ART IN

ASIA
 HISTORY OF
ASIAN ART OR
EASTERN ART
o When ancient civilizations in Asia flourished, trade become a very
important activity. In trading relationship Asian countries started sharing
culture and belief system.
o China, being one of the oldest civilizations in Asia, it has a rich history
when it comes to culture and arts.
o Japan, they was initially influenced by China in terms of arts. Later on,
they opened themselves to the western world which they allow fusion of
East and West.
o Philippine arts was a product of several periods in history spanning from
the pre-colonial period to the contemporary times.
o Chinese also had interactions with Western missionaries who came from
India and it brought some of the Indian influences to china.
o And because of this, Indian models inspired a lot of Chinese artists for
few centuries.
o Most paintings were done in monumental styles wherein rocks and
mountains served as a barrier that made the viewer distracted initially
from the main subject of the work. Rounded forms rise in a way that it
flows from the background into the foreground. Artists also used sharp
brushstrokes to proved detail in their works. Western landscapes usually
had a single vanishing point while Chinese paintings had the opposite
since most paintings aimed to give the audience a perspective on the
subject.
o Porcelain is one of the commonly used items to make decorative
ornaments, such as vases and jars
o Just like most Chinese artworks, the focal point in these vases depicts a
central theme: nature. They believe that man is an integral part of nature
ensuring that there is a certain balance in it. But part of their culture is
emphasizing a form of social life, giving importance to communities and
interactions among people.
o In addition, some of the common overarching themes of Chinese artworks
include everyday activities, war, violence, death, and nature. It can also be
noted that Chinese artworks are infused with a lot of symbolisms.
o It is customary for the ancient Chinese people to show respect for their
ancestors and Relatives. From a Western point of view, Chinese can be
mistaken for as that of worshipping gods. Most of the ancient Chinese
were placed in either gold or bronze vessels, depending on their social
status.
o The history of Asian art or Eastern art includes a vast range of influences
from carious cultures and religions. Developments in Asian art historically
parallel that in Western art, in general a few centuries earlier. Chinese art,
Indian art, Korean art, Japanese art, each had significant influence on
Western art, and vice versa. Near Eastern art also had a significant
influence on Western art. Excluding prehistoric art, the art of
Mesopotamia represents the oldest forms of Asian art.
BUDDHIST
ART
o Originated in India subcontinent in the centuries following the life of
historical Gautama Buddha in 6th to 5th century BCE.
o Buddhist art traveled with believers as the dharma spread, adapted and
evolved in each new host country. It developed to the North though Central
Asia into Eastern Asia to form the Northern branch of Buddhist art, and to
the east as far as Southeast Asia to form the southern branch of Buddhist
art.
o Buddhist art flourished and even influenced the development of Hindu art,
until Buddhism nearly disappeared in India around 10th century CE due in
part to the vigorous expansion of Islam alongside Hinduism.
 MANDALA
o A common visual device in Buddhist art. It
represents schematically the ideal universe.
o In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may
be employed for focusing attention of
aspirants and adepts, a spiritual teaching
tool, for establishing a sacred space and as
an aid to meditation and trance induction.
o Its symbolic nature can help one “to access
progressively deeper levels of the
unconscious, ultimately assisting the
mediator to experience a mystical sense of
oneness with the ultimate unity from which
the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises”
o The psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the
mandala as “a representation of the center of
the unconscious self”, and believed his
paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify
emotional disorders and work towards
wholeness in personality.
BHUTANESE
ART
o It is similar to the art of Tibet. Both are based upon Vajrayana Buddhism,
with its pantheon of divine beings.
o The major orders of Buddhism in Bhutan are Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma.
The former is a branch of the Kagyu School and is known for paintings
documenting the lineage of Buddhist masters and the 70 Je Khenpo (leaders
of the Bhutanese monastic establishment). The Nyingma order is known for
images of Padmasambhava, who is credited with introducing Buddhism Into
Bhutan in the 7th century. According to the legend, Padmasambhava hid a
scared treasures for the future Buddhist masters, especially Pema Lingpa,
to find. The treasure finders (Tertön) are also fluent subjects to Nyingma
art.
o Each divine being is assigned special shapes, color, and identifying objects,
such as lotus, conch-shell, thunderbolt, and the begging bowl.
