Qing Dynasty Art: Characteristics, Types - Visual Arts Cork

Of these, the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors were the greatest patrons of traditional Chinese art, notably painting and calligraphy, as well as a range of ... QingDynastyArt CharacteristicsofManchuArtsandCulture inChina. MAINA-ZINDEX PortraitsoftheYongzhengEmperor enjoyinghimselfduringthelunar month(oneofasetoftwelve), byanonymouscourtartists. Yongzhengperiod,(1723-35). Hangingscroll,colouronsilk. PalaceMuseum,Beijing. QingDynastyArt(1644-1911) History,TypesandCharacteristics Contents •Introduction •ArtsandCulture •StylesandTypesofPainting •Characteristics •IndividualistPainters •BuddhistStatues •Pottery •DecorativeArts AdditionalResources ForearlierChinesecultures,see: -Neolithic artinChina(7500-2000BCE) -ShangDynastyart(1600-1050BCE) -ZhouDynastyart(1050-221BCE) -QinDynastyart(221-206BCE) -HanDynastyart(206BCE-220CE) -ArtsoftheSixDynasties(220-618CE) -SuiDynastyart(589-618) -TangDynastyart(618-906) CHRONOLOGYOFVISUAL ART Fordatesofearlycultures, see:PrehistoricArtTimeline. Forlaterchronology, see:HistoryofArtTimeline. Formovementsandperiods, see:HistoryofArt. Introduction Intheearly17thcenturyalooseconfederation ofsemi-nomadictribesoccupiedlandinManchuria,tothenorthofChina. In1644,unifiedbystrongleaders,theManchussweptdownthroughthe GreatWall,capturedBeijingandestablishedtheirownQing(orPure) dynasty,thusendingtheeraofMingDynasty art(1368-1644).OriginallyfoundedbytheJurchenAisinGioroclan, theQingdynastycontrolledChinauntiltheendofthedynasticerain 1911.QingDynastyemperorsbroughtwiththemtheirownManchutraditions andlanguagebutwerequicktoadoptChineseart andculturetosealtheirlegitimacyasConfucian-stylerulers.Overthe nextcenturyandahalf,theManchuDynastyextendeditsruleinCentral Asia,Tibet,andSiberia,reachingitsheightundertheQianlongEmperor intheeighteenthcentury.IntheprocessitgaveChinaawelcomeperiod ofpoliticalstabilityandeconomicprosperity.Qingleadersincluded: ShunzhiEmperor(1643–1661),theKangxiEmperor(1661–1722), theYongzhengEmperor(1722–1735),theQianlongEmperor(1735–1796), theJiaqingEmperor(1796–1820),theDaoguangEmperor(1820–1850), theXianfengEmperor(1850–1861),theTongzhiEmperor(1861–1875), theGuangxuEmperor(1875–1908),theXuantongEmperor(1908–1911). Ofthese,theKangxiandQianlongEmperorswerethegreatestpatronsof traditionalChineseart,notably paintingandcalligraphy, aswellasarangeofdecorative artandcrafts.TheQingDynastybegantofounderduringthe19th century,ascorruption,rebellions,anddefeatsbyEuropeanpowersdrained itsvitality.Qingattemptsatself-reformproducedfewlastingresults, whiledefeatintheFirstSino-JapaneseWar(1894-95)demonstratedthat Japan'smodernizationsincetheMeijiRestorationin1867,hadbeenmuch moreeffective.   ArtsandCulture TheManchutakeoverdidnotdislocateChinese culturallifeinthesamewaytheMongolconquesthaddone,andtheir culturewasmuchmoreelevatedthanthatofYuan Dynastyart(1271-1368).Indeed,theManchushadbeenimitatingChinese waysforsometimepriortotheirinvasion,andtheirrulers,particularly KangxiandQianlong,werewell-educatedleaderswhowerekeentoenlist thesupportofChinesescholars.TheQianlongemperorranksalongside EmperorHuizongfromtheeraofSongDynasty art(960-1279)asthemostculturallyactiveoftheQings,assembling acollectionofsome4,000worksofpaintingandcalligraphyandlisting theminsuccessiveeditionsoftheShiqubaoji.Untilthemid-19th century,asliteracysurged,allthetraditionaltypes ofartflourishedalongsideaConfucianemphasisoncultivation.Thereafter, Qingweaknessledtoageneralstagnationacrossallformsofvisual