Audrey DeStefano's History of Art I Blog

  Chinese paintings are very unique in style and methodology. Calligraphy was very important, as it would create somewhat of a story around the piece on display for views and artists alike to connect to. This piece, “Finches and Bamboo”, an early twelfth-century painting Emperor Huizong, is a display of just how masterfully paintings and calligraphy can blend to create a gorgeous, profound piece. The small size of the finches and the large size of the calligraphy shows that Huizong followed a similar philosophy to his fellow Chinese painters – capture the essence of your subjects and their environment, not just a physical representation.   Works Cited The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Asia. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987, pp. 68–69, pl. 38. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39936

  The Heian period was a significant period in Japanese artistic culture, defined by elegance, opulence, and poetic expression. Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Tenjin Shrine (Kitano Tenjin engi emaki), a thirteenth-century piece from this very period, illustrated a Japanese legend that aggrieved spirits could bend forces of nature to their will. In this particular piece, the death of scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane following his unjust exile is believed to have made his spirit restless. Therefore, according to legend, his spirit brought upon natural disasters and diseases, only to be curbed once a shrine was dedicated to his memory and he was deified as the god of agriculture (and later would become associated with literature, learning, and music, presumably due to his being a poet and a scholar when he was alive).   Works Cited Dr. Sonia Coman, "A brief history of the arts of Japan: the Jomon to Heian periods," in Smarthistory, December 2, 2019, accessed Oct...

  Religious groups are known for forming their own cultures around their belief systems and lifestyles, and artistic expression can be a large part of that. There are many paintings, sculptures, etc. that depict religious figureheads, scenes, and scripture. The most well-known is the Buddha, made to represent Siddhartha Gautama, who was the founder of Buddhism. He was born into a wealthy, royal family, but gave up his opulence to seek fulfillment in poverty. He would soon discover this fulfillment in between the wealthy and the poor – the “Middle Way”, the modern-day equivalent of a middle-class lifestyle where one would not be deprived or overly indulged. He spread his teachings of enlightenment for the rest of his days, and his followers did the same after he passed away. His impact not only left an impact on his followers, but the art they crafted in his honor. Like in this piece, he is often depicted in the form of Amitabha. His posture indicates meditation, a practice that...