East Asian Arts & Crafts - PDF

**QUARTER 2: ARTS 8- ARTS and CRAFTS in EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES** **ARTS and CRAFTS in JAPAN** **1. WOODBLOCK PRINTING-** Originating in the **Edo period (17th-19th centuries)**, **UKIYO-E** is a *traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique.* It played a *crucial role in **depicting scenes from...

**QUARTER 2: ARTS 8- ARTS and CRAFTS in EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES** **ARTS and CRAFTS in JAPAN** **1. WOODBLOCK PRINTING-** Originating in the **Edo period (17th-19th centuries)**, **UKIYO-E** is a *traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique.* It played a *crucial role in **depicting scenes from daily life, kabuki actors, landscapes, and beautiful women. Ukiyo-e prints were affordable and accessible to a broad audience***, contributing to the development of a popular visual culture. Influenced Western artists such as **Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet**, showcasing the global impact of Japanese art. **2. ORIGAMI-** the art of paper folding, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and has spiritual significance. Origami came from the words -- 'ori' meaning folding, and 'kami' meaning paper. Flowers, animals, birds, fish, geometric shapes and dolls are the common models used in Japanese Origami. It symbolizes simplicity, patience, and precision, reflecting traditional Japanese values. Origami is often used in traditional ceremonies, including weddings and funerals. **3. THEATER MASK/FACE PAINTING-** Masks or Face painting is a common practice in various traditional Japanese performing arts, such as Noh and Kabuki. The elaborate and symbolic designs help portray characters and convey emotions to the audience **4. ANIME and MANGA**- Contemporary forms of artistic expression that have gained global popularity. They reflect modern Japanese culture, societal concerns, and technological advancements. Anime and manga often explore diverse themes, from fantasy and science fiction to romance and slice of life. - **ANIME-** It is hand-drawn and computer animation originating from Japan. One of the most distinctive characteristics of anime resides in the characters\' faces. Characters may possess bodies with relatively proportional body parts, the heads, hair, and facial expressions are usually exaggerated and brightly colored. - **MANGA-** It refer to both comics and cartooning; Manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Manga characters almost always have large eyes, small mouths, and abnormal hair color. These things give their characters a very western look to them **ARTS & CRAFTS IN EAST ASIA (China, Japan and Korea)** **Paintings in China, Japan & Korea** **In East Asia, the objects or items that are usually put into paintings are called subjects, themes or motifs. It may be about animals, people, landscapes, and anything about the environment.** **Early paintings often showed hunting scenes of man chasing various animals such as: horses, rhinoceros, lions, buffaloes, mammoths. These prehistoric paintings were drawn on the walls of caves, blocks of stone, etc. and found all over the world including China. The history of Eastern painting is as old as the civilization of China. Eastern countries continued to influence each other's production of arts over the centuries.** **PAINTING SUBJECTS OR THEMES** **1. CHINA- Flowers and birds, Landscapes, Palaces and Temples, Human Figures, Animals, Bamboos and Stones** **2. JAPAN- Scenes from everyday life and Narrative scenes crowded with figures and details** **3. KOREA- Landscape paintings, Minhwa (the traditional folk painting), Four Gracious Plants (plum blossoms, orchids or wild orchids, chrysanthemums), Bamboo, Portraits** **IMPORTANT ASPECTS IN EAST ASIAN PAINTING** - ***[Landscape Painting]* was regarded as the highest form of Chinese painting. 2 methods of using the brush exist: Gong Bi (fine strokes), that is, drawing details with fine strokes and *rich colors*, and Yi Bi (rough strokes), drawing with rough strokes and *light colors.*** - **They also consider the three concepts of their art: *[Nature, Heaven] and [Humankind (Yin Yang)]*** **[SILK] was often used as the medium to paint upon, but it was quite expensive. When the Han court eunuch, Cai Lun, invented the paper in the 1^st^ Century AD it provided not only a cheap and widespread medium for writing but painting became more economical.** **The *primary influence of Korean paintings were [Chinese Paintings.]* However, Korean paintings have subjects such as *landscapes, facial features, and an emphasis on celestial observation* in keeping with the rapid development of Korean Astronomy.