Chinese Art

Catalog description

A general survey of the great periods of Chinese art from the Shang dynasty until the modern period. ARTH 220 Chinese Art (3) (GA;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. ARTH 220 provides an introduction to the art of China from the Neolithic period through the twentieth century. Emphasis will be placed on the major dynastic periods (Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming, Yuan, and Qing); however, regional developments throughout China are examined as well. Students are introduced to a variety of artistic traditions and media, including jades, bronzes, ceramics, sculpture, painting, and architecture. The course is designed to meet two principal goals. The first is to develop skills of visual analysis and a critical vocabulary for discussing the media, technologies, styles, compositions and iconographies of Chinese art. The second is to foster an understanding of art--and visual culture in general--according to social, economic, political, and religious contexts. Key topics include: the ritual use of objects, patronage, issues of reception and aesthetics, Buddhist art, the organization and use of sacred space, depictions of gender, and regional developments/interactions. Requirements include essay exams and at least one paper. As a general education course, this class provides an introduction to Chinese art for students of any major. This course has no prerequisites and presumes no prior exposure to art history or the history of China. Students majoring in Art History will learn vocabulary, methodology, and theory that is not only basic to the field, but which will also broaden their knowledge of the discipline as a whole. Because China (currently the world's most populous nation) has one of the longest recorded and continuous artistic traditions, the course also contributes to a broader understanding of important global issues.