 ART
OF
TIBET
o Bhutanese art is particularly rich in bronzes of different kinds that are
collectively known by the name Kham-so (made in Kham) even though they
are made in Bhutan, because the technique of making them was originally
imported from the eastern province of Tibet called Kham.
o Wall paintings and sculptures are formulated on the principal ageless ideas
of Buddhist art form.
o Even though their emphasis on detail is derived from Tibetan models, their
origins can be discerned easily, despite the profusely embroidered
garments and glittering ornaments which these figures are lavishly
covered.
o The arts and craft of Bhutan that represents the exclusive “spirit and
identity of the Himalayan kingdom” is defined as the art of Zorig Chosum,
which means the “Thirteen arts and crafts of Bhutan”, the thirteen crafts are
carpentry, painting, paper making, blacksmithery, weaving, sculpturing , and
many other crafts.
o The Institute of Zotig Chosum in Thimpu is the premier institution of
traditional arts and crafts set up by the Government of Bhutan.
o Another similar institution in Eastern Bhutan is known as Trashi Yangtse.
o Bhutanese rural life is also displayed in the ‘Folk Heritage Museum’ in
Thimphu. There is also a ‘Voluntary Artist Studio’ in Thimphu to encourage
and promote the art forms among the youth of Thimphu.
CAMBODIAN
ART
o Cambodian art and the culture of Cambodia has a rich and varied history
dating back many centuries and has been heavily influenced by India. In
turn, Cambodia greatly influenced Thailand, Laos and vice versa.
o A major source of inspiration was from religion.
o Cambodians developed a unique Khmer belief from the syncreticism of
indigenous animistic beliefs and the Indian religions of Buddhism and
Hinduism
o Cambodia culture also absorbed elements from Japanese, Chinese, Lao,
and Thai cultures.
 Visual Arts of Cambodia
o Khmer art reached its peak during the Angkor period.
o Traditional Cambodian arts and crafts include textiles, non-textile weaving,
silversmithing, stone carving, lacquer ware, ceramics, wat murals, and kite-
making.
o Khmer sculptures refers to the stone sculpture of the Khmer Empire, which
ruled a territory based on modern Cambodia, but rather larger, from the 9th
to the 13th century. The most celebrated examples are found in Angkor,
which served as the seat of the empire.
o By the 7th century, Khmer sculpture begins to drift away from its Hindu
influences – pre-Gupta for the Buddhist figures, Pallava for the Hindu
figures – and through constant stylistic evolution, it comes to develop its
own originality, which by the 10th century can be considered complete and
absolute.
 Visual Arts of Cambodia

o The gods we find in Khmer sculpture are those of the two great religions of
India, Buddhism and Hinduism
o The true social function of Khmer art was, in fact, the glorification of the
aristocracy through these images of the gods embodied in the princes.
o In fact, the cult of the “deva-raja” required the development of an eminently
aristocratic art.
 STONE
CARVING AT
BANTEAY
SREI
CHINESE
ART
o Chinese Art has varied throughout its ancient history, divided into periods by
the ruling dynasties of China and changing technology.
o Different forms of art have been influenced by great philosophers, teachers,
religious figures and even political leaders.
o Chinese art encompasses fine arts, folk arts and performance arts.
o Chinese art is art, whether modern or ancient.

SONG DYNASTY
o Poetry was marked by a lyric poetry known as Ci (詞) which expressed
feelings of desire, often in an adopted persona.
o Paintings of more subtle expression of landscapes appeared, with blurred
outlines and mountain contours which conveyed distance through an
impressionistic treatment of natural phenomenon.
o Emphasis was placed on spiritual rather than emotional elements.
o Kunqu, the oldest exteant form of Chinese opera developed in Kunshan.
