Overview-
- Rapport Building
- About the lesson and Author
- Comprehension
- Assignment and Project
Rapport Building
“Art has the ability to reflect the beauty of the world and the depth of the human soul.” – Unknown
1. How many of you visited an art gallery or any museum? What did you find there?
2. Could you tell us any significance of art galleries?
3. How do you see the artist and painters.
4. Compare the imaginary power of artists with ordinary people.
5. Do you think a painter or artist can be a good story writer?
6. Any Indian artist who got fame globally.
7. Compare the new and ancient arts.
8. What can we predict from the masterpiece of art.
Unit 1 Text
Note: Pronounce the Foreign Names as below
- Wu Daozi: “Woo Dow-zee”
- Emperor Xuanzong: “Em-per-or Shwan-zong”
- Confucius: “Kuhn-fyoo-shuhs”
- Zhuangzi: “Jwahng-zee”
- Flanders: “Flan-durz”
A WONDERFUL old tale is told about the painter Wu Daozi, who lived in the eighth century. His last painting was a landscape commissioned by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, to decorate a palace wall. The master had hidden his work behind a screen, so only the Emperor would see it. For a long while, the Emperor admired the wonderful scene, discovering forests, high mountains, waterfalls, clouds floating in an immense sky, men on hilly paths, birds in flight. “Look, Sire”, said the painter, “in this cave, at the foot of the mountain, dwells a spirit.” The painter clapped his hands, and the entrance to the cave opened. “The inside is splendid, beyond anything words can convey. Please let me show Your Majesty the way.” The painter entered the cave; but the entrance closed behind him, and before the astonished Emperor could move or utter a word, the painting had vanished from the wall. Not a trace of Wu Daozi’s brush was left — and the artist was never seen again in this world.
Such stories played an important part in China’s classical education. The books of Confucius and Zhuangzi are full of them; they helped the master to guide his disciple in the right direction.
Beyond the anecdote, they are deeply revealing of the spirit in which art was considered. Contrast this story — or another famous one about a painter who wouldn’t draw the eye of a dragon he had painted, for fear it would fly out of the painting — with an old story from my native Flanders that I find most representative of Western painting.
Comprehension Questions
- Who was the painter Wu Daozi, and what was the subject of his last painting commissioned by Emperor Xuanzong?
- How did the Emperor react to Wu Daozi’s painting, and what unexpected event occurred when the painter revealed a detail about the painting?
- What role did stories like the one about Wu Daozi play in China’s classical education, and how did they influence the relationship between master and disciple?
- What does the text suggest about the Chinese perspective on art and the significance of hidden elements in a painting, as exemplified by the story of Wu Daozi?
- The text mentions a contrast between Chinese and Western painting. What is the key difference highlighted in the passage regarding the approach to art and painting in these two cultures?
Unit 2 Text
In fifteenth-century Antwerp, a master blacksmith called Quinten Metsys fell in love with a painter’s daughter. The father would not accept a son-in-law in such a profession. So Quinten sneaked into the painter’s studio and painted a fly on his latest panel, with such delicate realism that the master tried to swat it away before he realised what had happened. Quinten was immediately admitted as an apprentice into his studio. He married his beloved and went on to become one of the most famous painters of his age. These two stories illustrate what each form
of art is trying to achieve: a perfect, illusionistic likeness in Europe, the essence of inner life and spirit in Asia.
In the Chinese story, the Emperor commissions a painting and appreciates its outer appearance. But the artist reveals to him the true meaning of his work. The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within. “Let me show the Way”, the ‘Dao’, a word that mean both the path or the method, and the mysterious works of the Universe. The painting is gone, but the artist has reached his goal —beyond any material appearance.
Comprehension Questions
- What was the profession of Quinten Metsys, and how did he manage to gain entry into the painter’s studio to pursue his love interest?
- How does the text highlight the difference between European and Asian art in terms of their objectives and achievements?
- In the Chinese story, what does the Emperor appreciate about the painting, and how does the artist reveal the true meaning of his work?
- What does the term “Dao” mean in the context of the Chinese story, and why is it significant in understanding the artist’s perspective?
- What is the ultimate goal of the artist in the Chinese story, and how does it differ from the Emperor’s understanding of the painting?
Unit 3 Text
A classical Chinese landscape is not meant to reproduce an actual view, as would a Western figurative painting. Whereas the European painter wants you to borrow his eyes and look at a particular landscape exactly as he saw it, from a specific angle, the Chinese painter does not choose a single viewpoint. His landscape is not a ‘real’ one, and you can enter it from any point, then travel in it; the artist creates a path for your eyes to travel up and down, then back again, in a leisurely movement.
