The Importance Of Asian Art

The United States is the "land of the free, and the home of the brave" according to the song, but there is a dichotomy that exists between those who have called the United States their home for a long period of time, and those who are immigrating to the US. Asian Americans are a group that very few think of as having difficulties because the stereotype is of a group that is intelligent and is actually doing better than the average American. While this may seem to be true, better grades in a school setting does not mean that people who come from other countries are not experiencing racism (both overt and subtle), stereotyping and alienation in this country. Although there has been some difficulty, many groups are experiencing newfound hope because of the actions that they are taking. The plight, and the hope of the Asian cultures are being documented by artists of different stripes who are eager to depict what has happened to Asians as they try to build their own America, and assimilate into the one that was built before they came. In this paper, the Asian American cultures will be examined through the art that has been produced over the many years that Asian people have striven to make their way as new Americans.

Around the age of six years old, Hokusai began painting and even spent time as an apprentice wood-carver in his youth. He began the art of print making when he was eighteen. His most famous painting, The Great Wave, can be seen in museums all over the world even though Japan delayed it from catching on worldwide. Many believe that it was painted in the early 1800s, but Japan was not interacting culturally with other countries apart from trade with China and Korea. It wasn’t until 1859 when the Japanese were forced to open their ports that prints of The Wave spread across Europe. Originally, this piece wasn’t viewed as real art by Japanese politicians and art historians. Wood-block printing was used for commercial use and as a popular form of expression. The Japanese government wasn’t too thrilled “that such a seemingly lowbrow art form had come to define them” (15 Things). About five thousand to eight thousand prints were made but it is speculated that only a few hundreds of The Great Wave remain. The painting actually inspired music like Debussy’s La Mer.

The Han China and Classical Athens’ culture also had a huge different to how the arts were created. The arts of the Athenians were more focus on themselves, the human body. For example, on the front cover page, there is a drawing or statue of a Greek man, the Greek man is standing in a weird position with his arms pointing down, there are a few lines emphasizing his muscles, torso, biceps, etc. (Front Cover). While the art of the Han China were more focus on the landscapes and scenes surround them, along with the serenity and balance of the world drawn on to canvases in great details (document L). In most paintings, the five Chinese elements called Wu Xing will most likely be included in the paintings; the five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Looking at Ch’iu Ying’s painting, you can clearly see the how Wu Xing is being presented in the painting, how the trees and mountains were presented in the background (document L). However, as you can see in the painting, there are only two men in the painting, this could mean that humans were inconsiderable in their arts (document L). As a conclusion, the two artistic styles were complete different from each other, the Han’s arts were more focus on nature in great details, while the Athenians’ art were more focus on the human body.

It is estimated that 5000-8000 prints were made during this process, which makes it very valuable. Although prints were one cheap, prints are actually very valuable now. In the print, it is shown that there is a mountain in the background, behind the wave. Which is kinda the whole point of the painting, “the great wave off Kanagawa”. In the print, it shows a wave, but this wave is not a tsunami but called things like “freak wave” or “monster wave”, which makes it nonetheless deadly. In the print, it is shown that there are boats trying to fight the wave, which is confused to be Japanese inspired but that's just its style. It's funny because Japanese politicians don't even view it as Japanese art, which is mostly why Hokusai considered it a failure. Japan even delayed this artwork from being catching on worldwide.

Japan is been always known for their unique artstyle, but none is more influential on both Japanese and western cultural than Katsushika Hokusai. Many consider his paintings the pinnacle of art in the Edo period. The old man of many names is a true part of both japanese and art culture.

This was an influential import and made a huge impact on the Japanese community. There is a mixture of both drawn and photographed images within this chapter. Japanese artists mainly produced images that are printed or hand drawn, while western artists produced the photographed images. The chapter overall includes both a mixture of Japanese and western artists. The images within the chapter portray the viewpoint of the artist who was present at the time of the

The painting shows man and nature in harmony. A clear sign that he focused mostly on drawing is the geometric forms used in the painting. He used very calm tonality to give it the calmness. His artwork and brushwork are very fluid and focused. This painting has no historical meaning because this painting was after his transition from historical to landscape. Instead of telling a story it is supposed to evoke a calm mood. The golden light contributes to its peacefulness. Now that I have explained both paintings individually, in the following paragraph I will talk about their differences and what makes them different.

One of the most prevalent issue in today’s world is racism. The prejudice and racism against Asian Americans seems to never end. Either it’s a nasty side remark about one’s looks or a judgment about one’s personality and abilities. In high school, one of my best friends was Vietnamese and I remember her going through quite a bit of problems. She was most definitely stereotyped and was supposed to be good at math and science, when in truth, she was horrible at both subjects. Instead, she loved history, cooking, and art. Offensive and wrong situations, similar to these, have been seen throughout history and are still seen today. My only wish is that by understanding Asian American culture and history, we can prevent the creation of stereotypes about people, as well as end the discrimination and make sure these events are never repeated.

