The Muromachi style of Zen Buddhism has influence art and design ever since it’s beginning in the 14th century. Although it was influenced by the Chinese styles at a parallel time, they both are still influential and noticed in today’s world.
For years Japanese Ink Painting continued to be consistent with a basis on nature, and simplicity. Was the beginning of Minimalism in Japan? Was it intentional? The open composition of space and content on paper is a key of today’s design. The simplicity of monochromatic work is still appreciated in almost every art form.
This is a contrast to the Renaissance that occurred during the same time period. There was never work similar in Europe, it was mostly elaborate and colorful. This proves that the Asian styles are the origin of minimalism.
Even in architecture and landscape, there was interpretation and consistence of nature. The “Zen Garden” is a key concept that has lasted through the years. The Japanese styles of architecture were inspired by the consistency and simplicity of nature. They were the first to incorporate outside and inside, using a lot of patio space, and open surfaces, using round posts, and hinged translucent walls (Japan, 229).
The dominant styles of the Muromachi Period, Ink Painting, Landscape, and Architecture, are visible in today’s society in all cultures. Design fields incorporate the same appreciation that the Zen Buddhists did. Aesthetics, the set of principles of good taste and the appreciation on beauty, especially in the philosophy of art (Reader’s, 26).
During the Muromachi Period, Sesshu (1420-1506) was known as the most famous artist in his medium of Ink Paintings. He was a monk that dedicated his life to painting. He traveled to areas of China and the natural landscape inspired his work heavily. He denied any influence from the Chinese art he saw on his journey. Like the work of Ni Zan (1308-1374), a Chinese Yuan Dynasty ink painter. (History, 842-861)
Sesshu’s most noted work was the “Winter Landscape.” This painting was done after his excursion through China, in the 1467. It is 18.25 x 11.5” in size, and was produced by rushing black ink on a paper. It is overlapped view of a landscape in the foreground, with large mountainous cliff...
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...on of the arts really polluted all meaning behind it. This is a dramatic time in which the true Zen Monks doubted their faith in the work they produced. The understanding of this, left room for sarcasm, and criticism, and eventually dilution of the Zen theories of nature and serenity.
Put aside the debauchery of the art, this period has influenced so many cultures and design styles. It is key that styles like minimalism and even constructivism trace back to the monochromatic layout of image and text these monks produced.
Being a designer, it is astonishing to relate styles that I apply to work with these simple Buddhists. They lived a simple lifestyle, appreciating materials and imagery that both were provided by nature. The aesthetics applied is an important way of expressing yourself as a citizen of the world.
It is important that we as people seek to make the world better for mankind. Appreciating the elements, and applying workable solutions was a key contribution these monks made to society. Whether it is through our work or our deeds, it would be ideal that we all follow their example.
On Farting by Hiraga Gennai gives the reader a perspective into the world of various arts in the Edo Period. Not only are we shown what is meant to be a proper practicing of the arts through his satirical character, Crankshaw Stonington Esquire, but he counters this claim that the arts were then lacking in life, passion, and ingenuity. They had become boring and outdated without any creativity being brought forward. To prove this he sings his praises for a fart artist, and engages in a lively debate about what truly marks art as meaningful and how a change to the traditions would improve the civilization. However passionate, his argument may not be effective enough to change the minds and ways of those who revel in the traditional.
The Buddha was and is an important figure in several different cultures, and his influence has spread over large areas. Across these different cultures, many forms of art portrayed him in different ways. In Japan, one of the Buddha’s titles stood out as the “Amida Buddha.” The statue that this paper will be detailing portrays “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light” (“Amida”). The statue is located in the Dayton Art Institute’s Japanese Art Gallery 105 with the acquisition number 1935.1. Created in the thirteenth century during the Kamakura period, this statue stands out in the Dayton Art Institute as a prominent Buddha figure. It is made of wood with lacquer and gilt, and it was built to be approximately the size of a normal person.
