Parallel Cultures

When Christianity was becoming established in

the former Greco-Roman world, different belief
systems were completely shaping the art and
architecture of other equally great civilizations.
In a multicultural, post-modern world, we need
to learn about and acknowledge the diversity and
similarities of our fellow humans.
Ritual art shows the human desire to
understand and make meaning of the world
around us, such as the powers of nature and the
uncertainties of life.
 Art Beyond the West

Think about the overarching concepts which unite or

contrast the expressions of the following cultures’ art.
•African Art
•Oceanic Art
•Native Art of the Americas
•Islamic Art
•Indian Art
•Chinese Art
•Japanese Art
 Multicultural Philosophy

Multicultural Philosophy is a philosophy for the

study of art whereby inquiry into the nature and
value of art objects from around the world
(including one’s own) serves to enhance
understanding and acceptance of oneself and
others. It acknowledges interconnectedness of
human life.
 What defines art beyond the West?
Innovation of form: Creative, expressive, and unique approaches to
form.
Visual Abstraction: Bold and subtle ways of rendering the form.
Sculptural Primacy: A great majority of the art we will study has been
carved, molded, or constructed into 3D forms. Even textiles have a
sculptural nature to them, as they were most often intended to be
worn.
Performance: Art exists within a context of music, dance,
performance, and ritual, which reflect the core beliefs of the culture.
Humanism/Anthropomorphism: Adornment and transformation of the
human body.
Multiplicity of meaning: Multicultural art is intellectual, symbolic, and
rich with layers and complexity.

(information sourced from African Art History)

 African Art
African art is “as varied as the cultures that have
populated that continent.”

Islam, Christianity, and the slave trade affected the

arts and culture of African people.
 Early African Art
Rock art is the oldest and most widespread stone age art
form. It is most fully documented in the Sahara. Images
like the one on the left document animals extinct or found
only in the south. They are animals that once filled the
region. The giraffes are life-sized--they are natural, and
seem to have been observed from life.
 African Art

Altar of the Hand, Benin, Nigeria

The figures cast in relief (in
bronze) are intended to venerate
the king and glorify his office.
How can you distinguish the
king?
Do you see hierarchical scaling?
 Benin

Waist Pendant depicting a

Queen Mother, Benin 15th-16th
C., Ivory and Iron
Height 9 ¾”
These were worn at the king’s
waist. The exact meaning is
unknown, but they may have
been protective or identified the
king with powers, or been a
reference to the queen mother’s
mystical procreative force.
 African Art: Benin

Notice the beaded collar which

conforms with the neck. This
represents the queen mother.
This is a confidently cast and
stylized head.
 African Art: Benin

Odudua maskers at the Court of Benin c. 1960

Art in context:
Masks are used in performances
which are called masquerades.
Masquerades are a framework
used to teach social, political,
and spiritual roles. Masquerades
transform the wearer, and
represent a complex system of
ideas.
 African Art: Yourba
Door from Iderre, Nigera (Yourba)
1910-1914
The carved doors depict scenes
from tribal life and ritual.
The Yourba are known for ability to
mix modern imagery with tradition.
How do you assimilate your
influences into your own personal
expression?
 African Art: Mboom Helmet Mask Zaire

Wood, brass, cowry shell*.

Do you see the abstract and geometric
shapes?
The pronounced features represent
ideals in beauty, such as a high forehead.
What are your own ideals in beauty?
What are the ideals of American culture?
This is a puberty initiation mask for young
boys as they are transformed into men
and learn the role of man in the society.
*Cowry shells are equivalent to currency.
African Art: Mende Bundu Mask, Sierra
Leone
This mask is worn at the initiation
rites of young girls as they are
transformed from girls to women.
The imagery relates to mythological
stories involving the crystallis moth,
reinforcing the concept of
transformation.
 African Art:
Ancestral Couple, Dogon of Mali
Cultures in Mali trace the longest known
recorded history in Africa. This figural group
represents mythological stories of the origin
of humanity.
The Dogon are known for their metal work,
sculptures, and complex masks. Their
artwork work can be identified by the “blocky”
shapes, which influenced Picasso’s
development of cubism.
Art can be a vehicle to dispense esoteric
knowledge and teach the complexities and
layers of culture.
 African Art: The Great Mosque, Djenne, Mali

This great Mosque

embodies both the religious
and political power of the
area. It is a beautiful use of
natural, available resources.

