Art in the Ming and Qingdynasties

Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)

• The Ming Dynasty, or anachronistically referred to as Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history",was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans. Although the Ming capital Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng who established the Shun Dynasty, which was soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, regimes loyal to the Ming throne (collectively called the Southern Ming) survived until 1662.

Ming Dynasty

• Ming rule saw the construction of a vast navy and a standing army of one million troops.

• There were enormous construction projects, including the restoration of the Grand Canal and the Great Wall and the establishment of the Forbidden City in Beijing during the first quarter of the 15th century. Estimates for the late-Ming population vary from 160 to 200 million. The Ming dynasty is often regarded as both a high point in Chinese civilization as well as a dynasty in which early signs of capitalism emerged.

Ming dynasty

Ming Dynasty art

• Ming Dynasty art can be called the completion of the typical Chinese art style that is known to the west. When the third emperor of Ming, reign motto Yongle, moved the capital to Beijing, he had built a huge palace, the Forbidden City that is well preserved until today and is one of the most popular tourist spots in China. Its red painted buildings with the yellow glazed tiles are typical for Chinese official buildings in late imperial China. The temple halls - that are almost equally constructed like the buildings in the imperial city - are decorated with statues of Buddhist and Taoist legends and myths. Many of these statues were made during Ming Dynasty.

Ming dynasty art

• Many Ming time imperial tombs are also well preserved. Private gardens were already created during Song Dynasty, especially in the south, but many of the famous gardens in China come from late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Ming chinaware or porcelain keeps up the tradition of the Yuan Dynasty typical white-blue porcelain with its plates, bowls, cups and vases, but other colors are also employed, especially red. Pictorial art of Ming Dynasty painters and artists continues with the traditional motifs of landscape, bamboo leafs, animals, and so on, but for the first time we find many portraits of private patrons or clients.

Ming dynasty paintings

• During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Chinese painting developed greatly from the achievements in painted art during the earlier Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. The painting techniques which were invented and developed before the Ming period became classical during this period. More colours were used in painting during the Ming Dynasty. Seal brown became much more widely used, and even over-used during this period. Many new painting skills/techniques were innovated and developed, calligraphy was much more closely and perfectly combined with the art of painting. Chinese painting reached another climax in the mid-, late- Ming Dynasty. The painting was derived in a broad scale, many new schools were born, and many outstanding masters emerged.

• Painting by the Chinese Ming Dynasty artist Chen Hongshou (1599-1652)

A Fisher in Autumn, by Tang Yin, 1523 AD

An anchorite, by Dai Jin, Zhejiang School of Painting

A painting of birds by Bian Wenzhi, 1413 AD

Anonymous artist of the 17th century, late Ming Dynasty painting “Peach

Festival of the Queen Mother of the West”

Tang Yin’s painting

Ming Dynasty art

• As in earlier dynasties, the Ming Dynasty saw a flourishing in the arts, whether it was painting, poetry, music, literature, or dramatic theater. Carved designs in lacquerwares and designs glazed onto porcelain wares displayed intricate scenes similar in complexity to those in painting. These items could be found in the homes of the wealthy, alongside embroidered silks and wares in jade, ivory, and cloisonné.The houses of the rich were also furnished with rosewood furniture and feathery latticework.

Ming Dynasty art

• There were many famous visual artists in the Ming period, including Ni Zan, Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, Qiu Ying, Dong Qichang, and many others. They drew upon the techniques, styles, and complexity in painting achieved by their Song and Yuan predecessors, but added some new techniques and styles. Well-known Ming artists could make a living simply by painting, due to the high prices they demanded for their artworks and the great demand by the highly cultured community to collect precious works of art. The artist Qiu Ying was once paid 2.8 kg (100 oz) of silver to paint a long handscroll for the occasion of an eightieth birthday celebration for the mother of a wealthy patron.Renowned artists often gathered an entourage of followers, some who were amateurs who painted while pursuing an official career and others who were full-time painters.

Forbidden City

• The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.

• Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Forbidden City

MeridianGate

The Forbidden City, viewed from Jingshan Hill to the north

Forbidden City map

• Plan of the Forbidden City. Labels in red are used to refer to locations throughout the article. - - - Approximate dividing line between Inner (north) and Outer (south) Courts. A. Meridian GateB. Gate of Divine MightC. West Glorious GateD. East Glorious GateE. Corner towersF. Gate of Supreme HarmonyG. Hall of Supreme HarmonyH. Hall of Military EminenceJ. Hall of Literary GloryK. Southern Three PlacesL. Palace of Heavenly PurityM. Imperial gardenN. Hall of Mental CultivationO. Palace of Tranquil Longevity

Temple of Heaven

• The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.

The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations

Ming Dynasty ceramics

• Throughout the Ming dynasty, dragon and phoenix were the most popular decorative motifs on ceramic wares. Other animals, plant forms, and human figures in garden and interior setting were often used as decors for blue and white wares. It has been noted that after Wan Li (1573-1620), very few ceramic wares of the Ming dynasty bear reign marks.

• From the Ming period porcelain objects were manufactured that achieved a fusion of glaze and body traditionally referred to as "ivory white" and "milk white."