art. StylesandTypes ofPainting Insimpleterms,threemaingroupsofartists wereatworkduringtheQingDynasty:(1)thetraditionalists,whoaimed torevitalizepaintingthroughamoremodernreinterpretationofpast models;(2)theindividualistsandscholar-artists,(epitomizedbythe likesofBadaShanren),whopursuedahighlypersonalstyleofart -oftencontainingsymbolsofpoliticaldefiance;and(3)thecourtiers andprofessionalartistswhowereemployedbytheimperialcourt.One oftheirimportanttaskswastopictorializeimportantstateevents,as exemplifiedbytheinkandwash paintingentitledEmperorKangxiInspectingtheDamsoftheYellow River(c.1689,MuseeGuimet,Paris),byYangJin(1644-1728),GuFang (active1690-1720)andWangHui(1632-1717).Theyincludedanumberof foreigners,notablyItalianJesuitsattachedtotheForbiddenCity(like GiuseppeCastiglione:1688-1768),whoseworkshopproducedpaintingsthat usedtechniquesunknowntomostChinesepainters,suchaslinear perspectiveandchiaroscuro. Characteristics Ingeneral,Chinese paintingundertheQingsischaracterizedbothbylavishdecoration andorthodoxacademicism.TheformerwasembodiedbyYuanJiang(c.1690-1724), whosestyleembracedtheworkofGuoXi(1020-90)aswellasthemannered expressionismofthelateMingperiod;andbyJiaoBingzhen(1689–1726), whoappliedWesternperspectivetohispen andinkdrawings,whichwereoftenreproducedintheformofwood engravings.Themoreorthodox/conservativestyleofpainting-generally landscapepainting-was representedbyscholar-artistslike"TheFourWangs":WangShimin (1592-1680),WangJian(1598-1677),WangHui(1632-1717)andWangYuanqi (1642-1715).ThesefourtogetherwithWuLi(1632-1718)andYunShouping (1633-90)comprisedtheSixMastersoftheearlyQingperiod,followers ofDongQichang'ssystematizationofpaintingmethod,whoseshanshui paintingsareexemplifiedbyWangJian'smasterpieceWhiteCloudsover XiaoandXiang(1668,FreerGalleryofArt,WashingtonDC). Despitethehistoricaldichotomybetween individualscholar-artistandcourtartist,manyoftheformerwerealso employedattheManchucourt(partlytohelplegitimizeQingrule),thus blurringthedistinctionbetweenindividualamateurartistandcourtprofessional thathadbeenintroducedintheSongeraandthatplayedsuchasignificant roleintheMingera. ToseehowQingDynastyculturefits intotheoverallevolutionofartsandcraftsinChina,see:Chinese ArtTimeline(from18,000BCE). Individualist Painters AnotherindividualistwasGongXian-the bestknownoftheChinesepainters whocametobeknownastheEightMastersofNanjing-whoserepetitive formsandemotionaltonalcontrastsareshowninlandscapeslikeThousand PeaksandMyriadRavines(RietbergMuseum,Zürich,Switzerland). IndividualistBuddhistmastersincluded Shitao(1641-1707),aswellasKuncan(Shiqi)(1612-74),notedforhis landscapepicturesinspiredbythedensebrushworkofWangMeng(1308-85) oftheYuanera;andHongRen(1610-63),representativeofthestyleof theXinan/HuizhouareaofsoutheasternAnhuiprovincethatdrewitsinspiration fromthesceneryofthenearbyHuangMountains.Incontrast,thegroup nowknownastheAnhuischool-thatis,agroupofMingloyalistsincluding DingYunpeng(1547-1628),XiaoYuncong(1596–1673),MeiQing(1623-97), andZhaShibiao(1615-98)-basedthemselvesonthedrylinearstyleof theYuanartistNiZan(1301-74). TwootherQingpainters,bothsurvivors ofthedeposedMingfamily,leftanespeciallyenduringlegacy.Thefirst wasBadaShanren(1626-1705)(alsoknownasZhuDa),notedforhiswet-and-wild manneraswellashissparseuseofbrushandink.Hisenigmaticcompositions ofbirdsandfish,andhisstudiesofrocksandvegetation,arealmost withoutprecedentinChinesepainting.ThesecondwasBadaShanren'scousin