Asian Art

Sumi-e Pottery Origami Architecture

Sumi-e painting involved using washes of color and very simple brushstrokes.

Pottery- Most popular clay used was porcelain, a very white clay. The Chinese decorated their porcelain with cobalt after the stimulus of the Islamic market. Origami- Started in the Han Dynasty (early 700’s) when paper first came to Japan. It is a single paper folded many ways to create small sculptures. During the Heian period (794-1185), origami was used as a gift for family and friends. In the Edo period (1603- 1868), people were making more beautiful origami designs by using more than one sheet of paper. Origami’s last change was in the Meiji period (1868- 1912); origami was taught in elementary schools as a lesson in geometry.

Kimono- Making these is a major art in Japan. The Kimono is a valuable piece of clothing. Kimonos are designed to match the seasons, and they are also designed for different occasions or ceremonies. Although they were once worn everyday. Unmarried women wear furisodes, which is a kimono with long lowing sleeves. Married women wear a tomesode, which is a kimono that is only printed on the bottom half.

Pagoda A religious building of the Far East, especially a multistory Buddhist tower, erected as a memorial or shrine.

Japanese pagodas developed from Chinese models. Japanese pagodas are made of wood. Chinese pagodas are made of wood, masonry, glazed tile, or porcelain. They are decorated with ivory, bone, and stonework. They usually have eight sides while Japanese have four sides.

Chinese and Japanese pagodas always have an uneven number of stories. The ground story of Japanese pagodas may contain shrines and images. Pagoda Islamic Art & Architecture

There are four basic elements of Islamic decorative art: Geometric patterns, Calligraphy, highly stylized floral or plant designs, and figural art.

Geometric patterns- It is said that Islamic artists use geometric patterns to represent their belief in logic and order. Sophisticated designs were created using simple tools such as a ruler and a compass. The circle is the most common shape used in Islamic designs and provides the symmetrical. Leaf and floral motifs are developed in side the basic circle patterns. Often the designs are in repeated patterns.

Calligraphy- “beautiful writing” was used to decorate mosques, usually with lines from the Qur’an. The use of calligraphy extended to decoration on all kinds of objects. It was a style of writing that was an art in itself. In the 11th century the letters themselves started to be modified and used as ornaments, and new geometric elements started to appear in the form of plaiting, knotting, and braiding. The exaggerated use of such ornaments created complex compositions, which were difficult to decipher at times.

Two favorite designs utilizing the floral or plant motifs, are the arabesque and palmette. Arabesques are graceful, intertwining plants, perhaps floral, usually developed within a geometric shape, such as a circle. The Palmettes are floral or plant forms that face upward and outward. The lotus and the peony are often found in the palmette patterns. Also the tulip is used, indicating Turkish origins, as the tulip was a very special flower of the region. These designs were used of surfaces and used to transform objects of daily use into rich and exciting works of art.

Figural Art - miniature paintings.

Qur’an- the most well-known Islamic book that is decorated with miniature style paintings of religious stories. Other books followed, on literature, philosophy, history, and many branches of science Miniature paintings illustrated these manuscripts. Miniatures included landscapes and portraits and both showed nature, usually pictures as a lush garden, and also portrayals of people and animals. Some scenes showed famous battles and other historical events, or life in the Sultans’ palaces. They were done with such attention to detail they are often considered historical documentation of events which took place. Taj Mahal