It models a continuance of
indigenous culture with the
merger and influence of
Islam.
This is Pablo Picasso’s painting
from 1907 titled Les Demoiselles
de Avignon.
This painting is considered to be
the birth of cubism.
Can you recognize the influence of
African art in his approach?
. . .Look at the intersecting planes
and the geometric flat shapes…
 Oceanic Art
• Polynesia
• Melanesia
 Oceania
Compared to the records associated with Western art,
there is only a vague chronology established for the early
arts of Oceania.
Ongoing efforts of archeologists and other investigators
continue to shed light on the development of the arts of
Oceania.
Thousands of islands make up Oceania. The peoples
and art of Oceania are extremely varied; they span millions
of square miles ranging from Australia to Tahiti.
Oceania is conventionally divided into three cultural
areas: Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Polynesia
was the last area in the world to be settled.
 Polynesia

Polynesian artists excelled in carving figural

sculptures in wood, stone and ivory. They range
from humongous (Easter Island) to small ivory ear
plugs only 1” long.
The sculptures are characterized by full-
volumed, monochromatic human figures, often in
dynamic poses.
Polynesians were also skilled at making
decorative bark cloth and tattooing. (Tattoo is a
word of Polynesian origin.)
 Polynesia

Kukalimoku, from Hawaii, Wood 30”

This Polynesian carving represents the

Hawaiian war god Kukalimoku. Huge
wooded images of this deity were
erected on stone temple platforms. The
form possesses the ferocity which is
attributed to the deity.
 Polynesia
Great Stone Figures on Easter Island
(restored 1978), Volcanic stone,
average height 36’
There is no land in the vicinity for more
than 800 miles in all directions, yet tall,
monstrous statues--the work of a
vanished race--fill the islands. The
inhabitants developed a complex belief
system which encouraged a rich,
visionary life. They expressed their
beliefs in solid, ritual objects.
 Easter Island
Double-headed male figure from
Easter Island before 1860,
wood, approx 16” high
Not all of the art from Easter
Island was large and imposing.
 Polynesia

This is a Canoe Prow from

the Maori of New Zealand.
They are known for their
wooden relief carving. They
sculpted this 6’ canoe prow
out of the local pine wood.
Artists often use what is
available, plentiful, and
sacred, symbolic on both the
intrinsic and extrinsic levels.
 Polynesia
This is a depiction of a Maori
from New Zealand made by
Sydney Parkinson in 1769. It
documents the facial tattoos
common among the Maori men,
who also had their lower bodies
tattooed between the waist and
knees. Notice the bilateral
symmetry and spiral patterns.
Women were tattooed around the
mouth and on the chin.

The art of tattoo was widespread

and ancient in Oceania.
 Melanesia
Melanesian art is typically more colorful
than Polynesian. Artists distort human
forms according to local preferences.
These are mixed media ancestor poles.
They were carved out of a single piece of
wood, and would have been adorned with
paint, and palm leaves.
These are power images, whose in-
dwelling spirit is invoked to protect and
benefit the figure’s owner. The Asmat
pole is erected in ceremonies that
prepare the participants to avenge the
death of a leader in war. The open “flags”
are phallus symbols, and exaggerate the
males’ aggressive roles involving fertility
and power.
 Melanesia
Australian prehistoric rock art,
Mimis and Kangaroo, 16,000-
17,000 BCE (rendered in x-ray
style)

