Asian Art

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the link between Asian Art and anthropology through the study of a figure from the T?ang Dynasty (618-907) entitled ?Figure: Tomb-guardian creature (zhenmushou) and dates circa 700-740?S1997.25?. It looks at how the figure gives an insight into the way of life during the T?ang Dynasty (618-907). It demonstrates how the art of China?s earliest dynastic periods focused on the cult of the dead and the afterlife and how kings and their officers constructed and decorated lavish tombs which needed to be safeguarded from evil spirits. It shows how the figure in the gallery is obviously a depiction of one of these these warlike figures who stood to protect the dead.

From the Paper:

"There are some ways in which this relic is not representative of the later T?ang dynasty. "By the time China was unified under the T"ang"in the seventh century, the subject matter of art had become more cosmopolitan and worldly. Secular architecture reached unprecedented grandeur, landscape painting and portraiture flourished, and technological advances in ceramics led to the development of fine porcelain" (Nelson 2000 p.1) This tomb guardian, while ascribed to the later T?ang dynasty, does not seem to match Dr. Nelson's description, because this is somewhat primitive in its execution."

More papers on Asian Art:

• Analytical Essay # 106224 : "Art, Sex, and Freedom of Expression in Asian Art"
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• Analytical Essay # 37727 : "Asian Studies"

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