Court Art

17 important questions on Court Art

What is the author and the book title of the first art-historical writing in China?

Zhang Yanyuan, Records of Famous Paintings of All Dynasties

What is Xie He famous for? What are the first two laws?

He is famous for the Six Laws/principles of Chinese painting.
  1. Engender a sense of movement through spirit consonance (capture not just how your subject looks, but how it feels)
  2. Use the brush with the bone method. (strong lines = strong art, like the bones holding up the body)

What are characteristics of court paintings?

- Context: court academy
- Painted by court painters (professionally trained artists)
- As a service
- Ink/colors on silk
- No seals and inscriptions
-      Formal likeness
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What are characteristics of literati paintings?

- Context: civil-service examination
- Painted by literati scholars (amateur painters)
- As a personal interest
- Ink on paper
- With seals and inscriptions
-       Self-expression; calligraphic

Identify literati/amateur paintings and court/professional paintings

Literati painting

Identify literati/amateur paintings and court/professional paintings

Court art

Identify literati/amateur paintings and court/professional paintings

Literati painting

Identify literati/amateur paintings and court/professional paintings

Court art

What is the term for landscape painting in Chinese?

Shanshui 山水 mountains and water

Where is the passage below from? How is this related to the practice of landscape painting?
“A great mountain is dominating as chief over the assembled hills, thereby ranking in an ordered arrangement the ridges and peaks, forests and valleys, as suzerains of varying degrees and distances.”

The passage is from "Lofty ambition in Forest and Streams", a seminal 11th-century treatise on landscape painting by Guo Xi, a Northern Song Dynasty court painter and theorist. Guo Xi’s text codified how to turn nature into structured, symbolic compositions, blending aesthetics with philosophy.

What are the three types of distances in landscape painting?

  • High distance (from the bottom of the mountain looking up towards the top)
  • Deep Distance (looking downward)
  • Level distance (looking at the level)

Artist and title if known, date—century or dynasty, medium—handscroll/wall painting/hanging scroll, size if pertinent to your argument

  • Copy of Gu Kaizhi
  • The Admonition Scroll
  • (originally 400) copied in 5-7th centuries
  • handscroll (24x342cm)
  • ink and colour on silk   

Artist and title if known, date—century or dynasty, medium—handscroll/wall painting/hanging scroll, size if pertinent to your argument

  • Wall painting from the tomb of Li Zhongrun (Prince Yide)
  • died around 700

Artist and title if known, date—century or dynasty, medium—handscroll/wall painting/hanging scroll, size if pertinent to your argument

  • Fan Kuan (950s-1026)
  • Song dynasty
  • Travelers Amid Streams and Mountains
  • Hanging scroll (206.3x103.3cm)
  • Ink and colours on silk   

Artist and title if known, date—century or dynasty, medium—handscroll/wall painting/hanging scroll, size if pertinent to your argument

  • Guo Xi (1000-1087)
  • Early spring
  • Ink on silk
  • 158.3x108,1 cm

Artist and title if known, date—century or dynasty, medium—handscroll/wall painting/hanging scroll, size if pertinent to your argument

  • Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji, 1082-1135)
  • Cranes of Good Omen
  • Handscroll (51x138.2cm)
  • Ink and colour on Silk  

Artist and title if known, date—century or dynasty, medium—handscroll/wall painting/hanging scroll, size if pertinent to your argument

  • Emperor Huizong (1082-1135)
  • Auspicious Dragon Rock
  • Handscroll (52,8 x 127,5cm)
  • ink and colour on silk  

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