** - **[Mountain and Water] are *important features in Korean landscape painting* because it is a site for building temples and buildings.** - **[Landsape Painting] represents both a portrayal of nature itself and a codified illustration of the human view of nature and the world.** **CALLIGRAPHY- Painting is closely related to calligraphy among the Chinese people. To the Chinese, [Calligraphy] is the *art of beautiful handwriting*. Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is *done with a brush dipped in black or colored ink; oils are not used*. In calligraphy, the popular materials which paintings are made of are *paper and silk.*** **Did you know that the earliest known Chinese logographs *(ancient writing symbols)* are *engraved on the shoulder bones of large animals and on tortoise shells?*** **For this reason, the *script found on these objects* is commonly called [jiaguwen,] or [shell-and-bone script.] It is said that [Cangjie,] the *legendary inventor of Chinese writing*, got his ideas from observing animals' footprints and birds' claw marks on the sand as well as other phenomena. He then started to work out simple images from what he conceived as representing different objects such as:** **KNOT TYING** - **CHINA- Zhongguo is a decorative handicraft art that began as a form of Chinese folk art in the Tang and Song dynasty (960--1279 CE) in China.** - **JAPAN- Hanamusubi is the knot tying of Japan which was influenced by the Chinese. It emphasizes on braids and focuses on individual knots.** - **KOREA- Maedeup or dorae is a traditional Korean ornamental knot. This knot has the same shape at the front and at the back, has bilateral symmetry, and can be made using one or two threads.** **PAPER CUTTING (CHINA)** - It is usually symmetrical in design when unfolded. - It adapts the **12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac** as themes and motifs and mostly chooses the red color. - Chinese Buddhist believes that it ***attracts good luck and drives away evil spirit.*** - **[JIANZI]** is the first type of paper cutting design. **PAPER FOLDING (CHINA)** - **In China, traditional funerals include burning yuanbao which is a folded paper that looks like gold nuggets or ingots called sycee.** - **Sycee is a type of silver or gold ingot currency used in China until the 20th century.** - **This kind of burning is commonly done at their ancestor's graves during the ghost festival.** - **Yuanbao - burned during funerals** **PEKING AND KABUKI FACE PAINTING AND KOREAN MASK** - **Paintings in East Asia do not only apply on paper, silk and wood. Performers of Kabuki in Japan and Peking Opera in China *use their [faces] as the canvas for [painting]* while *[mask painting]* is done in Korea.** - **Peking Opera face painting or *Jingju Lianpu* is done with different colors in *accordance with the performing character's personality and historical assessment.*** - ***Hero type characters* are normally painted in relatively *[simple]* colors. *Enemies, bandits, rebels and others* have *[more complicated designs on their faces. ]*** **CHINA'S FACE PAINTING COLOR MEANING**  ***JAPAN*** ***Kabuki Makeup or Kesho*** is an interpretation of the actor's own role through the medium of facial features. **Kabuki makeup** is also another way of face painting which **has two types:** 1. **Standard makeup - applied to most actors** 2. **Kumadori makeup -- applied to villains and heroes** **Colors in Kabuki makeup are composed of *very dramatic lines and shapes* using colors that represent certain qualities.** 1. 2. **Dark Red -- passion or anger** 3. **Dark blue -- depression or sadness** 4. **Pink -- youth** 5. **Black -- fear** 6. **Light Green -- calm** 7. **Purple -- nobility** ***Mukimiguma* makeup has red *beniguma*,** and is used for roles that are ***[full of youthful sensuality and have a strong sense of justice].*** This makeup is known as** *mukimiguma* **because the **simple shapes resemble [*mukimi*,] shellfish without shells.** ***Sujiguma* makeup has red *beniguma*, and is used for roles that are *heroes with super-human strength, filled with intense anger*. It is called *[sujiguma] because several red kuma are drawn sweeping upwards over the lines of the face [(suji).]* [ ] A triangle in red is added on the chin, and black ink is drawn on the corners of the mouth.** **Korean** is known for ***mask making or [tal ]***which has a religious meaning and artistic origins. **Koreans believe that *evil spirits will be banished when they use mask in funerals.*** They also use it in theatre plays back to the prehistoric age. ***Masks were also used for shamanistic rites*** and were kept within temples where they ***were honored with offerings***. By the 12^th^ century, the ***masks became part of elaborate dances and dramas.*** 1. 2. 3.