 YUAN DYNASTY
o Painting by the Chinese painter Zhao Mengfu greatly influenced later Chinese
landscape painting
o The Yuan dynasty opera became a variant of Chinese opera which continues
today as Cantonese opera
 CHINESE
LANDSCAPE
PAINTING
INDIAN
ART
o Inidian art can be classified into specific periods, each reflecting certain
religion, political, and cultural developments which are the:
1. Hinduism and Buddhism of the ancient period (3500 BCE-present)
2.Islamic ascendancy (712-1757 CE)
3.The colonial period(1757-1947)
4.Independence and the postcolonial period(posr-1947)
5.ModernWala and Postmodern art in India
o The earliest examples are the petrogylphs such as those found in
Bhimbetka, some of them dating to before 5500 BC.

o Later examples include the carved pillars of Ellora, Maharshtra state.

o Other examples are the frescoes of Ajanta and Ellora Caves.
 RANGOLI
o It is a form of sandpainting
decoration that uses finely
ground white powder and
colors, and is used
commonly outside homes in
India
o The visual arts are tightly interrelated with non-visual arts.
o According to Kapali Vatsyayan, “Classical Indian
architecture,sculpture,painting,literature,music and dancing envolved their
own rules conditiond by their respective media,but theyway shared with one
anotherof not only the underlying spiritual beliefs of the indianancient
religio-philosophic mind,but also the proceduresprocedure by which the
relationships of the symbol and the spiritual states were worked out in
detail.”
INDONESIAN
ART
o Art and culture has been shaped by long interaction between original
indigenous custom and multiple foreign influences.
o Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between Far East and Middle
East, resulting to many cultural practice, strongly influenced by a multitude
religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam.
o Indonesia is not generally known for paintings, aside from the intricate and
expressive Balinese painting which often express natural scence and themes
from the traditional dances.
 KENYAH DAYAK
LONGHOUSES IN
EAST KALIMANTAN’S
APO KAYAN REGION
o Indigenous kenyah paint
design based on, as
commonly found among
Austronesian cultures,
endemic natural motifs such
as ferns, trees, dog, hornbills
and human figures.
o Indonesia has a long-he Bronze and Iron Ages, but the art-form particularly
flourished from the 8th century to the 10th century, both as stand-alone works
of art, and also incorporated into temples.
o Most notable are the hundreds of meters of relief sculpture at the temple of
Borobudur in central Java (see figure 1).
o Calligraphy, mostly based on the Qur’an, is often used as decoration as Islam
forbids naturalistic depictions (see figure 2).

Figure 1 Figure 2
BALINESE
ART
o Art of Hindu- Javanese origin that grew from the work of artisans of the
Majapahit Kingdon, with their expansion to Bali in the late 13th Century. From
the 16th until the 20th centuries the village of Kamasan, Klungkung (East Bali)
was the center of classical Balinese Art. During the first part of the 20th
century, new varieties are of Balinese art developed. Since the late 20th
century, Ubud and it’s neighboring villages established a reputation or as the
center of Balinese art. Ubud and Batuan are known for their paintings, Mas
for their woodcarvings (see figure 1), Celuk for gold and silversmiths (see
figure 2), and Batubulan for their stone carvings (see figure 3).

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

o Covarrubias describes Balinese art as, “…a highly developed, although
informal Baroque folk art that combines the peasant liveliness with the
refinement of classicism of Hindusitic Java, but free of the conservative
prejudice and with a new vitality fired by the exuberance of the demonic spirit
of the tropical primitive”.
o Eiseman correctly pointed out that the Balinese art is actually carved,
painted, woven and prepared into objects intended for everyday use rather
than as object d ‘art.
o Bali became an artist enclave for avant-garde artists such as Walter Spies,
Rudolf Bonnet, Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur, Arie Smit and Donald Friend.
o Balinese artists incorporated aspects of perspective and anatomy from these
artists. More importantly, they acted as agents of change by encouring
experimentation, and promoted departures from tradition. The result was an
axplosion of individual expression that increased the rate of change in
Balinese art.
 MAS VILLAGE
FOR THEIR
WOODCARVINGS
JAPANESE
ART
o Art in Japan has undergone series of transitions and periodization.
o Japan has transitioned into a cultural mixing pot.
o Based on artifact such as ceramic figures and ornaments, it is important to
take note that there are Korean and Chinese influence evident in Japanese
artworks.
