An indigenous religion of China, one of the first three initial teachings including buddhism and confusianism. Was initially thought of as hindersome to progression and wishy-washy.

Art and symbolism are very important to it.

-Places emphasis on the Cosmos

-Dao-most important of all, the basis of the universe, the unification with the dao is the goal=immortality

-Daoist Cosmology: heaven and earth

The cosmos, primal energy, the two forces created by the pattern of movement and transformation between forces.

Represented by the Taiji diagram-created through the interaction of yin and yang is the unity of the dao which exists beyond time and space.

An important diety. She controls life and death of human beings. She sits on the seat of the tiger and the dragon showing balance and control. She has many animal attendants that symbolize things. The frog-moon, rabbit-mimortality...

She is depicted as an empress with a canopy and crown. Is the "metal mother."

8 Popular immortals in the Daoist pantheon. Zhangli Quan and Lu Dangbin are the most important/popular. They represent every strata of society and were therefore very popular. They are prefected beings who have transcended yin and yang and achieved union with the dao.

The Yellow Millet dream, a tale represented in daoist art is one describing Lu Dangbin's transition from pursuing a career as an official to that of an immortal because he dreamed of what his life would be like as an official and rejected it.

Laozi

The Central Diety spawned from the primordial energy. The third of the three purities. He has white hair. He is likened to Shakyamuni (buddha) especially because the two religions were developing at the same time.

-Different crown

-Circle on his forehead

-Beard and moustache

-holding a fan

1. Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning

-Holds a Pearl

2. Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure

-Holds a Ruyi (scepter)

3. Celestial Worthy of the way and its power (Laozi)

-White hair, fan with the sun and the moon

They are embodiments of the three stages of the daoist cosmogony, before all things on earth were generated.

-Surrounded by a wall

-Independent buildings linked by corridoors

-flexibility in use

-inward orientation

-rectangular

-high roof inspecific style

Based on a set of relationships and the behaviors that one should perform within them. Harmony in society results from this strict hierarchy. Confucious was a sage born around the 5th century BC, the time of buddhism and daoisms beginnings.

-Emporer and Officials

-Father and Son

-Husband and Wife

-Siblings

Painting was considered "high art" unlike bronze and pottery. Calligraphy was highly connected to painting. It is an art form resulting in a literary work, the style of the writing reflects the content. There was a great difference between the rank of painters, thus their names are included.

Artists took numerous exams before they could fill an official government post.

Most ancient script. Originally discovered inscribed on oracle bones, carvings filled with mineral pigment. People today write in oracle script to show respect to history, knowledge and eduation.

-Angular, pointed as if carved with a knive into a hard surface

Small seal script: Even, balanced, tall lines, elongated, lines all the same thickness.

Large seal script: thicker, chunkier, more horizontal.

Messy, emotional, flowing, loopy, all connected.

"wild or mad cursive" has random huge letters, all over the place. Much was done while the artist was intoxicated.

Chinese Gardens

Gardens are about the idea that we are part of and can dwell in nature as represented by manmade, organized objects.

-Highly connected to poetry and landscape painting.

-Appreciated and constructed by literati.

-Evoked the concept that humans are a part of nature, attempted to bring them closer to it.

-They were carefully layed out with manmade elements and little living organisms.

Important elements-rocks and buldings=yang, water and plants=yin

Imperial gardens (hunting), Aristocrat's garden, religious garden, gardens of the literati

Cultured, recluse, hold daoist ideals. Highly educated gentlemen that either worked as government officials or lazed around painting and thinking. They were generally frail, many of them left civilization to live in the mountains. They were generally daoists of the upper class, buddhists were of the lower class.

They sought the flow of nature by producing and appreciating gardens and landscape paintings.

Connected to chinese gardens. One should be able to wander, dwell and sightsee in a landscape painting. A point of entry like a path or stream

Scenic cells-each portion that is marked off, each type of cell has a given name in chinese writing.

You should be able to travel, view and dwell in landscapse. Those suitable for traveling and sightseeing are not as successful in achievement as those suitable for wandering and dwelling.

Planning scenes

-inward and outward looking

-focus and peripheral

-hidden/exposed elements

-layering

Planning Paths

-The crooked path-you wander and don't get there straightaway

-sense of expectation

-spacial contrast

Planning for dwelling

-the house and the garden, literary activities in the garden

-The appreciation of the garden, poetic and painterly imagery

Part of the Northern School. An institution of teaching painting at a court in the Northern Song Dynasty. Skilled painters were hired to paint certain styles.

(Peace Reigns over the river) Much detail included, direction through the painting, viewed right to left, 3d objects and redeeding space.

Part of the Southern School. More wild style, based on emotion, completed in sections in a number of minutes. No excessive technical demands, very individualistic.

Literati were represented by bamboo-hollow (unprejudice at heart), green leaves all year-enduring qualities.

They used the element of sloppiness to seem not too expert and masterful.

For chinese art to survive it had to change and adapt to western style. It has succeeded. Of the artists whose art sells for the most money in the world, 3 are chinese.

Qi Baishi-from a peasant family, was supported by the regime as an example of a great painter, a cultural figure

Propaganda art has been prevalent, especially in the maoist period. Realistic art and posters depicting the government's acts and intentions as positive (children sent to the countryside, soviets and chinese working together)

Wang Keping-Buddha and Silence

Ai Wei Wei-Violin, Blue and white Yuhchun vase, Han Urn with Cocacola