This is even more true in the case of the horizontal scroll, in which the action of slowly opening one section of the painting, then rolling it up to move on to the other, adds a dimension of time which is unknown in any other form of painting. It also requires the active participation of the viewer, who decides at what pace he will travel through the painting — a participation which is physical as well as mental. The Chinese painter does not want you to borrow his eyes; he wants you to enter his mind. The landscape is an inner
one, a spiritual and conceptual space.
Comprehension Questions
- How does a classical Chinese landscape painting differ from a Western figurative painting in terms of its purpose and perspective?
- What is the main distinction between the European painter’s approach to portraying a landscape and the Chinese painter’s approach, as mentioned in the text?
- In the case of a horizontal scroll, how does the act of slowly opening one section and rolling it up add a unique dimension to the viewing experience of a Chinese landscape painting?
- What level of participation does the Chinese painter expect from the viewer, and how does it affect the viewing experience, both mentally and physically?
- How does the text describe the Chinese landscape as portrayed in paintings, emphasizing its nature as an inner, spiritual, and conceptual space?
Unit 4 Text
This concept is expressed as shanshui, literally ‘mountain water’ which is used together to represent the word ‘landscape’. More than two elements of an image, these represent two complementary poles, reflecting the Daoist view of the universe. The mountain is Yang — reaching vertically towards Heaven, stable, warm, and dry in the sun, while the water is Yin — horizontal and resting on the earth, fluid, moist and cool. The interaction of Yin, the receptive, feminine aspect of universal energy, and its counterpart Yang, active and masculine, is of course a fundamental notion of Daoism. What is often overlooked is an essential third element, the Middle Void where their interaction takes place. This can be compared with the yogic practice of pranayama; breathe in, retain, breathe out — the suspension of breath is the Void where meditation occurs. The Middle Void is essential — nothing can happen without it; hence the importance of the white, unpainted space in Chinese landscape. This is also where Man finds a fundamental role. In that space between Heaven and Earth, he becomes the conduit of communication between both poles of the Universe. His presence is essential, even if it’s only suggested; far from being lost or oppressed by the lofty peaks, he is, in Francois Cheng’s wonderful expression, “the eye of the landscape”.
Project Work and Assignment
Create Debate on the following topics among students
- “Is Painting Still a Relevant Form of Art in the Digital Age?”
- “The Importance of Art Education: Should Fine Arts Be a Mandatory Part of the School Curriculum?”
- “The Role of Public Art in Enhancing Urban Spaces in the 21st Century.”
- “Art as a Reflection of Society: How Can Paintings Address Contemporary Social Issues?”
- “The Influence of Technology on Contemporary Art: Does Digital Art Challenge Traditional Painting?”
- “The Value of Art Museums in Preserving Cultural Heritage and Promoting Creativity.”
- “Art and Mental Health: Can Engaging in Painting and Fine Arts Improve Well-being?”
- “The Commercialization of Art: Is the Art Market More Important Than Artistic Expression?”
- “Public Funding for the Arts: Should Governments Invest in Supporting Painters and Fine Artists?”
- “Art in the Age of Social Media: Does It Enhance or Dilute the Artistic Experience?”
- “The Role of Traditional Art Techniques in the Digital Art World.”
- “Art and Environmental Sustainability: How Can Paintings Promote Awareness of Climate Change?”
- “The Evolution of Portraiture: Are Selfies Replacing Traditional Portrait Paintings?”
- “The Intersection of Science and Art: How Can Paintings Contribute to Scientific Communication?”
- “Cultural Preservation Through Art: How Can Fine Arts Help Preserve Indigenous Cultures?”
Extempore –
- Best out of the waste
- Significance of visual cultural arts in India.
- Role of the Artist in recycling and environmental conservation.
- Significance of Indian arts and culture worldwide.
- Name some of the artists who are equally good as writers and painters.
Quotes ans Statement
- “Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.” – Plutarch
- “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
- “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” – Henry Ward Beecher
- “A painting is a poem without words.” – Horace
- “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” – Michelangelo
- “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” – Pablo Picasso
- “Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.” – Pablo Picasso
- “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas
- “The painter tries to master color, the composer tries to master sound, but it is the master who transcends the medium to express the ineffable.” – Unknown
- “Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire, and motivate.” – Harvey Fierstein
- “A painting is worth a thousand words, but the emotions it evokes are beyond measure.” – Unknown
- “Creativity knows no boundaries, and the canvas of the human mind is limitless.” – Unknown
- “Art has the ability to reflect the beauty of the world and the depth of the human soul.” – Unknown