 HANIWA
o One of the ceramic products
created by Japanese is called
Haniwa. These are ceramic
figures that are made up of
clay. They are placed beside
burial spots for reasons that
are unknown.
o The native religion in Japan is Shintoism. Although this religion subscribes
to beliefs such as being one with nature and embracing the notion of the
existence of many gods, it did not use art to communicate its beliefs.
o Buddhism became an integral part of Japanese culture. Artworks such as
images and sculptures of Buddha were produced. Buddhist temples also
became staples in key places. Art in essence became an expression of
worship for the Japanese
o The Japanese also developed a kind of painting called ukiyo-e, which was
crafted through woodcut prints. The artists developed a technique that used
lines and colors in a very distinctive manner. Some artists were intrigued
such as Hiroshige and Sharaku who had a lasting impact on Western artists
like Vincent Van Gogh and Edouard Manet.
o Japanese art and architecture is works of art produced in Japan from the
beginnings of human habitation there, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to
the present. It covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient
pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper, and a
myriad of other types of works of art; from the ancient times until the
contemporary 21st century.
o The art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan culture of Edo
(Tokyo) during the second half of the 17th century, originating with the single-
color works of Hishikawa Moronobu in the 1670s. In the 18th century, Suzuki
Hatunobu developed the technique of polychrome printing to produce
nishiki-e (see figure below).
o Japanese painting (絵画Kaiga) is one of the oldest and most highly refined of
the japanese arts, encompassing a wide variety of genre and styles.

o The origins of painting in Japan date well back into Japan’s prehistoric
period. Simple stick figures and geometric designs can be found on Jomon
period pottery and Yayoi period (300BC-300AD) dotaku bronze bells. Mural
paintings with both geometric and figurative designs have been found in
numerous tumulus from the Kofun period (300-700AD).
o Ancient Japanese sculpture was mostly derived from the idol worship in
Buddhism or animistic rites of Shinto deity. In particular, sculpture among
all the arts came to be most firmly centered around Buddhism. Materials
traditionally used were metal - especially bronze - and, more period, such
traditional sculpture - except for miniaturized works – had largely
disappeared because of the loss of patronage by Buddhist temples and the
nobility.
o Ukiyo, meaning “floating world”, refers to the impetuous young culture that
bloomed in the urban centers of Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto that were a world
unto themselves. It is an ironic allusion to the homophone term “Sorrowful
World”, the earthly plane of death and rebirth from which Buddhists sought
release.
KOREAN
ART
o Korean art is noted for its traditions in pottery, music calligraphy, painting,
sculpture and other genres, often marked by the use of bold color, natural
forms, precise shape and scale and surface decoration.
o The study and appreciation of Korean art is still at a formative stage in west.
o An art given birth to and developed by a nation is its own art
o The history of Korean painting is dated to approximately 108 C.E.
o Throughout the history of Korean painting, there has been a constant separation
of monochromatic works of black brushwork on very often mulberry paper or
silky; and the colorful folk art or min-hwa , ritual arts , tomb paintings , and
festival arts.
o Confucian art felt that one could see color in monochromatic paintings within
the gradations and felt that the actual use of color coarsened the paintings, and
restricted imagination.
 KO
HU I-DONG
The first example of Western-
style oil paitning in Korea was
in the self-portraits of Korean
artist Ko Hu i-dong (1886-1965).
o By the early 20th century, the decision to paint using oil and canvas in Korea had
two different interpretations. One is being a sense of enlightenment due to
western ideas and art styles. This enlightenment derived from an intellectual
movement of the 17th and 18th centuries.
o Ko had been painting with this method during period of Japan's annexation of
korea.
o He state “ While I was in Tokyo, a very curious thing happened.at that time there
were fewer that one hundred Korean students in Tokyo. All of us were drinking
the new air and embarking on new studies, but there were some who mooched
my choice to study art. A close friend said that it was not right for me to study
painting in such a time as this.”
o Korean pottery was recognized as early as 6000 BCE. This pottery was also
referred to as comb-patterned pottery due to the decorative lines carved into
the outside.
o Pottery had two main regional distinctions. Those from the East coast tend to
have a flat base, whereas pottery on the South coast had a round base.
