Art History 370/East Asian 355: Arts of China

Study Sheet #7: The Sui and Tang Dynasties

Map marking ancient sites, modern cities and provinces

Map - distribution of Buddhist caves-temple sites

CHRONOLOGY AND HISTORY:

 

Sui (581-618):

Emperor Wendi proclaimed Sui dynasty in 581; unified China in 589 after more than 3 centuries of division. Capital at Chang'an (Xi'an). Re-established Han administrative institutions to govern the empire. The second emperor, Yangdi, waged several wars and undertook ruinously large-scale public works, such as building the Grand Canal to transport grain to the capital, and his regime fell to rebellion.

Tang (618-907):

Founded by a rebel general who consolidated the political unification initiated under the Sui. His son, emperor Taizong (r. 626-649), greatly enlarged the empire to include part of Korea and portions of Central Asia, facilitating trade and religious pilgrimage (e.g. Xuanzang's) along the Silk Road. The capital at Chang'an, laid out on a grid, was the center of an exceptionally cosmopolitan culture. The reign of emperor Xuanzong (also called Ming Huang; r. 712-756) was the zenith of Tang cultural and artistic brilliance, ended by the An Lushan rebellion of 756. The Buddhist establishment thrived until the devastating persecution of all foreign religions in 845 caused a majority of monasteries and their art to be destroyed, although religious institutions eventually recovered. The later Tang was a time of weakened central power and de facto control by regional warlords.

ART AND CULTURE:

 

Tang imperial tombs were built on grand scale in Qianxian outside Chang'an, each with a processional way lined with stone figures leading to the burial mound, and accompanied by satellite tombs of family members and high officials.

E.g.: tomb of emperor Gaozong & empress Wu; and associated tombs of princes Zhang Huai and Yide, and princess Yongtai, which have been excavated to reveal wall paintings, pottery figures and other burial goods for the deceased's enjoyment in the afterlife.

Religious arts:

Continued work at Longmen and Dunhuang caves; influence from Indian Gupta style seen at Tianlongshan (near Datong, Shanxi). Gilt-bronze votive images show increasingly naturalistic representation. The Famen Temple in Fufeng preserves sumptuous works donated by late 9th c. emperor.

The Daoist church also flourishes under imperial patronage and mimics Buddhist institutions in many respects.

Painting: religious and secular figure painting at their peak.

 

Landscape serves primarily as a backdrop for figures.

Artists:

• Yan Liben (d. 673), "ironwire line" even-width brushwork
  
  
  
• Wu Daozi (first 1/2 of 8th c.), dynamic brushwork. No works survive, but some later images reflect descriptions of his style.
  
  
  
• Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang (8th c.), court artists who specialized in painting beautiful ladies of the palace
  
  
  
• Han Gan (fl. mid 8th c.), specialized in painting horses
  
  
  
• Wang Wei (699-761?), high official and poet who also painted; associated with monochrome techniques of landscape painting
  
  

Monumental history of painting, Record of Famous Painters of Successive Dynasties (Lidai minghua ji) written by Zhang Yanyuan (847).

Calligraphy: Taizong's court promotes Wang Xizhi style (see Study Sheet 6) for official use. Many styles associated with individual calligraphers were developed, such as Huaisu's "mad cursive" script.



Ceramics include "three-color glazed" (sancai) earthenware utensils and figures (mingqi) expressly made for burial in tombs; further development of greenish-glazed stonewares called "celadons"; and a white ware which is the first true porcelain. Many shapes and decorative motifs were inspired by imported metalwork, especially Persian silver (as was Tang metalwork).