Ming Dynasty ceramics

• Statue of Kuan Yin, Ming Dynasty, by Chaozhong He

Ming dynasty ceramics

• Italian pottery of the mid-15th century shows heavy influences from Chinese ceramics. A Sancai ("Three colors") plate (left), and a Ming-type blue-and-white vase (right), made in Northern Italy, mid-15th century.

A Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain dish with depiction of a dragon

A Ming Dynasty porcelain bowl with flower designs

Jiajing covered jar with green dragon and cloud design

Ming Dynasty Yongle reign monk's cap white pitcher

Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty(1644–1912 )

• The Qing Dynasty also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 (with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917). It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China.

• The dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro in what is today northeast China (also known as Manchuria). Starting in 1644 it expanded into China proper and its surrounding territories, establishing the Empire of the Great Qing. During its reign the Qing Dynasty became highly integrated with Chinese culture. The dynasty reached its height in the 18th century, during which both territory and population were increased. However, its military power weakened thereafter and faced with massive rebellions and defeat in wars, the Qing Dynasty declined after the mid-19th century. The Qing Dynasty was overthrown following the Xinhai Revolution, when the Empress Dowager Longyu abdicated on behalf of the last emperor, Puyi, on February 12, 1912.

Qing Dynasty art

• Qing Dynasty art can be called a culmination of all art styles that have been developed during the past 2500 years. Unlike Ming artists, artisans, painters, calligraphers and craftsmen during the Qing period used very old forms and shapes for their works of art.

• The typical bluegreen of the Ming chinaware changed to a broader palette of colors, ranging from orange to green and gold; Qing chinaware is much more colorful than the former types. New materials extensively used now are enamel, cloisonne and glass ware. Materials like jade, gold and cloisonne are first combined in a single art object. Additionally, a dark wooden base for vases or other items came up.

Qing Dynasty art

• With the advent of Christian missionaries in China, Chinese painters learned from the Jesuits Western painting techniques like perspective and the use of oil-paint instead of monochrome ink.

• Even buildings and palaces were constructed according to Western style, like the Yuanmingyuan Palace 圓明園 that was destroyed in the 19th century. Typical for Qing Dynasty private houses are the many gardens laid out by rich families in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Qing Dynasty painting

• Three principal groups of artists were working during the Qing: the traditionalists, who sought to revitalize painting through the creative reinterpretation of past models; the individualists, who practiced a deeply personal form of art that often carried a strong message of political protest; and the courtiers, the officials, and the professional artists who served at the Manchu court.

The traditionalists painters

• The traditionalists tended to be eclectic and painted with great virtuosity in one or another of the many earlier styles.

• The most famous traditionalists is Wang Hui(1632-1717)

Traditionalists Painting

• Wang Hui, A Thousand Peaks and Myriad Ravines 1693

Traditionalists Painting

Individualists painters

• The individualists painters of Qing are among the most spirited and exciting artists in China’s long history.

• They departed so far from traditions that they were little appreciated outside their own circles and only now are becoming generally recognized.

Gong Xian

• His paintings are monumentally organized compositions made up of strong vertical and horizontal forms built up from soft, broad strokes. The ink tones range from almost pure white paper to deep rich blacks.

• There is a stark somberness about these paintings that indicates that landscape was a source of awe and mystery, not a subject for making mere pictures of scenery.

Individualist paintings

Individualists painting

Architecture of the Qing Dynasty

• The Qing dynasty (1616-1911) was the last feudal dynasty of China. Buildings of this period mainly followed the Ming architectural style, but were further refined.

Beijing remained the capital and its architecture remained essentially unchanged. It had 20, grand city gates. The Zhengyang Gate, in the inner city, was the grandest. The Qing dynasty continued to use the Ming emperor palaces and they constructed many large-scale emperor gardens like the gorgeous Winter Palace and the Summer Palace.Structures built during this time introduced the use of glass and made advancements in the use of brick and stone.

Zhengyang Gate

• Zhengyang Gate is located on the south-north axis of Beijing, south of the Tian'anmen Square and north of Qianmen Street. Now only the city tower and the embrasure watchtower are in existence.

Doors can be found in four directions upstairs and downstairs. The tower is 36.7-meter wide, 16.5-meter deep and 27.3-meter high. The whole building is 42 meters in height, which makes the gate the highest among all the gates in Beijing.

Zhengyang Gate

The Old Summer Palace

• The Old Summer Palace, known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness and originally called the Imperial Gardens was a complex of palaces and gardens in Beijing. It is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northwest of the walls of the Imperial City, built in the 18th and early 19th century, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs (the Forbidden City was used for formal ceremonies).

• Known for its extensive collection of garden and building architectures and other works of art .The Imperial Gardens were destroyed by British and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War. Today, the destruction of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still regarded as a symbol of foreign aggression and humiliation in China.

Old summer palace

Looting of the Old Summer Palace by Anglo French forces in 1860

Old Summer Palace painting

Qing Dynasty Ceramics

• Ceramics and the minor arts attained unprecedented heights of technical excellence during the Qing dynasty. Many new types of glazes were developed so that an entire rainbow range of hue was available

Qing Dynasty ceramics and porcelain

Four ritual porcelain water vessels with elephant-trunk spouts, from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796)

Qing Dynasty ceramics and porcelain

End of report :pthx for listening