Chinese History: Bowser Museum

China has changed in certain ways and remained the same in others from the early Golden Ages to the late 1900s. China has experienced a series of cultural and political transformations, shaping the lives of many Chinese citizens. Culturally, the country’s art and literature hardly changed for almost eight hundred years. Along with their culture, China remained politically the same from the beginning of the Golden Ages all the way until the 1800s. On the other hand, China’s government and society were restructured after new leaders took over. From a monarch to total communism, China’s society had a multitude of new ideas and policies they had to adapt to.

On Saturday, January 23rd, 2016, I visited the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California. I observed several exhibitions on display, and I ultimately decided to write my report on Fannie Eliza Duvall’s Confirmation Class. Confirmation Class is an oil painting on canvas, and measures 20 by 30 inches. The painting with origins in Los Angeles, California, was produced in 1897, and was one of the first paintings done by a local artist to adopt new theories of Impressionism through California themes. What attracted me to this painting was the selection of the warm color scheme used to create a relaxing and pleasant drawing to look at as opposed to the larger selection of abstract and non-representational art on display at the Bowers Museum. Another reason as to why I chose to write my report on this specific drawing was the fact that this drawing was from a small bunch produced in my home state of California on display.

eventually melded some styles to have the art and work in general brought to a

Beauty is an incredibly subjective thing; what might seem appealing to one’s eyes may be horrendously ugly in the eyes of another. However, the status of “beautiful” or “ugly” can be assigned rather objectively when art is examined from the perspectives of different philosophies. The beliefs and values of different philosophies can be used to find meaning and beauty in various art forms, allowing for a more straightforward determination of beauty. Because of the many layers of meaning most paintings entail, they are a perfect example of an art form that can be analyzed by numerous philosophical viewpoints to find meaning and beauty, and Ma Yuan’s painting Walking on a Mountain Path in Spring, which comes from the Song dynasty of Chinese and depicts a sole figure standing in a natural surrounding, is no exception. Ma Yuan’s painting is beautiful because it represents the ultimate achievements for the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian philosophies.

China had not been unified in over 300 years before Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan conquered it. With Kublai as emperor, China flourished. The military had use with the Mongols, and the craftsmen were almost worked too much, for the Mongols were fascinated by these beautiful paintings, sculptures, and trinkets. They united china under the Mongol flag and bestowed a golden age on China, promoting trade and unity.(Chapter 12)

1 in 6 adults residing in what was once among the most literate nations in the world have been deemed “functionally illiterate”. During the 1800s, over 90% of the former nations population could speak our native tongue. Currently, only about 0.2% of our population is fluent in the indigenous language. Welcome to Hawaiʻi!

2. Albert M. Craig, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. “China‘s First Empire”. The Heritage of World Civilizations. 1: 1152 (2007, 2005, 2002) Pearson Education, Inc. New

The Bowers Museum is a historical place where multicultural diversities are exhibited through the arts. The museum was founded in 1936 in our lovely city of Santa Ana. This museum is here today because of Charles and Ada Bowers who submitted the bequest to the city of Santa Ana. This museum is one of the largest museums in California and the go to place for Orange County Residents. It was closed down for a period of time and reopened in 1992 as a cultural center. Now they have expanded and added a Kidseum made just for kids. As you walk through the hallways your mind is taken to other parts of the world, as if through magic, we get to see through other cultures eyes. This was my first time stepping foot in a museum so I did not know what to

exhibit allows you to look at a history of Chinese Art dating as far back as 5000 years. starting

The Chinese Empire is a land of innovation, mystery, culture, and art. From mysterious trade partners to military expansionists, the Chinese people have faced a constant evolution of change over their vast history. China’s innovative and advanced mindset has made the West wonder in awe for centuries, and it is difficult to realize that, unlike the West, the East has been the center of technological and industrial advancements for centuries until their eventual decline. Due to China’s vibrant and long past, many have debated which time period was China’s strongest age, and it is difficult to answer this question without clear and precise evidence. Although many Dynasties have been both influential

The Museum of Chinese in America is located in the lower part of Manhattan and is on the edge of Soho and Chinatown. It was founded in 1980, was dedicated in preserving and presenting the history, heritage and presenting the history, heritage, culture and diverse experiences of people of Chinese descent in the United States. The museum brings 160 years of Chinese history through videos, pictures, and artifacts. The museum also has a broad array of different activities for all ages, and all visitors. The goals of this museum is to make the history of Chinese American more accessible to the public, and to informs, educates, and engages visitors about Chinese American history that is in the making. The museum

In June 1644 Manchu forces was overthrown by Han’s who renamed their imperial throne, “Qing Dynasty.” When Rebellion Li Zicheng and his troops captured Beijing, the Ming emperor hung himself. Manchu’s had no choice by the consolidate all of their power to the former Ming territory. The Qing people rebuilt the size of Ming’s twice as big so that their territory can control a multiethnic empire. The Qing policies were shaped to make to benefit the Han Chinese people. The Han’s also took important chairs under the emperor because they didn’t want Manchu’s to have the ability to rise in power. The last imperial China society was full of war, famine, and diseases. The numbers of sons determined the Macro-patterns of the Chinese population. Some

Enter through a white panel door and into the dark cube of a room. With one single object presented in the only stream of light, the allotted five minutes spent within passes slowly. Once this is over, the viewer is released to explore the exhibit freely, wandering throughout the next nine rooms at their own pace. Objects from the last Chinese dynasty greet the viewer’s eyes, drawing them further into each room. Pottery, clothing, furniture, and paintings are spread throughout each themed room depicting different parts of life in the Qing Dynasty. In this exhibit, Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty, Robert Wilson transforms his love and talent for theater into an exhibit about objects from China’s past. Creative lighting, sound effects,

In 2015, the Metropolitan Museum held an art exhibition called China: Through the Looking Glass. This exhibition focused on how western fashion has been influenced by Chinese aesthetics, and how many inspirations Chinese culture has fueled the fashionable imagination over the centuries. It covered aspects from traditional arts such as clothing design, painting and porcelain to modern arts like fashion, fine art and filmmaking. The exhibition

Throughout the vast history of art, historians can find connections throughout the centuries. Artists from the beginning of humankind have been inspired by the world around them. From the Apollo 11 stones to present day, history and culture have provided inspiration and have been the focus of various pieces. Examining artwork from the 15th-18th century, viewers can be shown a whole world that would be unknown to us without these artist’s contributions. History, religion, and cultural events have sculpted the art world, and we can observe this through many pieces during the 15th-18th centuries.