The Great Hall Of The People

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.

By comparing The Thirteen Emperors (seventh century A.D) (Figure 1) by Yan Liben (600-673), ink and color on silk, is currently at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Xie Huan (1377-1452)’s Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden (ca. 1437) (Figure 2), ink and color on silk, is currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Both artists used the same subject matter (hand roll), and employed a different repetitive process they convey two distinct ideas; the differences between thirteen emperors in Yan and the idea of confucianism in Huan.

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.

Qing Dynasty is the last empire in China. It was founded by Manchus in 1644 and ended in 1912 after Xianhai Revolution. Even though Qing Dynasty was an empire and was under the discipline of ‘Mandate of Heaven’, it prospered more than the other three governments. In the first 150 years of Qing Dynasty, it enjoyed stability and peacefulness for a long time without being noticed by foreign powers. During this time, even the culture and artistic practices bloomed. The Dream of the Red Chamber, which is China’s greatest novel, was written During Qing Dynasty. People had more time to enjoy their cultural life.

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)

The Federal Hall National Memorial is a national memorial located on 26 Wall Street, Manhattan, New York City. It was first built in the year 1700 to serve as a colonial City Hall established by the British. After the Revolutionary War, it was changed to become the first capitol building of the United States and was named Federal Hall. Federal Hall is no longer a capitol building because the capitol building of the United States was moved to Philadelphia. Important events have taken place in Federal Hall such as the inauguration of George Washington to become the first president of the United States, trial of John Peter Zenger, and the meeting place of the first Congress under the Constitution and the laws they passed.

Last Sunday, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts and walked through the marble corridors in pursuit of Percy’s “it.” I was accompanied by a friend who was in pursuit of taking candid photos. I came in with a set of expectations as Percy writes, “the sightseer measures his satisfaction by the degree to which the [museum] conforms to the preformed complex” (473). When I entered the museum, the quietude of the atmosphere caused me to become drowsy and I quickly looked for the café to drink coffee. Feeling energized, I wandered aimlessly for close to an hour, amazed by the museum’s architecture and rustic paintings displayed. However, being surrounded by great artistic pieces of history, I did not gain the sense of being enriched or enlightened. Due to the nature of the assignment, I was not nearly as interested and felt that I could have been lost in the moment if I had entered on my own free will. That was until I stumbled upon the “Showdown! Kuniyoshi vs. Kunisada” art

The imperial palaces were built on a grand scale, sparing no expense to display the majesty and dignity of the imperial power of the time. Each successive emperor contributed grandeur to the structures, and today, these palaces stand for all to enjoy. Each imperial palace is a testament to the history and glory of Chinese culture. These glorious structures clearly demonstrate the creative essence and imperial traditions of the Chinese

Ever since man began building structures and settling land, art has manifested itself in our architectural creations. Whether it be to celebrate or worship a God or Gods, a grand sculpture to bury a powerful leader or remember them by, or to show a culture’s dedication to specific values, our architectural constructions have led to some of the finest art this Earth has ever seen. The Taj Mahal and Palace of Versailles are two great examples of such art. By examining each of these individually, and then comparing and contrasting them, it will become clear that no matter how different looking these buildings may be, they still serve the same purpose to the civilizations that erected them.

For this museum paper, I went to the Heritage of the Americas Museum at Cuyamaca College. The Heritage of the Americas Museum is a cultural and educational facility featuring the prehistoric and historic art, culture and natural history of the Americas; North, South and Central America. Even though this museum is specializes in housing early inhabitants of the Americas art and artifacts, they do posses some non-western pieces, specifically Chinese, which coincidentally became my favorite item out of all the exhibits and is what I chose to do my research on for this paper. But before I getting into one specific piece out of literally hundreds, I want to rewind back and discuss the Museum’s as a whole, and why I chose this one in particular instead

Positioned alongside Central Park within the heart of New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest and most influential art museums in the world. The Met houses an extensive collection of curated works that spans throughout various time periods and different cultures. The context of museums, especially one as influential as the Met, inherently predisposes its visitors to a set of understandings that subtly influence how they interpret and ultimately construct meanings about each individual object within a museum. By analyzing two separate works on exhibit at the Met, I will pose the argument that museums offer a unique expression of a world view that is dictated through every element of its construction.

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.

Visit any major museum of art, at any given time, and one could find an abundance of monumental names listed on tiny plaques hanging next to even more recognizable works of art. The excitement felt by any art enthusiast when walking into these buildings of time and creation, is undeniable and especially unique. Could it be the atmosphere of the building, the presence of artwork, the people, possibly the grandeur of the space, or perhaps, could it be the spirit of the artists themselves, peering through the work they created?

Chinese traditional architecture so far has shown an important accomplishment in term art and it has always represented the high achievement of China in architecture. With the improvement of international trade together

Whole rooms of palaces were decorated with porcelain, small Chinese-style furniture and wall murals which presented the ideal world that was supposedly China. This essay will explore the