LAOTIAN
ART
o Laotian art includes ceramic, lao Buddhist sculpture, and lao music.
o Lao Buddhist sculptures were created in large variety of material including
gold, silver and most often bronze.
o Brick-and-mortal also was a medium used for colossal images, a famous of
these is the image of Phya Avat (16th century) in Vientiane, although a
renovation completely altered the appearance of the sculpture, and it no
longer resembles a Lao Buddha.
o Wood is popular for small, votive Buddhist images that are often left in caves.
Wood is also common for large, life-size standing images of Buddha.
o The most famous two sculptures carved in semi-precious stone are the Phra
Keo (The Emerald Buddha) and the Phra Phuttha Butsavarat.
 PHRA KEO
o The Phra Keo, which is probably
of Xieng Sen (Chiang Sen)
origin, is carved from a solid
block of jaded. It rested in
Vientiane for two hundred years
before the Siamese carried it
away as booty in the late 18th
century. Today, it serves as the
palladium of the Kingdom of
Thailand, and resides at the
Grand Palace in Bangkok. The
Phra Phuttha Butsavarat, like
the Phra Keo, is also enshrined
in its own chapel at the Grand
palace in Bangkok.
o Many beautiful Lao Buddhist sculptures are carved right into the Pak Ou
Caves. Near Pak Ou Caves (mouth of the Ou river) the Tham Ting (lower cave)
and the Tham Theung (upper cave) are near Luang Prabang, Laos (see figure
below).
NEPALESE
ART
o The ancient and refined traditional culture of Kathmandu, for that matter in
the whole of Nepal, is an uninterrupted and exceptional meeting of the
Hindu and Buddhist ethos practiced by its highly religious people. It has also
embrace in its fold cultural diversity provided by the other religions such as
Jainism, Islam and Christianity.
TRADITIONAL
CULTURE
OF
KATHMANDU
THAI
ART
o Thai art and visual art was traditionally and primarily Buddhist and Royal Art
o Contemporary Thai art often combines traditional Thai elements with modern
techniques.
o Traditional Thai paintings showed subjects in two dimensions without
perspective. The size of each element the picture reflected its degree of
importance. The primary technique of composition is that of apportioning
areas: the main elements are isolated from each other by space transformers.
This eliminated the intermediate ground, which would otherwise imply
perspective. Perspective was introduced only as a result of Western influence
in the mid-19th century.
o The most frequent narrative subjects for paintings were or are: the Jataka
stories, episodes from the life of the Buddha, the Buddhist heavens and hells,
and scenes of daily life.
o The Sukhothai period began in the 14th century in the Sukhothai kingdom.
Biddha images during this period are elegant, with sinuous bodies and slender,
oval faces.
o The effect was enhanced by the common practice of casting images in metal
rather than carving them.
o The period saw the introduction of the “walking buddha” pose.
o Sukhothai artists in the 14th century tried to follow the canonical defining
marks of a Buddha, as they are set out in ancient Pali texts:
• Skin so smooth that dust cannot • Fingertips turned back like petals
stick to it • head like an egg;
• Legs like a deer • Hair like scorpion stingers
• Thighs like a banyan tree • Chin like a mango stone
• Shoulders as massive as an • Nose like a parrot's beak
elephant's head; • Earlobes lengthened by the
• Arms round like an elephant's earrings of royalty
trunk, and long enough to touch the • Eyelashes like a cow's
knees • Eyebrows like drawn bows.
• Hands like lotuses about to bloom
o Sukhothai also produced a large quantity of glazed ceramics in the
Sawankhalok style, which were traded throughout South-East Asia.
 BUDDHA
STATUE IN
SUKHOTHAI
PERIOD
TIBETAN
ART
o Tibetan art refers to the art of Tibet and other present and former Himalayan
kingdoms (Bhutan, Ladakh, Nepal, and Sikkim). Tibetan art is first and
foremost a form of sacred art, refelecting the over-riding influence of Tibetan
Buddhism on these cultures.
