he History of Oriental Art By Dennis Hartman eHow Contributor Pin Share Tweet Share Email Hiart, wikimedia.org Oriental art is one of the major branches of art classification, along with European art, art of the Americas, African art and Middle Eastern art. The development or distinct artistic styles in Japan, China and other eastern Asian nations has influenced art around the world for thousands of years, and reveals a great deal about the cultures that produced it. Other People Are Reading Facts About Asian Art The History of Oriental Floral Design Japan Some of the first significant art to emerge from Japan dates to the seventh century. Japanese artists came to know the styles of Chinese and Korean art as the cultures shared their Buddhist beliefs, and Japanese art from this era is a fusion of Korean and Chinese. Bronze sculpture dominates Japanese art from the Asuka and Nara periods (roughly the years 550 to 780). Buddhism continued to dominate Japanese artistic subject matter until 1180, when widespread war within Japan changed the national mood from one of religious introspection to one of conflict and survival, and Samurai culture was born. In creating war-themed art, Japanese artists adopted a new realism in their work. Calligraphy also emerged as an art form during this time. By the Muromachi era (1338 to 1573), Japanese art looked back to its roots in spirituality. Japanese painting and printmaking flourished during this period, with subjects ranging from the natural world to ancient mythology. China Long before Japan was first settles, early cultures produced primitive art in China. Since then, Chinese art has been extremely diverse, colored by the shifting dynasties and the influence of foreign cultures. By the second century B.C., China already had a distinct artistic style in poetry, sculpture and music. One of the most well-known pieces of Chinese art today is the Terracotta Army. Dating from 210 B.C., it consists of 7,000 life-sized figures in the tomb of the first Qin emperor. The Terracotta Army points to the Chinese preoccupation with military subjects, the human figure and associating art with burial rituals. Buddhism influenced Chinese art in the first century. Through the cycles of dynastic rule, which lasted until the early twentieth century, Chinese culture remained in a state of frequent change, and a diverse national body of art was produced as a result. Korea Korean art, like Chinese art, dates from the early days of human civilization. Due to its geographical location, Korea has often served as a point of transit between China and Japan, and its art shows the influences of both cultures. From the first century B.C. to the seventh century A.D., some of the most notable Korean art was produced in the Baekje kingdom. Art from this region of southwestern Korea consists primarily of architecture and sculpture. Harmonious proportions, naturalism of form and the presence of Buddhist subject matter suggest the influence of nearby China as well as Japanese traditions. Beginning in the first century B.C., Korean painting became an established art form. Beginning with the decorated walls of tombs, Korean painting has been sharply divided between delicate, realistic compositions intended to be viewed as works of fine art and colorful, stylized folk art images that commemorate celebrations. Tibet Tibetan art is defined by its inclusion of Buddhist subject matter and principles, even more so than the art of other Oriental cultures. Elements of Buddhist influence can be found in Tibetan art dating from as far back ad 400 B.C. Geometric patterns, meant to be contemplated while the viewer meditates, are a common image in Tibetan art. Various Buddhist deities are also frequently represented both in sculpture and painting. Oftentimes these images are also intended to aid in meditation. Tibetan art is full of symbolic images, such as the Dharmacakra, which is a wheel with eight spokes, each representing one of the eight paths to enlightenment. Among Tibetan art's most well-known forms is the sand mandala. These geometric images, painstakingly constructed by Buddhist monks as a means of concentrating their energies, are ritualistically destroyed as a means of representing the impermanence of life. Vietnam Vietnamese art has been characterized by the various imperialistic presences in Vietnam, from the Chinese to the French. From the tenth century to the fifteenth century, Vietnam was independent and produced art that is distinct from anything brought by outside cultures. Vietnamese art from this period responds to a blending of religious traditions with elements of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian principles. Ceramics have figured prominently in Vietnamese art both during periods of Chinese rule and Vietnamese independence. Vietnamese ceramic artists have often employed a limited color palette as a way of emphasizing form. Interest in ceramic and porcelain art dominated Vietnamese art through the Nguyen dynasty in the nineteenth century. Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_5241350_history-oriental-art.html A Brief History of Oriental and Eastern Art Oriental art, along with European, Middle Eastern, and African art, and the art of the Americas, is one of the major branches of art classification. It includes painting, calligraphy and graphic art, as well as sculpture and pottery, from the Neolithic to the present day. The history of Oriental and Eastern art reflects the society in which it was produced. Religion, politics, philosophy, culture and technology have all left their mark. This article will look at the three main constituents of Eastern art: Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Chinese Art Chinese art has existed for thousands of years, and is famously diverse in colour, form and style. It originated as early ‘stone art’ from around 10,000 BC, and comprised mainly of pottery and sculpture. Its early beginnings were based on the religious and supernatural beliefs of Chinese settlers. Their paintings, quite abstract in form, involved the same techniques as Chinese calligraphy: a thin brush was dipped in coloured ink, and minimalist brush strokes used to represent both people and landscapes. Often, these paintings were produced to decorate the inside of human burial sites. Landscapes, usually regarded as the highest form of Chinese painting, rose to prominence during the years of the Five Dynasties from 907 to 1127 AD. Chinese sculpture has existed since the beginning of the first dynasty in 2,100 BC. One of the best preserved and largest examples ever recovered is the Terracotta Army. Built for and buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the sculptors broke with previous tradition and cast human-like figures in magnificence and splendour. The army surrounded the emperor’s tomb, watching over and protecting him in the afterlife. From this point on, albeit on a smaller scale, miniature pottery figures were created and placed in tombs to accompany the dead. The finest examples date back from the Tang Dynasty of 618 to 907 AD. Chinese pottery, however, dates back to the Palaeolithic era. It pre- dates the dynasties and was made from all manner of materials. As its popularity and ease of construction grew, pottery began to be made on an industrial scale. Rulers at the time would also request pottery to me made for them, which they’d then present as gifts or use to trade. Late imperial China of 1368 to 1911 AD, of which the Ming Dynasty comprised the first 276 years, produced art of more colour and with busier compositions. The next few hundred years of the Qing Dynasty saw the rise of Orthodox school and Individualist painters. The former celebrated the older styles of thin brush strokes and calligraphy, the latter produced a more revolutionary and individualist approach. The Shanghai School, of the late Qing Dynasty to the twentieth century, encouraged artists to challenge pre-conceived conceptions, improve on existing techniques, and use their art to comment and question society and the country’s rapid social change. The Chinese Communist revolution of 1949 ushered in a new era of Chinese art. Under the Cultural Revolution, the government supported what it considered ‘favourable’ art, while ‘unfavourable’ artists were punished. Contemporary, modern-day Chinese art now includes new forms of expression, such as video and photography. Japanese Art Japanese art dates from around 10,000 BC. Similar to Chinese art, it incorporates a wide variety of styles and types, such as ink painting, pottery and sculpture. As an island, Japan experienced long periods of isolation. But, whenever Japan met a foreign culture, it assimilated these foreign artistic aesthetics into its own existing culture and ideals. Painting is one of Japan’s oldest art forms, and probably its most popular. Like China, it began as simple stick figures decorating silk, paper and pottery, and developed into a way of expressing centuries of cultural and political evolution. Japan’s first civilisation moulded and then painted pottery and clay figures. Settlers who arrived later, around 350 BC, brought with them their knowledge of bronze manufacturing and decoration. When, in the 7th and 8th centuries, Buddhism spread out across the East, Japan embraced it and learnt more advanced methods of casting bronze. These included many sculptures of Buddha himself. But, by the end of the Edo period between 1603 and 1868 AD, most of this had disappeared because of the waning support from Buddhist temples and Japanese nobility. After 1130 BC, Japanese picture scrolls grew in popularity. These large canvasses were used to paint stories, and are examples of some of the earliest – and best – illustrations of men and women. Other popular periods of Japanese art include the Kamakura, in which sculpture, calligraphy and painting all flourished from 1180 to 1333 AD. Art became more elitist and aristocratic during the Muromachi period of 1338 to 1573 AD.