ARTH 38.03 East Meets West
This class explores the interaction between the cultures of East Asia and the West from as early as c. 200 BCE to the early 20th century. The course consists largely of four themes: the Silk Road and the Arts, the Pottery Stories, the Jesuits and the Arts, and Asian Arts in Europe. The class starts with the Silk Road, the world’s first great superhighway that from ancient times linked East Asia to the Mediterranean World across Central Asia, and examines how ideas, art, and religions traveled and were transformed through their journey. The second theme, the Porcelain stories, conveys how aesthetics, technology, designs and motifs were transmitted from East to West and vice versa. We will ask questions, such as: Why was porcelain so desirable? Where did porcelain rank in the hierarchy of art forms and materials in Asia and Europe? How much did a piece of porcelain cost at any moment in time? Why did Japan and Korea have “the Pottery War” and what was the significance of that war in East Asia (and Europe)? The third theme, the Jesuits and the Arts, looks at the hybrid blend of two or more traditions and the artistic productions that arose from those blends. We also will examine together the paintings of Asian and European artists, the paintings of European artists on Asian themes with a traditional Asian medium, and the work of Asian painters’ on European subject matter with a European medium. The last theme, Asian art in Europe, scrutinizes the Western reception of Asian subjects, motifs, designs, and aesthetic values, and their appropriation for artistic productions. European interpretation (or imitation) of Chinese arts, so called Chinoiseries, and the Japanese influence on European art, known as Japonism, will be closely examined. Through lectures, readings, and films, we will explore the historical and artistic links between East and West and some selected art associated with those routes. This course requires no previous experience, but is intended for those who like interdisciplinary approaches to art and culture. No previous coursework is required.
Instructor
Kim
Cross Listed Courses
ASCL 70.02