 SAND
MANDALA
o The San Mandala is a Tibetan
Buddhist tradition which
symbolizes the transitionary
nature of things. As part of
Buddhist canon, all things
material are seen as transitory.
A sand mandala is an example
of this, being that once has been
built and its accompanying
ceremonies and viewing are
finished, it is systematically
destroyed.
o As Mahayana Buddhism emerged as a separate school in the 4th century BC it
emphasized the role of bodhisattvas, compassionate beings who forgo their
personal escape to Nirvana in order to assist others. From an early time
various boddhisattvas were also subjects of statuary art. Tibetan Buddhism, as
an offspring of Mahayana Buddhism, inherited this tradition. But the additional
dominating presence of the Vajrayana may have had an overriding importance
in the artistic culture. A common bodhisattva depicted in Tibetan art is the
deity Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara), often portrayed as a thousand-armed saint
with an eye in the middle of each hand, representing the all-seeing
compassionate one who hears our requests. This deity can also be understood
ass a Yidam, or ‘meditation Buddha’ for Vajrayana practice
o Tibetan buddhism contains Tantric Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana
Buddhism for its common symbolism for the vajra, the diamond thunderbolt
(known in Tubetan as the dorje). It can be seen as part of the practice of
tantrata
o Vajrayana techniques incorporate many visualizations/imaginations during
meditation, and most of the elaborate tantric art.
o A visual aspect of Tantric Buddhism is the common representation of wrathful
deities, often depicted with angry faces, circles of flame, or with the skulls of
the dead. These images represent the Protectors (Skt. Dharmapala) and their
fearsome bearing belies their true compassionate nature. Actually, their wrath
represents their dedication to the protection of the dharma teaching as well as
to the protection of the specific tantric pratices to prevent corruption or
disruption of the practice.
o Historians note that Chinese painting had a profound influence on Tibetan
painting in general
o According to Giuseppe Tucci, by the time of the Qing Dynasty, “a new Tibetan
art was then developed, which in a certain sense was a provincial echo of the
Chinese 19th century’s smooth ornate preciosity.”
VIETNAMESE
ART
o Vietnamese art is from one of the oldest of such cultures in the Southeast Asia
region. A rich artistic heritage that dates to prehistoric times and includes: silk
painting, sculpture, pottery, ceramics, woodblock prints, architecture, music,
dance and theatre.
o Traditional Vietnamese art is art practiced in Vietnam or by Vietnamese
artists, from ancient times to post-Chinese domination art which was strongly
influenced by Chinese Buddhist art, among other philosophies such as Taoism
and Confucianism. The art of Champa and French art also played a smaller
role later on
o The Chinese influence on Vietnamese art extends into Vietnamese potter and
cermics, calligraphy, and traditional architecture. Currently Vietnamese
lacquer paintings have proven to be quite popular.
VIETNAMESE
LACQUER
PAINTING
o The Nguyen dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnamn (c. 1802-1945), saw a
renewed interest in ceramics and porcelain art. Imperical courts across Asia
imported Vietnamese ceramics.
o Beginning in the 19th century, modern art and French artistic influences spread
into Vietnam. In the early 20th century, The École Supérieure des Beaux Arts de
I’Indochine (Indochina College of Arts) was founded to teach European
methods and excercised influence mostly in the larger cities, such as Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City.
o A small number of artists from well-to-do backgrounds had the opportunity to
go to France and make their careers there for the most part. Examples include
Le Thi Luu, Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu, Le Van De, Le Ba Dang and Pham Tang.
Modern Vietnameses artists began to utilize French techniques with many
traditional mediums such as silk, lacquer, etc., thus creating a unique blend of
eastern and western elements.
 Vietnamese Calligraphy
o Calligraphy had a long history in Vietnam, previously usisng Chinese
characters along with Chữ Nôm . However, most modern Vietnamese
calligraphy instead use the Roman-character based Quốc Ngữ , which has
proven to be very popular.

Lunar New Year banner written in Vietnamese calligraphy; the Quốc ngữ syllables
THANK
YOU!