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Art History 370/East Asian 355: Arts of China

Information Concerning the Last Arts of China Exam


The third exam will follow the same format as the previous two and cover the material since the second exam. Below are notes on what I expect you to know and some essay questions for use in reviewing.

I. What you need to know:

  a. Works reproduced in Clunas, Art in China:
    Figs. 31, 32, 34, 37 [the correct date is 1723, not 1715], 39, 40, 60 [don't worry about the deity's name], 61, 62, 74, 75, 77, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 90, 91, 99, 100, 101, 105, 107, 108, 109, 111, 115, 116, 118, 121, 122, 124. (A few of these works are also reproduced on the website, although sometimes in a different view.)

  b. Works in the "List of Images by Period," from the Yuan dynasty through 20th century. The list includes a few works that we either did not cover or I don't think you need to learn, so you can omit the following:

    (Ming)
Dai Jin, Fishermen on the River (2 images)
Qiu Ying, Farewell at Xunyang (2 images)
Wu Bin, Fantastic Landscape

    (Qing)
Chen Shu (1660-1736), Mallows, Aster, Beetle, and Butterfly
Teapot, Qing dynasty (Kangxi period, 1662-1722)

    (20th c.)
Chen Yifei and Han Xin, Looking at History
Zhao Yixiong (1934- ), Awakening of the Tarim

  c. You should also be thoroughly familiar with the information on Study Sheets #10 - 13.
       
II.

Sample essay questions:

  1. Compare the architecture of the imperial palace with that of a scholar's garden, focusing on design principles and symbolism.

  2. Referring to at least two different media, discuss the use of auspicious images in Chinese art.

  3. Although traditional accounts of Chinese painting assume a sharp division between "amateur" and "professional" masters, many Ming and Qing artists do not fit either stereotype. Explain why this is so for Chen Hongshou and Zheng Xie specifically.

  4. In the 20th century, many artists have tried to develop forms of artistic expression that are both "Chinese" and "modern." Choose one artist (for example, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Zhang Daqian [Chang Dai Chien]) and describe how he addressed this problem.

  5. What role did Communist ideology envision for the visual arts, and what impact did its implementation have on artists?

  6. How was Tiananmen Square made into a public space of immense symbolic importance in modern China?
   
The in-class review will be on Monday, May 5, so try to do some review before then and bring questions to class.


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