QuoteReplyTopic: Can westerners really appreciate Chinese Art Works Posted: 12-Oct-2006 at 16:59
I really like Tang and Song period Architecture.
They were mostly composed of two color only: red and white or brown and white. Plain and simple.
The modern post-Ming architecture are strongly influenced from the
Northern nomadic tribes. Notably the Forbidden City, although it
was initally built by the second Ming Emperor, Chu Ti. When the Manchus
usurped Beijing, they made tremendous changes in the Palace to
accommodate to their liking.
However, you can rarely find any Tang and Song period Architecture in
China now in these days. Most of them are destroyed due to long
period of warfare.
The only place you find them is not in China but in Japan. The Imperial
Palace and Temple in Nara and Kyoto are exactly modeled after the Tang
Dynasty period. Ironically, they were nearly destroyed by the US
bombers during the World Word II if it wasn't the Chinese architect
(forgot his name) who petitioned to US government for sparing them.
Recently, there are movement of revivalization of Tang period architecture as most people agree that they are the true beauty of Chinese culture.
Below are the pictures of the newly built Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong.
The Temple is entirely based upon Tang era style. Japanese consultants were hired to provide information as to building Tang era architecture since it has been long gone in China but preserved in Japan.
Below are the pictures of the newly built Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong.
The Temple is entirely based upon Tang era style. Japanese consultants were hired to provide information as to building Tang era architecture since it has been long gone in China but preserved in Japan.
I hope the revial of traditional architecture continues in China. A global "mono architectural style" would be horrible. Is the nunnery for Buddhist, Taoist / Confucian or Christian nuns?
I hope the revial of traditional architecture continues in China. A global "mono architectural style" would be horrible.
I agree. But this retro style is neither particularly cost- nor space effective and certainly not very functional. And as soon as you wanna build higher rising buildings you have make compromises which take you quite far from the original Tang style: left side traditional style, right side appartment buildings: http://www.nwsh.com.hk/eng/home/images/photo-services-full08.jpg
Don't get me wrong, it's a shame that mainland China is lacking in a lot of its original artwork, now located in places like Taiwan, Japan, Europe, USA, South America, etc. However, being a Westerner, I think you're wrong about the notion of Westerners being unable to appreciate Eastern Art, its significance, and where it is derived from.
Take a look at the Charles Lang Freer Gallery, part of the Washington D.C. Smithsonian Museum in the States.
This is an enormous collection of Chinese art, ranging from the Neolithic period (pre-2100 BCE) all the way up to the end of the Qing Dynasty in the beginning of the 20th century. Paintings, calligraphy, stoneware, porcelain, earthenware vases, bronzeware, iron work, silver-smithing and gold treasure, lacquerware works and furniture, wooden tapestries, you name it, the gallery's got it.
All of this was originally purchased by one Charles Lang Freer of Detroit, when it made its way to the States via Japan, where most of these items were kept reserved in Japan for centuries before making it to the U.S.
Chinese civilization and culture may seem very different in the outside, but looking at it with care we find the same internal similaties of all mankind.
Of course there are obstacles in the way. First, one must know the codes of the culture, and to get certain knowledge of its values, its language and history. But art is beauty and harmony, and that is universal. If something is pretty, any human being has the hability to capture it.
I hope the revial of traditional architecture continues in China. A global "mono architectural style" would be horrible.
I agree. But this retro style is neither particularly cost- nor space effective and certainly not very functional.
Yes, I can see your points. I will not be surprised if full "retro style" is limited to religous structures and the custom designed mansions of the wealthy. You can imagine how much the property for the "retro" nunnery cost in Hong Kong.
Here's a long gallery of pics from the Charles Lang Freer Gallery, as well as other assorted pics from other galleries and places in China.
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS: Don't bother clicking on the thumbnails themselves, just click on the web links below the written description of each thumbnail pic, and it will bring you to a pop-up window where the large-size image of that pic is! Enjoy!
This painting entitled Guan-Yin and the Fish Basket, 15th century AD, Ming Dynasty painting, anonymous painter.
Bronze Mirror, gold and silver inlay design of horse-riding chariots, Buddhist figures, and flying animals, dated from 220 - 589 AD, during the divisionary period
Massive Leshan Buddha Stone Sculpture, 71 meters tall (233 feet), completed in 803 AD, Tang Dynasty; it is the largest stone-carved Buddha in the world
HOLY CRAP! The greatest of all these paintings below, click on the link below the description to scan across the entire length of this old 11-meter-long painted handscroll:
Spring Festival (Qing Ming) on the River, this is an 18th century remake of an 11th century classic by Zhang Zerui
Ancient Eastern Jin Dynasty Landscape Painting original, by the master Luo Shen Fu (lived circa 317-420); this is another long handscroll, so when you click the link directly below, make sure to scan through the whole picture using the scroll bar, it's worth the look!
The Anji (or Zhaozhou) Bridge, brick and stone segmental arch bridge, engineered by Li Chun, construction began in 595 AD, and was completed in 605 AD under the Sui Dynasty of China
The Forbidden City of Beijing, 720,000 square meters of area, 800 buildings with over 8,600 rooms, construction completed by 1420 AD, under the reign of the Ming Dynasty Emperor Yongle.
The Terracotta Army of Qin, created and assembled by the year 210 BC by the First Qin Emperor (Qin Shihuangdi), located near modern-day Xian. A total of 8,099 terracotta figures were found in the outlying tombs to his main pyramid mausoleum, the figures including horses, soldiers, generals, and complete with bronze chariots and actual wielded weapons.
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