Daoji,whosefreshnessstemsentirelyfromtheartist'sownimaginative brushworkandbolduseofcolour. Theindividualcreativityembodiedbythese twoartist-scholarscontrastsvividlywiththegrowingscholasticorthodoxy ofQingpaintingandinspiredmanycontemporariesincludingtheso-called "EightEccentrics"-includingZhengXie(1693–1765),Hua Yan(1682-1756),HuangShen(1687-1772),GaoFenghan(1683-1749),Jin Nong(1687-1763),andLuoPin(1733-99)-whowerepatronizedbyrich collectorsin18thcenturyYangzhou.TheartisticreputationofBadaShanren andDaojigrewsignificantlyduringthelate19thcentury,duringthe eraoftheShanghaischoolandtheLingnanSchool,andwentontoexert amajorinfluenceonChinesemodernart ofthe20thcentury. Buddhist Statues Duringthe18thcenturyQingemperorsmade religiousanddiplomaticallianceswithTibetandMongolia,resulting inthebuildingofmanyBuddhisttemplesoftheTibetanschool,notably inBeijing.Thesecontainedexoticimagesofdeitiesandelaboratesets ofritualvessels.(See:Chinese BuddhistSculpturec.100-present).AtypicalBuddhistartifactof theperiodisthestatueofLobsangPaldenYeshe(the6thPanchen Lama)(1738-80,FieldMuseum,Chicago),whosemeetingwiththeQianlong Emperorin1780wascelebratedwiththelavishrefurbishmentoftemples andcreationofnewstatuary.Thestatue isdecoratedwithgildedcloisonné enamel,theancientgoldsmithing techniquewhichuseslittlecompartments(cloisons)filledwith colouredenamelpaste,whosewallsaremadefromstripsofmetalfused ontotheobject'ssurface.TocomparetheimpactandstrengthofBuddhist artsinKorea,see:KoreanArt(c.3,000BCEonwards). Pottery DevelopmentsinChinese potteryduringtheQingDynastyincludedtheuseofbrightcolours andmeticulouslypaintedscenestodecorateplatesandvases.Chinese porcelaincraftsmenbeganmakingfive-colouredwarebyapplyinga varietyofunderglazepigmentslargelytofloralandlandscapescenes -astylewhichwas(andis)muchprizedintheWest.DuringtheYongzheng era(1723-1735),porcelaincraftsmendevelopedfencaienamelin awiderangeofcoloursandtones.However,Qingceramic artneverattainedtheexquisitequalitiesofSongorMingpottery. Decorative Arts Manycraftsmenworkedintheimperialcourt, producingartifactsforpalaceuse:everythingfromitemsofjewellery arttobeautifulChineselacquerware, includinglacqueredimperialthrones:see,forinstance,theQingDynasty ImperialThrone(1775-80,VictoriaandAlbertMuseum,London).The ImperialHouseholdDepartmentmanagedanumberofcrafts workshopsbothwithintheForbiddenCityandoutsideit.Someoftheskilled workersandmastercraftsmenwereonpermanentduty,likethoseinthe imperialglassfactoryestablishedin1696underthedirectionofthe GermanJesuitKilianStumpf(1655-1720).Otherexpertsinivory carving,hornandjadesculptureand metallurgyweresummonedtoBeijingforaspecificperiodofservice. Note:DuringtheQingdynastyinthe 17thand18thcentury,acrazeforpseudo-Chinesedecorativeartand design,knownaschinoiserie, spreadacrossEurope,notablyinthefieldsofarchitecture,interior design,ceramics,textilesandsilks. Inthecaseofjade carving,suppliesofnephriterockwereaugmentedduringthe18th centurybythepurchaseofjadeitefromBurma.Jadeite,whichvariesin colourfromwhitethroughpaleapplegreentodeepseagreenandalso blue-green(rarercoloursincludepinkandlavender),istypicallybright emeraldgreen.Bythe19thcentury,jadecarversatGuangzhouinthesouth ofChinaworkedalmostentirelywithimportedgreenjadeite,whilecarvers inBeijing,andShanghaispecializedinthewhitevariety. FormoreinformationaboutotherAsian cultures,see:JapaneseArtaswellas: India,Painting&Sculpture. •Formoreabouttraditionalarts andcultureinChina,see:Homepage. ENCYCLOPEDIAOFEASTASIANART ©visual-arts-cork.com.Allrightsreserved.