In Australia, most objects are

ceremonial aids used to link the
people with the legendary past or
“Dream Time” when their world, it’s
creatures, and it’s institutions were
created. The fertility of nature,
humanity, and continuity of life
itself, depends on the reenactment
of primordial events of Dream
Time.
 Native Arts of the Americas

• Native Arts of Mexico

• Native Arts of Peru
• Native Arts of the United States and Canada
 Native Arts of Mexico
The first major art style was that of the
Olmec, in southern Mexico. They
produced an abundance of monumental
basalt sculptures, including massive
heads, altars, and seated figures. They
were made long before the golden age of
Greece. The heads range from 5 - 12 feet
high, and weigh from 5 to more than 20
tons. They have been found at
ceremonial sites. The stone was
transported from over 60 miles away.
Each face, although sharing similarities, is
different, suggesting they may represent
individuals.
 Mesoamerica: Native Arts of Mexico

In the late 15th Century, Europeans had

not any knowledge of the extraordinary
civilizations that existed in the Americas.
Belief in the divine origin of the natural
world and awareness that life is uncertain
are the same concerns we saw in pre-
historic and ancient cultures. There was
fear of the unknown, death, disaster. The
people wanted to ensure fertility and
appease divine forces.
Farming began in Mesoamerica between
7000 and 6000 BCE and by 3000 BCE,
2000 villages were widespread.
Ceremonial ax, Olmec from La
Venta, Mexico, 1500-300 BC,
Jadeite 11 ½”
 The Maya
The Maya were a remarkable civilization which endured
until the time of the Spanish conquest in the early 16th C.
Ancient Maya are noted for a number of achievements,
such as farming in seemingly inhospitable regions and
building imposing pyramids, temples, palaces, and
administrative structures. They developed the most
advanced hieroglyphic writing system in Mesoamerica and
a sophisticated calendar. They documented their
accomplishments, recorded rulers, studied astronomy, and
they developed the mathematical concept of zero and
place value before they were known in Europe.
They had elaborate rituals, ball games, blood letting
ceremonies, and participated in human sacrifice.
 Ceremonial center of Teotihuacán, Mexico

Notice the striking resemblance

to a Ziggurat? It had a strikingly
similar function: human sacrifice
to appease the gods.
 Teotihuacán
From Mexico to Guatemala throughout Mesoamerica, the Maya
constructed religious ceremonial sites (now in ruins).
They were built for ritual sacrifice to appease the Gods. They are
very impressive.
The name Teotihuacán means “birthplace of the Gods.” The city is
located 30 minutes N.E. of Mexico city. At it’s height, it was a far
greater scale than Rome or Athens. It covered 9 square miles and had
a population of 100,000 -200,000 (depending on sources).
In the center are the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the
Moon. The temple of the Sun aligns with the setting sun on the
summer solstice.
Like the ziggurat, there is a large staircase which represented the
symbolic path to the heavens. The temples were the property of the
priestly cast, who only with the sacrificial victim would have access to
the shrine.
 Temple of Quetzalcoatl (temple of the
feathered serpent), Teotihuacán, Mexico
Teotihuacán emerged during the 1st C. CE.
By 200 it was a significant center for
commerce. It was the first large city state in
the Americas. Wealth came from the high
quality obsidian. The people made pottery
and tools which were distributed throughout
Mesoamerica and traded for luxury items
such as bird feathers and spotted pelts.
Farmers terraced the hillsides and grew corn,
squash and beans. They also brewed
alcoholic beverages.
In the 8th C. disaster struck--the center
burned and declined, but remained a
legendary pilgrimage center.
 Blood Letting Rite, Yaxchilan Mexico
The ruling class of kings and priests
communicated with the gods through the ritual act
of sacrifice.
Human sacrifices came from war captives, but
kings and queens sacrificed their own blood.
This is a Mayan lintel (post and lintel relief) from
725 CE which depicts the blood letting ceremony.
Lady Xoc kneels before her husband as she
draws a spiked rope through her tongue. The
blood that drips is collected and burned as an
offering to the gods along with victims, like the
one on the kings headdress (it is a shrunken
head).
Notice the linear quality--is it is more like a
drawing in stone than a sculpture?
This would have been painted with bright colors.
Only traces remain.
 Native Arts of Mexico: Mayan temple Mural

