Comparison of Southeast Asian and Northeast Asian Art - Essay Example

The greatest difference in style and perception has been induced by religion, history and the philosophies. The Southeast Asian artworks are a genuine product of Hinduism and Buddhist doctrines drawing from Indian traditions, whereas China, Japan and Korea draw largely from Buddhist and Chinese influences. Again both bear testimony to art production and patronage entertained with social and cultural demands. Cultural interconnections between these two regions are vivid and yet their art signifies an extended cultural code that encloses all the underlying spiritual beliefs of the regions religion-philosophic mind that embed the interrelation of mythology, symbol and spiritual thoughts.

The advent of Buddhism introduced sculpture, painting, and architecture of a more religious nature. In China, the figures of Buddha and bodhisattvas became the primary source of influence, although the major route was India, which bore the seat of influence till the 6 th century A.D. The distinction was markedly perfected during the T'ang Dynasty that became more dramatic and restrained by the 7th century that gave way to Major sites of Buddhist art in cave temples include Donghuang, Lung-men, Yun-kang, Mai-chi-shan, and Ping-ling-ssu.

Buddhist sculpture in the Ming dynasty became miniature in style made of jade, ivory, and glass, of exquisite craftsmanship but was devoid of any further experimentation and inspiration. The art of figure painting in the T'ang dynasty (618-906) and landscape painting in the Sung dynasty became very prominent. With the coming of the Yuan dynasty (1260-1368) both landscape painting and human painting concentrated more on brushstroke. Brushwork was also done on bamboo and surface painting with a variety of brushwork became an important aspect of still-life painting.

Painting during this period became more sophisticated and a part of the leisure culture. Under the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1912) the applied arts became very technical till the 19th cent., after which with the coming of the communists in the twentieth century art became a product of graphical propaganda. Shih-T'ao and Chu Ta were artists of great creativity. But little or no experimentation in painting marks this period. What is remarkable with Chinese painting is that it has maintained a single characteristic all through history-the extravagant detailing and obsession with the brushstroke.

Paintings bore dry or wet-brush technique, with an incredible variety ranging from swirling patterns to staccato dots.1 And thus one inevitably arrives at the highest artwork that the Chinese generated through calligraphy and paintings on ceramics that reached a high perfection in the S'ung Dynasty. Though calligraphy was part of painting, literature and inscriptions, calligraphy is indebted to Wang Hsi-chih (c.303-361) and his son, who made brushwork the biggest legacy in Chinese art. Chinese architecture also had major impact on Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Unlike Western structure it stresses the visual impact of the width of the buildings rather than its height and depth though Pagodas are a rare exception to this rule. But asymmetry has been part of Chinese art which let the scrolls and also its gardens become a wandering maze of surprises and unique symbolisms. Incase of symbolism, the Chinese also have the greatest and enduring symbols of the