Transcript Pacific Rim & Ancient Cultures

Pacific Rim & Ancient
Cultures
History and Appreciation of the
Visual and Performing Arts
Pacific Rim
China
Japan
India
Malaysia
Chinese Culture
 One of the oldest
cultures in all of
world history
 Has existed for
thousands of years
basically unchanged
 Outlook is in
centuries, not decades
Chinese Art
 The basis of the work
is the philosophy of
“Dao” or “Tao”
 This is the belief that
all things have a spirit
or “Ch’i”
 This includes animals,
plants, landform &
weather
Chinese Art
 Art for the Chinese
means:
 “A picture is a
voiceless poem, a
poem is a vocal
picture”
 Calligraphy (writing)
is often included in
the work
Famous Works - Ceramics
The Great Wall
Terra Cotta Army
Scroll Painting
Architecture
India – Indian Culture
 Also one of the oldest
surviving cultures of
the world
 Strong influence of
the Hindu religion and
belief in reincarnation
 Focus on “Santi”:
Peace and Tranquility
Indian Art
Reflects Hinduism
Images of Gods
play an important
role
Focus on domes
and rounded
objects along with
emphasis on line
Architecture - Stupa
 A burial mound used
much like those of
Native Americans and
ancient Egyptians
 Built to hold the body
and important
artifacts from the
person’s life
Stupa vs. Pyramid
Famous Works – Shiva Nataraja
Taj Mahal
Japan – Japanese Culture
 Focus on discipline
and honor
 Striving for “Zen” or
balance in life
 Strong work ethic,
commitment to
excellence
 Great refiners, not
creators
Japanese Art
 Painting was the preferred
artistic expression
 Well defined painting
techniques
 Sculpture is religious in nature
 Architecture points always
upwards
 Wood carvings finest in the
world
Famous Works - Pagoda
Sculpture – The Great Budda
Woodblock Print
Japanese Drama
 Japanese audiences love
fantasy
 Realism in story is
avoided
 Movement is large and
overdone – so is vocal
quality
 Performances last all
day in festivals showing
different types of stories
Noh
 Oldest form of Japanese
drama
 Originally performed for
the Samurai class
 Masks are worn
 Actors all men
 Little stage decoration
 Movement is slow &
large
 Uses music in
background
Noh Masks
Kabuki
 Developed after Noh
 Designed for the middle
and lower classes
 Stages more elaborate
 Large elaborate
costumes
 Make-up used in place
of masks
 All actors are still men
Kabuki Costumes
Kabuki Make-up
 Designs are made to
show character qualities
 Different colors mean
different things
 White powder and wigs
draw attention to the
lines of the mask
 Many actors play the
same characters their
whole career
Kabuki Colors
 Deep Red/Anger
 Red/Passion
 Pink/Cheerfulness
 Light Blue/Calmness
 Indigo/Gloominess
 Light Green/Tranquility
 Purple/Nobility
 Brown/Selfishness
 Black/Fear or Gloom
The Process
The Most Famous Kabuki Act