Syllabus
Principles of Chinese Art. Two Millennia of Chinese Painting, Sculpture and Applied Arts
Michaela Pejčochová, Ph.D.
* FF UK, Celetná, room no. 506, Wednesdays 5:30 PM
* Syllabus of the course, summer term 2024 (11 lessons):
* 21 February introduction overview of the course historical periods systems of thought in ancient China: Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism hierarchy of genres in art collections of Chinese art around the world
* 28 February ancient art I ceramics bronzes jade
* 6 March ancient art II ancestral worship tomb sculpture architecture
* 13 March theory of the arts in China calligraphy
* 20 March painting I genres and techniques of painting in China conventions of depicting reality
* 27 March painting II literati culture
* 3 April sculpture
* 10 April ceramics
* 17 April applied arts and crafts
* 24 April contacts between China and the Western world and influences in the arts
* 15 May process of modernization of Chinese art modern art in 20th century history of collecting Chinese art in the West
Annotation
Summary of the course:
The course will provide an introduction into the broad topic of the principles of Chinese art and its history over the past two millennia. Based on an hierarchy different from European art, China preferred poetry, calligraphy and painting to architecture and sculpture as the “fine arts” throughout its classical periods. In eleven lectures, principal prerequisites of
Chinese theory of art will be explained, as well as materials and techniques typical for the production of Chinese artworks. Various disciplines of the arts, such as painting, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture, applied arts, and folk art will be introduced one by one, stressing their historical development and theoretical context in which they functioned.
Attention will be paid also to contacts and exchanges of the Chinese cultural world with those of China’s neighbors, above all with Japan, and the rest of the world throughout different historical periods. Collecting of Chinese and Japanese art in the West will be briefly introduced, illuminating the principal factors that influenced the formation of collections in
Europe. In particular, Czech collections and holdings of Chinese and Japanese artworks in the National Gallery in
Prague will be introduced and compared to those in other collections worldwide. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to pay critical attention to Western scholarship on the topic, discuss published materials and present their view of the subject.
Exam requirements:
- written test with multiple choice questions at the end of the semester
- presentation of a short paper (5-10 minutes) on a selected topic during one of the lectures
- active participation in the lectures, discussion and creative approach to the topics