Eighth Session

Early Chinese art consisted mostly of pottery and sculptures and was called "stone age art". Afterwards, a series of art dynasties emerged, each one consisting of different characteristics. Each one lasted several hundred years. A few of these cultures include Neolithic Yungshao, Jade, and Xing dynasties.

In early imperial China, there existed a "Terracotta Army", made up of more than 7,000 terracotta figures of warriors and horses. They were buried aside the first emperor of Qin. This type of sculpture was the most popular in Chinese dynasties. They were made to represent something, not just for decoration.

China is known for its vast amounts and use of porcelain. Most chinese pottery is made out of this fast-drying clay. To create a good piece of porcelain pottery, one must know how to handle it due to its complexion. This beautiful material was once very high priced.

Chinese art is known for depicting beautiful scenes and landscapes. The first one to become known was one displaying a depth scene made up of roads and walls, which was buried in a tomb near Zhengzhou. The oldest known painting of a landscape is one of the Sui Dynasty.

Buddhism, even though it is a religion, was a great influence to Chinese art. This mostly consisted of statues, and the Chinese incorporated some of their strongest traits into this type of art. Their objective was to portray their ideals in a direct and realistic way.

Calligraphy, along with art, was the most appreciated form of art in Ancient China. It was produced not only by highly successful artists, but by anyone who had the skills to master the brushwork technique that is needed to create this form of art. Due to the sensibility that one has to acquire in order to do this, calligraphy was considered one of the highest and purest forms of painting. The materials used were only ink and fine brushes; the printing was done on silk before the paper was invented.

Africa is a large continent with a great variety of landscapes. Like its natural diversity, it is made up of many different cultures. Each of these cultures has different artistic characteristics and techniques that make them unique. Even though the Sahara dessert serves as a barrier between the vast land, this didn't stop these cultures and customs to merge. Thanks to their art, these cultures have preserved and can be admired even today.

An important aspect of african art is that its purpose is not to decorate, but to tell a story. It is always related to the culture and their beliefs, and is always created alongside a religious ritual. Their religion played a very important role in the lives of African people and their art reflected this. Their most important beliefs were unity and harmony, so they incorporated this into their two forms of major art: Masks and fetiches. Masks were believed to captivate the spirits' supernatural energy. Fetiches were enhanced with super powers that represented either good or evil influences. These both were created by their specific rituals.

Each region was specialized in different forms of art. The religios are, which were mostly Islamic and Orthodox, began with painting and than started experimenting with architecture which mostly covered huts and cabins. The zone located between the Sudan and south of the Sahara mostly focused on decoration ad art for personal use. They were mostly inspired in animals. The agricultural villages created sculptures and figurines, incorporating steel for the first time.

African art reflects the diversity and richness that Africa owns in culture. The abstractness and inspiration that their art reflects has influenced artists all around the world and is still appreciated today.