Prompt
Respond to the appropriate prompt according to the topic you have chosen:
1. Are the teachings of Confucius, which reflect many social and political ideas of ancient China, the same ideals expressed in the art of the time period?
Discuss his contributions to the humanities by explaining his concept of moral rectitude and its impact on art.
Do we find a direct relationship between his words and visual images?
Explain this using four different works of art, one from four different time periods of Chinese history, from your assigned textbook readings, in your answer.
2. Please discuss Daoism’s principal of natural order (which is that it is often described as the “most eloquent expression of the natural order as it relates to humankind”) as first established in ancient Chinese philosophy.
How does this philosophy conform to the basic aesthetic of Chinese art and to the philosophy of Feng Shui?
Use four examples in your answer from your assigned textbook readings, each from different media (such as painting, jade, porcelain, architecture, etc.)
3. Discuss the aesthetic canon as explained by Xie He in the fifth century.
Can you apply his ideas to Chinese art from different time periods?
Please look at four examples of painting and calligraphy from your assigned textbook readings from four different time periods to answer this question.
4. Please discuss the technical and artistic history of Chinese porcelain.
Remember that porcelain was likely invented in China, and Chinese porcelain is some of the highest quality ceramic-ware in history.
Be sure to include four examples from your assigned textbook readings that span four different time periods in Chinese history. Be aware that pottery and stoneware techniques that led to the development of porcelain may be included in your overview.
Procedure
Write a 5-page/1250 words essay.
Include an APA-formatted title page and reference page in Word format.
Paste your images at the end of your essay, after the reference page.
All images included should have typed under the image the following information: Title, artist, date, medium, and location. Each artwork you describe should have an image included.
See the Instructor Guidelines page for general writing requirements.
Consider the grading rubric when planning your assignment.
Readings
Gardner’s Art through the Ages: Backpack Edition, Book C: Non-Western Art to 1300
Gardner’s Art through the Ages: Backpack Edition, Book F: Non-Western Art Since 1300
Required readings for this unit from textbooks
Kleiner (2016c)
Chapter 15: South and Southeast Asia Before 1200
Chapter 16: China and Korea to 1279
Chapter 17: Japan Before 1333
Kleiner (2016f)
Chapter 33: China and Korea 1279–1980
Chapter 32: South and Southeast Asia 1200–1980
Chapter 34: Japan 1333–1980