The Maya painted vivid vignettes of

Maya court life. Similar to Egyptian
painting the figures are represented
with a linear quality, and are flat without
shading.
What other culture does this remind
you of?
The inscription records the precise
dates for the events in 790 and 791.
The scene welcomes a new heir to the
throne. They represent dancing, battle,
and sacrificing prisoners.
 Mayan Death God
The Classic Maya had libraries of
painted books. They were
painted on long sheets of bark
paper, or deer skin. They are
designed to be read in zigzag
fashion from left to right and top to
bottom. This is a “page” from one
of the few that survive. It shows
the god of life, Quetzalcoatl
(black), seated back to back with
the lord of death, Mictlantecuhtli
(white). Below them is an
inverted skull.
 Native Arts of Mexico: Aztec
The Aztec were a small group of nomads until they
established their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1325 on the site of
Modern day Mexico. The ruins lie directly beneath the center
of Mexico city.
The Aztecs made advances in art, architecture,
mathematics, and engineering. They were known by those
they subdued as fierce in war and cruel in peace. They
gloried in warfare and military prowess. They radically
changed the social and political situation In Mexico. They
maintained a ruthless political dominion, and human
sacrifice was vastly increased designed to keep the Aztec
empire under control.
 Native Arts of Mexico: Aztec
The Aztec, unlike the Maya, produced sculpture
unbound to architecture--freestanding sculpture,
or sculpture in the round. This huge statue of
Coatlicue (Lady of the Skirt of Serpents), is a
massive apparition of dread congealed into
stone. It reflected the context of the Aztec reign;
the beheaded goddess is compiled of macabre
and repulsive objects. Her headless neck
writhes with two serpents whose heads meet to
form a tusked mask. She wears a necklace
made of severed human hands and human
hearts. The pendant of the necklace is a skull.
Her skirt is entwined snakes. Her feet have
claws, with which she can tear at flesh. In Aztec
thought, this mother of the gods combined
savagery and tenderness (out of destruction is
born new life).
 Native Arts of Peru
The Moche of Peru’s involvement with
ritual is seen in their ceremonial
architecture and ceramic vessels.
Due to the scarcity of stone, they
utilized adobe bricks in their pyramidal
architecture.
The most famous art forms produced
by the ancient Peruvians are ceramic
vessels, which are predominately flat
bottomed and molded without the use
of a potters wheel. The abundance of
pottery is credited to the Peruvian
practice of seeing that their dead were
accompanied to the grave with
offerings.
 Portrait bottle, Moche, Peru 5th-6th C.

Stirrup spout vessels are a

dominant Peruvian art form.
This is believed to be a warrior
or priest.
 Native Arts of Mexico:Peru
Drawing of a hummingbird on Nasca
Plain (southwestern Peru), 200’
wingspan and 450’ total length.

Some 800 miles of lines have been

drawn in to the surface of the Nasca
Valley. They have long attracted
attention as some of the most
mysterious and gigantic works of
human art. The identifiable
hummingbird was produced by
scraping the sun darkened desert
pebbles to reveal the lighter layer of
clay beneath. What knowledge of
geometry would they need to
construct such an image?
 Native Arts of the U.S. and Canada

