Religious Change and Colonial Rule: The Later Art of South and Southeast Asia

RELIGIOUS CHANGE AND COLONIAL RULE: THE LATER ART OF SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

Shadia Taylor, Catherine Macon, & Kiralina Soare

VOCAB Gouache – painting technique where

pigments are ground in water (very similar to watercolor)

Gopuras – gateway towers Mandapas – pillared halls

INDIA In India, Buddhism was nearing

extinction in the 13th century. Islam was growing, both as a religion

and as a political force. Hinduism was politically in

retreat, though still powerful.

PAINTING Much of early Indian art didn’t survive

because of impermanent materials Only Indian paintings from the 15th and

16th centuries or later have survived in any number

Indian paintings were usually kept in books or made as miniatures, they weren’t meant to be framed

JAHANGIR PREFERRING A SUFI SHAIKH TO KINGS

-The Work functions as a tribute to Jahangir and shaikh Husain as well as the artist (Bichitr)-Creates a unity between himself and the holy man as followers of Allah-A lot of symbolism regarding hierarchy and power (hourglass), he is seen as above the secular and sacred leaders-Mughal patrons demanded a very realistic style for portraits so that viewers could identify them

School of AthensRaphael

BHADRAKALI WITHIN THE RISING SUN The bold areas of color,

stylized figures, and flat picture plane contrast with the realism of Mughal work

Lots of symbolism, and a similar positioning of the most important figure in the center

Mughal court functioned around the emperor and the Hindu court functioned around the deities

KRISHNA AND RADHA IN A PAVILION

Shares with the Mughal paintings naturalistically proportioned individuals who participate in realistic settings

The blue of Krishna is counterbalanced by the ivory color of Radha

Artist took great care depicting details accurately, like the mango tree, the palm leaves, and the designs on the bed

MAHARAJA JASWANT SINGH OF MARWAR

Shows the effects if British rule

Chose to sit in an ordinary chair instead of throne, basically posing as an ordinary British man would

Shows the growth of realism in Indian paintings

KING PHILIP IV OF SPAINDiego Velazquez

ARCHITECTURE

GREAT TEMPLE, MADURAI, INDIA Expanded these complexes outward from the

center by erecting ever larger enclosure walls, punctuated by directional gopuras

Positioned like boxes within boxes, each set of walls had taller gopuras than those of the previous wall.

The towers tended to dwarf the actual temples. Typical of late temples were large and

numerous mandapas as well as great water tanks the worshipers used for ritual bathing

THAILAND Southeast Asians practiced both

Buddhism and Hinduism, but Hinduism was dying out by the 13th century

Two prominent Buddhist kingdoms came to power in Thailand during the 13th and 14th centuries, the Sukhothai and Ayuthaya

WAT MAHAT, SUKHOTHAI, THAILAND The central monument, a stupa, housed a relic

of the Buddha. Although not a circular mound like earlier Indian stupas, it still had a similar function.

A central lotus-bud tower and 8 surrounding towers stand on the stupa’s lower podium.

In front were halls with walls and roof of brick, stucco, wood, and ceramic tiles.

Two monumental standing Buddha images flank the stupa.

WALKING BUDDHA, SUKHOTHAI Sukhothai Buddhas have a flame

leaping from their heads, and a sharp nose projecting from their rounded faces.

A clinging robe reveals rounded limbs. The Buddha strides forward, raising

his heel, and leaving the right arm hanging, almost without any muscles or joints.

The Sukhothai artist intended to express the Buddha’s beauty and perfection.

Walking Buddha versus Virgin of Paris

EMERALD BUDDHA, EMERALD TEMPLE

Actually carved from green jade instead of emerald.

The green jade gives it a magical quality, bringer of rains.

The Thai king dresses the statue in an annual ceremony in robes representing the religious and secular duties attributed to the Buddha.

BURMA Like Thailand, Burma is an

overwhelmingly Buddhist country, in particular Theravada Buddhism.

SHWEDAGON PAGODA, BURMA It houses two of the Buddha’s hairs. Renown for the gold, silver, and jewels

encrusting its surface. At the very top is a seven-tiered

umbrella crowned with a gold ball inlaid with diamonds.

The stupa is at the center of an enormous complex of buildings, including wooden shrines filled with Buddha images.

VIETNAM Vietnamese ceramic tradition goes

back to the Han period of China, but it is less formal than Chinese wares.

CERAMIC DISH, VIETNAM Shows two mynah birds

on a flowering branch. The artist suggested the

foliage by squiggles and looped lines, seldom raising the brush off the surface.

This technique allowed rapid production.

CONTEMPORARY ART IN INDIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

Contemporary art falls into two general categories: Art made following the local traditions

Typically done at the village level Inexpensive materials

Art created for the international market Typically trained outside of home countries

BUDDHA FOOTPRINT, KAMOL TASSANANCHALEE

Part of his Nang-Yai Series. Nang-yai is the Thai term for shadow puppets cut from large pieces of leather and held above the heads of performers by two sticks to a wood frame.

He transformed this Thai folk art by using different materials (paper, acrylic, ink and wooden frame) to create a footprint of the Buddha.