs greatly from what the Chinese people understand in their art. The art for Chinese is a special ritual, a sacred world, which cannot be reached by the strange viewer. The core feature of the China philosophical art is the presence of “art symbolism” (Williams 24), which is introduced through the “polarity, namely a positive or male yang and a negative or female yin” (Williams 24). The understanding of these two oppositions is still used in Western philosophy and art issues.

The other distinctive feature of philosophical art is the “use of jade as a material believed to possess supernatural power” (Williams 24). The jade was the implementation of Chinese art, which was portrayed in paintings, poetry, and sculpture. The power and strength, which was symbolized through the jade, was significant in Chinese art as power in the east played an important role, if not the main one in the life of people.

Considering the Chinese and Western civilizations in the interactions, it is notable to mention that the western art traditions are not so long survived as the Chinese ones. The parts of the Chinese art culture of the Song dynasty may be observed in Western life. The dragons, some Chinese pictures, and other issues may be seen in the life of western people as the attributes to the life of Western people. China’s culture is unrepeatable as even to write and read people should possess some understanding of art and calligraphy. The Chinese writing style is the written symbols, which are never understood by the Western person without extra education.

So, Chinese art is described by the unique culture of the country, and the pieces of artwork before 1280 have the biggest value as the art during the discussed period was put on the highest level, even higher than the economic and the political life of the country. The affair was possible as the ruler of the country, Huizong of Song, had a keen interest in the art, being the great painter himself. The value of the Chinese culture before the 1280s is that it has survived till now not only in the museums, but is also used in the Western countries as a life attribute.

References

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Oxford: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

Williams, Charles Alfred Speed. Chinese symbolism and art motifs: a comprehensive handbook on symbolism in Chinese art through the ages. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2006.

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