The Eskimo, or Inuit, have carved

hundreds of small human and
animal figures, usually out of
ivory. They are highly
imaginative and often mobile
(moving parts). They embody
both realistic and abstract forms,
which are highly imaginative and
inspired the surrealists in the
early 1920s.
The great serpent mounds,
Adams County Ohio,
Mississippian Culture 1070 CE
Sometime before 1000 BCE,
people in the river valleys of
the American East began
building earthworks or
mounds. Leaders and
valuables were buried within
This earthen snake is 1,254 feet
these mounds. The contents long and 20 feet wide. The serpent
indicate that the people traded appears to open its mouth and
widely with people from swallow an egg. It is possible the
people were responding to
Michigan’s upper peninsula as mysterious lights in the sky, such as
well as with people from the the Crab Nebula of 1054 or Halley's
Appalachian mountains, from Comet in 1066

Lake Superior to the Gulf of

Mexico.
 Native arts of the U.S. and Canada: Pacific
Northwest
Characteristic of Northwest Coast art is the Chilkat blanket.
Male designers provided the templates, and women
weavers followed the patterns. They became items of
prestige, items of ceremonial dress. Do you see the
symmetry and repetition as well as the abstracted animal
shapes?
Native arts of the U.S. and Canada: Pacific
Northwest

The people of the Northwest

coast have produced masks,
totem poles, clothing, and
canoes which are embellished
with carving and painted
ornamentation. Similar to the
Inuit, the masks are often kinetic
and move, and/or open like this
example.
 Native arts of the U.S. and Canada:
Navajo Blanket
The Navajo of the Southwest
are noted for their fiber
artistry and sand paintings.
Weaving embodies the
stories, myths, and tradition
of the culture.
 Native arts of the U.S. and Canada: Great
Plains

Art reflects the context in which it was made. The nomadic tribes of the
Great Plains embellished portable items, such as teepees and clothing.
This is a narrative of the Crow warriors. Can you see the sequence of
events? What is the story?
 Islamic Art
Religion and Mythology: Muhammad was the founder of Islam and
is revered as it’s Prophet. He was a native of Mecca (west coast of
Arabia).
Muhammad was born in Saudi Arabia, then called Mecca in about
750 AD. He was critical of the polytheistic religion of his contemporary
Arabs. Muhammad believed himself to be a prophet of divine
revelation. His message was of a religion praising the one and only
God: Allah. This is the same God of the Jewish people and of the
Christians: the God of Abraham.
Believers in Islam accept and submit to Allah’s will, which includes
that Muslims live according to the rules which were collected by
Muhammad during his lifetime and recorded in the Quran (Koran). The
Quran is composed of 114 surahs (chapters). The faithful must pray 5
times daily, facing the direction of Mecca. Muslims condemn idol
worship.
Islam has much in common with Judaism and Christianity. In
addition to belief in one God, Islam incorporates many stories of the
Old Testament. Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are acknowledged
as the prophetic predecessors of Muhammad. Muhammad did not
claim to be divine. Muslims worship God directly without a hierarchy of
rabbis, priests, or saints acting as intermediaries.
 Islamic Art

The Spiral Minaret of Samarra.

This is believed to be a near copy of a
Roman lighthouse. Minarets can take
on a variety of forms. This is the
largest minaret in the world, more than
165 feet tall.
Does this remind you of a ziggurat
from ancient Mesopotamia?
 Islamic Art
This is a page of the
Quran from the 9th or 10th
C. It illustrates the art of
calligraphy, or ornamental
writing which was
revered.
Islamic art does not have
representational images.
The Arabic script itself is
the iconography for Islam.
 Islamic Art
Mihrab in Mosque.
This is a photo of the mihrab,
which is a niche in the wall
which faces Mecca. It provides
a focus and direction to worship.
Notice the decoration does not
incorporate figurative imagery.
This is to avoid idolatry with
worship.
 Islamic Art

