Art of India / Pakistan • Interest in meditative imagery inspired by Buddhist thought • Rich, intricate designs and overtly sensual figures suggesting abundance, fertility, and fecundity (like an overgrown garden) Concept of gods as having different temperaments, numerous attributes, and multifaceted aspects • Development of cosmic imagery (such as the mandala or axis mundi) • Duality of male and female aspects in religious worship
Art of China / Korea • Establishment of a strict hierarchy due to the beliefs of Confucianism, often mirrored in nature (seen in Chinese landscape painting) • Interest in meditative imagery inspired by Buddhist thought and Daoism • Strong emphasis on tradition and skill (particularly in regard to the art of calligraphy); originality is less favored, reflecting a strong attachment to tradition
Art of Japan • Strong interest in expressing the spirit of nature (use of natural materials, asymmetrical compositions, reference to transience in nature such as the changing of the seasons) • Political isolation during the Edo period allows for the development of an idiosyncratic, graphic style (such as seen in ukiyo-e woodblock prints) depicting a wide range of subjects derived mostly from urban culture • Continued interest in meditative imagery due to the emergence of Zen Buddhism (similar to Chan Buddhism in China)
African Art• Use of materials to express power, ancestor worship, rank, and status • Expression of the unseen through the use of stylization • Lack of interest in permanence in artwork to suggest the transient nature of life • Art used as part of ritual • Importance of fertility, duality in nature, and renewal
Art of the America's - The origins of the indigenous peoples of the Americas are still uncertain. Several of the peoples of North, Central and South America had already reached a high level of social complexity by the early centuries. In Meso America, the Maya and other cultural groups even had highly developed writing system and knowledge of mathematical calculations that allowed them to keep precise records and create a sophisticated calendar.
NON WESTERN RESEARCH / CULTURAL PROJECT
Art of China / Korea • Establishment of a strict hierarchy due to the beliefs of Confucianism, often mirrored in nature (seen in Chinese landscape painting) • Interest in meditative imagery inspired by Buddhist thought and Daoism • Strong emphasis on tradition and skill (particularly in regard to the art of calligraphy); originality is less favored, reflecting a strong attachment to tradition
Art of Japan • Strong interest in expressing the spirit of nature (use of natural materials, asymmetrical compositions, reference to transience in nature such as the changing of the seasons) • Political isolation during the Edo period allows for the development of an idiosyncratic, graphic style (such as seen in ukiyo-e woodblock prints) depicting a wide range of subjects derived mostly from urban culture • Continued interest in meditative imagery due to the emergence of Zen Buddhism (similar to Chan Buddhism in China)
African Art• Use of materials to express power, ancestor worship, rank, and status • Expression of the unseen through the use of stylization • Lack of interest in permanence in artwork to suggest the transient nature of life • Art used as part of ritual • Importance of fertility, duality in nature, and renewal
Art of the America's - The origins of the indigenous peoples of the Americas are still uncertain. Several of the peoples of North, Central and South America had already reached a high level of social complexity by the early centuries. In Meso America, the Maya and other cultural groups even had highly developed writing system and knowledge of mathematical calculations that allowed them to keep precise records and create a sophisticated calendar.
NON WESTERN RESEARCH / CULTURAL PROJECT