Inspiration comes from many forms; it comes from friends, family, music, television, and even strangers. Inspiration can come at one subtlety or it can hit you like a bus. Professional, amateur, or even a novice can be inspired to make something. No matter what, an artist needs inspiration in order to create something out of nothing or in order to help finish an already existing art work. Here the inspiration from Mariko Mori will be conveyed, to know what helps give her inspiration that motivates her to do the art work that she does. Whether she herself is doing the performance or it is just a sculpture in a gallery, her works are unique, just like a finger print. What gave her the inspiration on two of her works;
Japantown, in San Francisco, is an ethnic enclave to the Japanese who migrated to the US and it is a space created by themselves for themselves to practice their old traditions and remind them of home. The Kinokuniya building in Japantown is home to many generations of Japanese and they would often celebrate traditional festivals and more than often there are many subculture groups within the Japanese here in San Francisco. One subculture that is evident is the Ikebana group located in Japancenter where they display flower arrangements called Ikebana. Being an outsider, the need to observe and research is very important to understand this art form flourishing in San Francisco. The empirical evidences I have gathered allowed me to dwell deeper into the history of Ikebana and the Ikebana group as well as the importance of this group to its fellow members.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Art Nouveau is the Decorative style of the late 19th century and the early 20th that flourished principally in Europe and the USA. Although it influenced painting and sculpture, its chief manifestations were in architecture and the decorative and graphic arts. It is characterized by sinuous, asymmetrical lines based on organic forms; in a broader sense it encompasses the geometrical and more abstract patterns and rhythms that were evolved as part of the general reaction to 19th-century historicism. There are wide variations in the style according to where it appeared and the materials that were employed
As a conclusion, Mingei and nationalism can be perceived as fundamentally interwoven through Japanese handicrafts. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, many factors came to play a part in bringing the Japanese spirit to the forefront of craftsmen minds, whether as reason to bring attention to themselves and their own work or as a way of providing necessary utensils to the average Japanese home. The efforts of the Mingei movement and the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition cannot be ignored. Yanagi can be said to have foreseen this radical decline in traditional styles and if not for his and his fellow founders collecting and preserving crafts in the Japanese Folk Art Museum, many of the regional methods and styles could be lost today. After the destruction of the war and
Before Impressionism came to be a major movement (around 1870-1800s), Neoclassical and Romanticism were still making their impacts. Remembering last week’s lesson, we know that both those styles were different in the fact that one was based on emotion, while the other was practical and serious. However, one thing they both shared was the fact that the artists were trying to get a message across; mostly having to do with the effects of the French Revolution, and/or being ordered to do so. With Impressionism, there is a clear difference from its predecessors.
This is an image that I think of when I consider Japanese culture. They love gardens like this and you see similar images often when considering their culture. It is difficult to tell for sure, but the people in the distance appear to be dressed up. It is as though they have put on their best clothes to step out and enjoy this relaxing setting. I believe that this print is successful at capturing a moment in the mid 1800’s very well. It causes me to sense and experience what the artist was trying to capture. This print seems to conform to the formal theory of art. The print has only images of each object. None of them are particularly detailed or real to life but they do a very good job of organizing and describing the basic elements of the scene. It uses similar colors, shapes, and lines to those one might find in this garden in
So began my two-year ethnography on the American rave subculture. The scene described above was my initiation into the underground subculture where rave kids, typically under twenty-one years old, are given secret invitations to attend private warehouse parties with dancing, drugs, and thousands of their closest friends. Because of my youthful and unorthodox appearance, I was invited to join the then-highly-exclusive underground scene and attended numerous raves in several major cities in North Carolina. Although my chosen subculture was not typically examined by academia, I conducted an academic ethnography of what Maton (1993) describes as a "group whose world views, values and practices diverge from mainstream North American and social science cultures" (747). As a result, I received three graduate credit hours for "supervised research in ethnography" and conducted what may be the only academic ethnography on raves.
Although this extremely close connection of the individual with nature, the basic principle of Japanese gardens, has remained the constant throughout its history, the ways in which this principle has come to be expressed has undergone many great changes. Perhaps the most notable occurred in the very distinct periods in Japanese history that popularized unique forms of garden style—Heian (781-1185), and the Kamakura (1186-1393). Resulting from these two golden ages of Japanese history came the stroll garden from the former period and the Zen garden from the later. As we shall see, the composition of these gardens where remarkably effected by the norms of architecture and the ideals of popular religion in these eras. Therefor, in understanding each garden style in its context, it essential to also take into account the social, historical, and theological elements as well as the main stylist differences.
Mondrian founded the art movement titled Neo-Plasticism in. This art movement and the De Stijl art movement have extremely similar characteristics. Both of these movements involve black vertical and horizontal lines, basic shapes, and the use of primary colors. An example of this includes Mondrian’s Composition With Red, Yellow, and Blue, created in 1935 to 1942 with oil on canvas, has the dimensions of 46 by 46 centimeters. This piece includes primary colors, horizontal and vertical black lines, and basic shapes. Mondrian last worked in this
Shinto is a polytheistic native Japanese religion. Followers believe that much of nature is sacred; spirits animates everything in the nature. For example, Japanese still believe that Mount. Fuji is sacred. They believe something that big and great exists only because "Kami," or spirit, resides within the mountain. In this fashion, they give great respect to nature. These Shinto beliefs have great influence on the ways Japanese today do things and their values. Japanese garden designs also reflect Shinto beliefs. Careful arrangements of rocks and plants are attempts to create a miniature universe or attempts to move a piece of nature into their house. Similarly, the principles of floral design show their interest in nature. They focus on the importance of light and shadow, and the fullness versus the void, instead of focusing on the symmetry. The reason? Flowers and plants do not grow symmetrically in nature. They lean towards the sun creating a void in the shadow. Japanese respect and seek to bring the beauty of nature closer to them, therefore, a lot of Japanese arts are...
The Medieval time period was an important era for the growth of culture throughout the entire world. We owe many innovations used in design, architecture and overall style to the works of the many artists that flourished in the middle ages. Each of the four periods of development were unique to one another, yet followed an overlying religious theme that defined the medieval times. The advancements made during that time were able to influence to the 800 years of art that lead up to present day, and still remain visually and architecturally beautiful.
The Web. The Web. 18 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. " The Buddhist World: Lay Buddhist's Guide to the Monk's Rules. "