Religious Change and Colonial Rule: The Later Art of South and Southeast Asia

Shadia Taylor, Catherine Macon, & Kiralina Soare Religious Change and Colonial Rule: The Later Art of South and Southeast Asia

Gouache – painting technique where pigments are ground in water (very similar to watercolor) Gopuras – gateway towers Mandapas – pillared halls Vocab

In India, Buddhism was nearing extinction in the 13th century. Islam was growing, both as a religion and as a political force. Hinduism was politically in retreat, though still powerful. India

Much of early Indian art didn’t survive because of impermanent materials Only Indian paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries or later have survived in any number Indian paintings were usually kept in books or made as miniatures, they weren’t meant to be framed Painting

-The Work functions as a tribute to Jahangir and shaikh Husain as well as the artist (Bichitr) -Creates a unity between himself and the holy man as followers of Allah -A lot of symbolism regarding hierarchy and power (hourglass), he is seen as above the secular and sacred leaders -Mughal patrons demanded a very realistic style for portraits so that viewers could identify them Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings

School of Athens Raphael

The bold areas of color, stylized figures, and flat picture plane contrast with the realism of Mughal work Lots of symbolism, and a similar positioning of the most important figure in the center Mughal court functioned around the emperor and the Hindu court functioned around the deities Bhadrakali within the Rising Sun

Shares with the Mughal paintings naturalistically proportioned individuals who participate in realistic settings The blue of Krishna is counterbalanced by the ivory color of Radha Artist took great care depicting details accurately, like the mango tree, the palm leaves, and the designs on the bed Krishna and Radha in a Pavilion

Shows the effects if British rule Chose to sit in an ordinary chair instead of throne, basically posing as an ordinary British man would Shows the growth of realism in Indian paintings Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar

King Philip IV of Spain Diego Velazquez

Architecture

Expanded these complexes outward from the center by erecting ever larger enclosure walls, punctuated by directional gopuras Positioned like boxes within boxes, each set of walls had taller gopuras than those of the previous wall. The towers tended to dwarf the actual temples. Typical of late temples were large and numerous mandapas as well as great water tanks the worshipers used for ritual bathing Great Temple, Madurai, India

Southeast Asians practiced both Buddhism and Hinduism, but Hinduism was dying out by the 13th century Two prominent Buddhist kingdoms came to power in Thailand during the 13th and 14th centuries, the Sukhothai and Ayuthaya Thailand

The central monument, a stupa, housed a relic of the Buddha. Although not a circular mound like earlier Indian stupas, it still had a similar function. A central lotus-bud tower and 8 surrounding towers stand on the stupa’s lower podium. In front were halls with walls and roof of brick, stucco, wood, and ceramic tiles. Two monumental standing Buddha images flank the stupa. WatMahat, Sukhothai, Thailand

SukhothaiBuddhas have a flame leaping from their heads, and a sharp nose projecting from their rounded faces. A clinging robe reveals rounded limbs. The Buddha strides forward, raising his heel, and leaving the right arm hanging, almost without any muscles or joints. The Sukhothai artist intended to express the Buddha’s beauty and perfection. Walking Buddha, Sukhothai

Walking Buddha versus Virgin of Paris

Actually carved from green jade instead of emerald. The green jade gives it a magical quality, bringer of rains. The Thai king dresses the statue in an annual ceremony in robes representing the religious and secular duties attributed to the Buddha. Emerald Buddha, Emerald Temple

Like Thailand, Burma is an overwhelmingly Buddhist country, in particular Theravada Buddhism. Burma

It houses two of the Buddha’s hairs. Renown for the gold, silver, and jewels encrusting its surface. At the very top is a seven-tiered umbrella crowned with a gold ball inlaid with diamonds. The stupa is at the center of an enormous complex of buildings, including wooden shrines filled with Buddha images. Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma

Vietnamese ceramic tradition goes back to the Han period of China, but it is less formal than Chinese wares. Vietnam

Shows two mynah birds on a flowering branch. The artist suggested the foliage by squiggles and looped lines, seldom raising the brush off the surface. This technique allowed rapid production. Ceramic dish, Vietnam

Contemporary art falls into two general categories: • Art made following the local traditions • Typically done at the village level • Inexpensive materials • Art created for the international market • Typically trained outside of home countries Contemporary Art in India and Southeast Asia

Part of his Nang-Yai Series. Nang-yai is the Thai term for shadow puppets cut from large pieces of leather and held above the heads of performers by two sticks to a wood frame. He transformed this Thai folk art by using different materials (paper, acrylic, ink and wooden frame) to create a footprint of the Buddha. Buddha Footprint, KamolTassananchalee

Religious Change and Colonial Rule: The Later Art of South and Southeast Asia