Art

One has but to glance at the articles on Art in any Encyclopaedia, and to note the dates upon which the great majority of books on Chinese Art have been published, and one realizes that the knowledge, among Occidentals, of this great branch of human culture is in its very infancy. Much study has been devoted to the subject within the last decade, but until further translations of the voluminous catalogues and histories comjiiled by the Chinese themselves are available, antil the ideals of the nation are more clearly I iprasped, dogmatic decisions are most dangerous. Certain it is that Art which is " the external manifestation of the idea, the revelation of the invisible reality through the senses " (Lilly) has flourished among the Chinese since a hoary antiquity; and since the most important "idea" of man is that connected with his religion it may be well to consider briefly the original Eeligion of China and its relationship with Art. This ancient Faith is divided by Chinese scholars into three periods; (i), the Primal-ancient, a monotheism, a worship of Shang Ti the only God in Heaven; this lasted until the rise of the Chou dynasty (1122 b.c.) and then gave way to a (ii), clearly defined dualism, when the worship of Earth was added to that of Heaven, and when a belief in gods and spirits many and various, became rife in the land. Now, as the Chinese are, and have been since the legendary times, an agrarian people to whom the succe or failure cf their crops means life or death, it is not strange that these spirits should, in their idea, dwell in the mountains and rivers, the clouds which control the life-giving showers, and other natural objects. Of these spirits no images were made, but symbols suggesting them ornamented the utensils of every-day use, and the bronze ve els which served in the religious rites. Thus came Chinese Art to birth. From that day to this symbols have played an all-important part in its each and every branch; in fact no intelligent study of the subject is po ible without some knowledge of symbolism. The third period, known as the " Near Ancient," stretched to some epoch subsequent to our era and was materialistic or, more strictly, agnostic, with echoes of the old monotheism. It saw the rise of Con fuci an ism and Taoism, as well as the introduction of Buddhism. Ideals became naturally more complex and man, striving to expre these ideals, developed art in many forms, while he began to fashion his gods (now becoming more and more numerous ) in his own image. The most ancient relics of Chinese art extant are the bronze ve els and the jade carvings which date from periods prior to that turning-point in Chinese history, the rise of the Chou dynasty. The next medium of which the Chinese artist in those far off days availed himself to expre his nascent ideas, was stone, and various carved slabs dating from the Han dynasty (b.c. 206 — a.d. 25) are still to be seen, while the famous " stone drums " which stand at the entrance to the Confucian temple at Peking are the most precious relics of the Chou. Pottery next claimed his attention, and as soon as the invention of the writing brush ( which invention is attributed to the General M£ng T'ien, appointed by Shih Huang Ti, b.c. 221—209, to 48 superintend the building of the Great Wall ) was perfedted, painting was added to the Arts of China. This reached its highest point of excellence during the T'ang and Sung dynasties (a.d. 618—1280) also known as the Golden Age of Chinese literature. The various arts were perfected from this period on; the magnificent spontaneity of the early days ga"e way to a polished refinement of great charm, which, unfortunately has degenerated in our day into a conventionalized use of the symbols which have become stereotyped through the ages. It is not too much, however, to hope that a renais.sance may take place; that when China shall have pa ed through the present stage of transition, to her old vital appreciation of the forces of Nature, — which appreciation is the very root of her great Art — she will add that of the best forces in World Civilization as it develops to-day. To realize that firm grounds exist for this hope one has but to converse with a Chinese connoi eur, to grasp his keen appreciation of all that is best and greatest in the artistic productions of his Land, and his realization that the productions IMG:p48_1.png:Chinese characters the moment are weak and lacking in vitality. See Architecture; Bronze; Cloisonne; Embroidery; Enamel; Gla ; Jade; Jewellery; Lacquer, Painting, Porcelain, Pottery, Sculpture, Symbolism, and Wood-carving. Paleglogue: L'art chino is, 1887; Btjshell: Chinese Art, 1904; Munster berg: Chines is che Kunstgeschichte, 1911. [F.A.]