Orientalism has led to a false representation of Asia and the people who come from and live there. Due to these false assumptions of how Asians are portrayed as, many Asian-Americans have struggled with their lives. These struggles ranged from some being persecuted for being a certain race and others for finding it hard to see themselves being represented fairly in media. Asian-Americans have been largely misrepresented and are seen as the “Others”. However, many Asian-American artist, all with different backgrounds, have found ways to bring Orientalist views into questioning and tried to better represent themselves and the Asian-American community. Dumbfounded, Mary Im, and the trio Iijima, Miyamoto, and Chin have all challenged Orientalist

Zhao Mengfu, a main calligrapher of his time, set the course of researcher painting by solidly building up its two essential precepts: restoration through the investigation of antiquated models and the use of calligraphic standards to painting. In Twin Pines, Level Distance the scene figure of speech of the Northern Song experts Li Cheng and Guo Xi has turned into a calligraphic style. Instead of essentially portray nature as it gives off an impression of being, Zhao tried to catch its quintessential rhythms. The attributes of rocks and trees, felt by the craftsman and carried on through his calligraphic brushwork, are saturated with an increased feeling of life vitality that goes past insignificant representation.

All over the world, art is used to represent many things, especially the artist's imagination

While Qiu’s work depicts the prosperity of Suzhou in the middle era of the Ming dynasty, Zhang’s painting shows the daily life of people in Kaifeng during the Song dynasty. Qiu Ying’s buildings are more structured and grand, even the shops appear more spacious. The scenes in this painting represent an important page in Chinese history by combining the history and reality of a genre painting. So many landmark buildings in Suzhou are clearly recognizable which show the developed economy and traditions of the Ming dynasty and the artist’s own style. Qiu Ying uses the traditional blue-and-green style in this painting, leading to a beautiful picture which is filled with bright green mountains and clear blue

Almost instantaneously recognizable, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (woodblock, 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in, c. 1830-32), created by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in 1830, beautifully captures the graceful, swelling movement of a crashing tsunami. Because of the way in which line and proportion are utilized, this woodblock print gracefully portrays the sheer power of the ocean. Derived from the Edo period in nineteenth century Japan, this classic was the first of a series of works from Hokusai titled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, all of which effortlessly depict the mountain in a wide array of angles and scenery. Arguably, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is the most iconic and cherished piece of Japanese artwork in the world. Even more importantly, Hokusai is considered prominent father figure for both Japanese art, as well as Western modernization as a whole. The Great Wave truly displays how tiny and weak man is compared to the force of nature. Not only is The Great Wave a quintessential piece of art, but it established a piece in the comprehensive networks of art, trade, and politics, that has instilled a tremendous positive impact on the twenty first century.

Many artists in Europe and America were influenced by the influx of Japanese design and ukiyo-e prints from the 18th and 19th centuries. Vincent Van Gogh was one such artist. While he was in Paris, he came into contact with many different styles of art, including Japanese woodblock print art, which became the source for his artistic creativity behind his work, The Courtesan (after Eisen) (see figure 1). This work is an oil on canvas painting that Van Gogh produced in 1887. The work is a form of Japonisme because Van Gogh based it on multiple Japanese artists’ block prints. Van Gogh used a block print by Keisai Eisen as the basis for the main subject of his work and he used block prints from multiple other Japanese artists’ as the basis for the border for the work. Although, he used these prints as inspiration he didn’t leave them exactly as they were, in his rendition he added brighter colors and stronger contrasts to add more dimension, and he used additional prints to frame out the final work. Vincent Van Gogh was inspired to paint the painting after seeing a reproduction of a print that was on the May 1886 cover of Paris Illustré that was by Keisai Eisen. (“Vincent Van Gogh”).

When one comes into contact with a Chinese painting, the style is almost instantly recognizable. The attention to detail, craftsmanship, and vast depictions of elaborate landscapes appear to pay homage to mother earth in an attempt to reach a state of eternal balance with nature and life. Before this equilibrium could be achieved, one must attain internal discipline. This was required before one began mastering their brushwork in Chinese culture. In Mai Mai Sze’s “The Way of Chinese Painting,” 1959, New York: Vintage Books, Random House, Sze discusses the philosophy known as Daoism/Tao, or “the way.” Before one became a skilled painter, one trained in the personal disciplines of poetry, art, calligraphy, and internal