Prayer hall of the Great

Mosque, Cordoba Spain.
 Indian Art
Buddhism arose in India during the 5th C. BCE.
Siddhartha was a prince and the founder of Buddhism.
Images of the Buddah were not objects of devotion
until 100BCE-100CE. Thereafter, Buddhism spread to
China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy dedicated
to introspection. The Buddha taught that it was possible to
release humans from suffering. Enlightenment and
nirvana were possible through meditation and self-denial
due to the belief that one can obliterate their desires
through meditation. Is this context is reflected in the art?
 Indian Art
The Great Stupa, Sanchi, 150BC 50AD
Hemispherical mounds dedicated
to Buddha are called stupas. On
this stupa, stories from Buddha’s
life are carved in relief. There are
also guardian figures and images
of fertility.
There are 4 entrances aligned with
the cardinal directions. Visitors
walk in a clockwise fashion,
circumnavigating the path of the
sun across the sky.
This is intended to represent
cosmic harmony.
For hundreds of years there were no images of the
Buddha. In the 2nd C. CE, sculpted Buddhas which
reflect a western influence appear. It is possible
they can be traced to the conquests of Alexandria
the Great.
 Indian Art
Buddha Calling on the Earth to
Witness, India
Notice that the Buddha’s eyes are
downcast to invite introspection.
 Indian Art

The Colossal Buddha was destroyed

in 2001 by the Taliban.
This statue portrayed the Buddha as
an eternal form. How is the concept of
eternity expressed in this figure?
This Buddha stood 180 feet tall, and
was possibly adorned with plaster and
pigment.
Indian Art: More images of the Buddha
 Hinduism

In the 6th and 7th C. CE Hinduism rose to

prominence. It allowed more paths for reaching
Nirvana. Hindu art appreciates and celebrates the
erotic and sensuous nature of the human form.
Sexual expression is one of the legitimate paths
to virtue in Hinduism.
Have you heard of the Kama Sutra? This type
of imagery adorns the temple walls.
 Indian Art

Shiva is one of the many Hindu Gods. She

embodies duality as both the creator and destroyer
of life.
One of the basic tenets to Hinduism is belief in
reincarnation. Hindus believe the human spirit is
reborn after death, and the new form reflects the
virtues of the previous existence.
Is this concept reflected in their art?
 Indian Art
Dancing Shiva
Each gesture on her hands has
a specific meaning. She is
engaged in the cosmic dance,
which perpetuates the life cycle
of birth, death, and re-birth.
The gestures are intended to
liberate the devoted follower
from the endless cycle into a
state of pure being.
Indian Art: Dancing Shiva
 Indian Art
Hindu temples are considered
to be the dwelling places of
the gods, not houses of
worship. This is the Kandariya
Madaeva Temple. This is a
metaphor of the human path
of connecting with the
universe.
Indian Art: Detail of Hindu temple
Notice the intricate, detailed, and sensuous relief carving
 Indian Art: Detail of temple

Themes represent
depictions of the gods,
allegorical scenes and
idealized men and
women in erotic
positions.
 Chinese Art

The Chinese culture is

distinguished by it’s long and
continuous development.
These are Neolithic vases
from 5,000-4,000 BCE.
 Chinese Art

This ceremonial vessel was cast in

bronze. The vessel is embellished
with stylized animals and decorative
motifs. This is from the Shang
dynasty, 12th C. BCE. It would have
been found in a royal tomb.
Beheaded bodies of servants or
captives accompanied the deceased
rulers to their graves. The great art of
the Shang dynasty was that of ritual
bronze.
 Confucianism

