ART 366 - Japanese Ink Painting

3 Credits

The unique form of painting in black ink is a cornerstone of the traditional Japanese (and, in broader terms, all Far Eastern) aesthetics. This course explores the origin of monochrome ink painting in China and its transplantation to Medieval Japan. Students will study the aesthetic, philosophical, social, and technical implications of this art, and parallel to this they will be instructed about how to deconstruct its meaning through systematic formal analysis of different genres (landscape; pictures of Taoist and Buddhist subjects; portraits; and birds and flowers). Special attention is paid to the analysis of permanent motifs, symbolism of images and their iconography. The aesthetics of Zen calligraphy and its relationship to pictorial parts of compositions is discussed as well.
Prerequisite: ART 361 or 369 or instructor permission.
When Offered: Spring

Catalog Year: 2008-2009