Confucianism rose to become the dominant

worldview of China during the 2nd C. BCE. It is
based on the moral principles of Confucius. He
stated that social behavior must come from having
sympathy for another human. Confucianism is a
rational political philosophy that emphasizes
morality, conformity, duty, and self-discipline.
 Daoism
Daoism is a form of nature mysticism that brings
together many ancient Chinese ideas regarding humans
and the universe. One of the first philosophers was said to
be a contemporary of Confucius named Laozi. A Dao is a
way or path, The Dao is the Ultimate Way, the way of the
universe that cannot be named or described. It is flexible
and yielding, similar to water.
It has been said that Chinese are Confucians in public
and Daoists in private; the two philosophies seem to
balance one another.
Confucianism molds people into ethical, responsible
officials, Daoism provides breathing room for the artist and
poet inside.
 Chinese Art
Buddhism was brought to China
during the 2nd C. CE and Chinese art
reflected the Indian influence for
several centuries.
By the 6th C., Chinese art was again
uniquely Chinese: landscape paintings
transport the viewer to unfamiliar
magical realms.
Since the communist influence, The
Republic of China is officially atheistic,
but many Chinese still follow the
teachings of Confucius.
 Chinese Buddha

Can you see the influence of

Indian art in this seated Buddha?
 Chinese Art

This Blue and White Ming Vase speaks of

Chinese attention to detail and sophisticated
craftsmanship.
Porcelain is extremely refined white clay made
from kaolin. True porcelain was developed in
the Song dynasty. European potters tried for
centuries to duplicate the technique, but it
wasn’t discovered until 1708 by Johann Friedric
Bottger in Dresden, Germany, who also tried to
keep it a secret but failed.
 Chinese Art

Soldiers of the Imperial

Bodyguard, tomb of emperor Shi
Huangdi, painted life-size ceramics.
In 1974, this immense tomb was
discovered is still being excavated. It
is one of the great archeological
discoveries of modern times. There
have been more than 6,000 life-sized
clay figures of men and horses found
in this tomb. It is a vast underground
“city,” each figure a unique
representation of an individual.
 Chinese Art

Pagodas:
Pagodas are the most characteristic
of East Asian architectural forms.
Originally associated with Buddhism,
they developed from Indian stupas.
As Buddhism spread along the Silk
Road, stupas merged with
watchtowers and the transformation
culminated into wooden pagodas.
 Japanese Art

Shinto shrine, from the

early 1st Century CE.

Shrines are razed every

20 years and replaced by
duplicates. This one was
rebuilt in 1993.
This is a hanging scroll which depicts
the wooden Shinto shrines. The
collapse of space pays homage to the
unique Japanese landscape. With the
rise of modernism, Japanese images
such as this were a breath of fresh air,
a new way to perceive landscape, and
a new way to approach art.
 Japanese Art
Womb World Mandala, 9th C.,
Hanging scroll, silk

Mandalas are used for teaching

and for practice. Monks may
meditate upon them and
assume the various positions of
the deity depicted, working out
from the center so he absorbs
some of the deity's power. The
goal is to achieve
enlightenment. Mandalas are
also sculpted into architectural
forms as well as paintings.
 Japanese Art

This Figure reflects the extraordinary

perception of the artist, as they have
observed such details as every fold in
the fabric. Six small images of the
Buddha are coming out of the sage’s
mouth, representing the syllables of a
prayer. The artist has taken realism
to a degree in which he has tried to
represent his figure with speech.
 Japanese Art
Is mimesis, or the mimetic aesthetic theory a goal of
Japanese artists?
 Japanese Art
Woodcut is the oldest form of printmaking. The ancient
Chinese stamped patterns onto textiles and paper using
carved woodblocks. The Romans used wood cuts to stamp
letters or symbols for the purpose of identification. In Europe,
woodcuts provided an affordable way to make copies of
religious images. The woodcut became the primary method
of book illustration after the invention of the printing press.
Woodcuts are made by cutting along the grain of a (flat)
wooden surface. The shapes that remain are inked and
printed. Woodcut is considered relief printmaking.
 Relief Printing

This diagram displays

the technique of relief
printing.
1.Negative areas are
cut away
2.The surface is inked
3.Paper is pressed
upon the surface
picking up the image.
 Japanese Art

Hiroshige
Rain Shower on Ohashi Bridge
 Japanese Art

Hokusai
Mt. Fuji series
 Japanese Art

Hokusai