Saturday, August 29, 2009

Arts Focus: Lords of the Samurai

An interesting debate is forming about an exhibit on view until September 20 at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco entitled "Lords of the Samurai." Samurai were warriors in premodern Japan. The title alludes to the Hosokawa clan, who were daimyo, or regional lords who grew to prominence after the establishment of military rule in Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). The exhibit features artworks such as paintings, tea utensils, armor, and swords from the Hosokawa family collection in Japan.

However, critics of the exhibit who view it as presenting an orientalizing and exoticizing view of Japanese history have established a spoof website. The banner at the top of the main page reads "Asians Art Museum: Where Asian Still Means Oriental." Among the criticisms leveled against the exhibit are claims that the focus on samurai valorizes warfare, presents an uncritical look at bushido, or the way of the samurai, and that it reduces seven centuries of martial rule to "a single Disney-like trope of gentleman-warrior myth."

Without having seen the exhibit personally, all I can comment upon are the original and spoof websites, and offer up some food for thought. Members of the warrior class played a pivotal role throughout Japanese history as patrons and connoisseurs of the arts, as well as establishing a close religious and artistic connection with Zen Buddhist monks. The selection of objects in the exhibit seems to illustrate the multi-faceted role of samurai in Japanese society well. On the other hand, much of the content on the exhibition website appears to focus upon the martial rather than cultural aspects of the samurai, offering features such as "Making a Samurai Sword," "Explore Samurai Armor," and "The Code of the Samurai."

Lastly, Prof. Morgan Pitelka from Occidental College has written a thoughtful blog post analyzing the role played by museums in disseminating information to the public. He writes that "I have long argued that museums are probably the most important scholarly site in the world we live in for mass education about other nations and cultures." Furthermore, he writes that "Most museum professionals are entirely aware of the incredible responsibility they have in putting on exhibitions that often substitute for a nation’s entire history. Curators know that visitors might feel that having visited a show on the samurai, they have in effect visited Japan itself. This is the wonderful power and also the great danger of the museum; it reduces social and cultural complexity, not to mention historical variation and diversity, to a few beautiful objects."

Not having seen the exhibit personally, it is difficult to comment further, but several questions come to mind. First of all, how representative of the exhibit is the exhibition website? Secondly, do museums "package" exhibitions differently for academics than for the general public? Lastly, are the critiques of the spoof website fair or are the critics themselves misrepresenting the exhibit?

Lords of the Samurai website:
http://www.asianart.org/Samurai.htm

Spoof website:
http://www.asiansart.org/samurai1.html

Interview with the critics behind the spoof website:
http://www.8asians.com/2009/08/28/8-questions-for-asians-arts-museum/

Prof. Pitelka's blog post:
http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2009/08/samurai-exhibit-pwned/
(links above courtesy of his blog post)

Friday, August 28, 2009

Pop Culture: Jump Around

Strictly for weekend chuckles, a creative interpretation of a dance sequence starring the Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai in "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (Straight from the Heart), released in 1999. Note: the intricate carving on the pillars is characteristic of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where the film was shot. Serious posts to resume shortly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7HZf7k2gTo

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Newsworthy: Obama to Visit China

From the Wall Street Journal, news that President Obama will visit China in November as well as an overview of current issues facing U.S.-China relations:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125093347603651425.html

Friday, August 21, 2009

Resources: Images from the Cultural Revolution

For anyone interested in modern Chinese history, Prof. William Joseph of Wellesley College has established a website with photographs of everyday life in China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) taken when he was a member of the second delegation of the Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars (CCAS) to China in March-April 1972. The Introduction page gives a fascinating history of CCAS and an account of his experiences during that trip. The resources on the website include numerous links pertaining to the Cultural Revolution, a map of China which links to photographs taken by Prof. Joseph in different cities, and a search engine for the photographs.

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was a class struggle initiated by Mao Zedong in order to remove "bourgeois" elements that he saw as promoting capitalism and therefore threatening the socialist base of the Communist Party and the nation at large. During this turbulent period of modern Chinese history, the arts were called into service even as cultural artifacts and sites were being destroyed by the Red Guards. Propaganda posters produced during this time recast the Cultural Revolution and Mao in positive, glowing terms.

For Prof. Joseph's site, go here: http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/China1972/main.html
For images of Cultural Revolution propaganda posters, visit the following site established by Stefan Landsberger: http://www.iisg.nl/landsberger/crc.html
and an online exhibition of images hosted by Ohio State University from the 1999 exhibition "Picturing Power:"
http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/poster/PictPow1.html

Newsworthy: Dogs in India, Looking for Love

Newsworthy, or at least noteworthy, is the practice of matchmaking for pet dogs owned by the newly affluent in India. Not only do the dogs become members of the family, but their owners also try to find them mates, replicating the human family structure. At the same time, this practice cuts into the profits of professional breeders.

Sometimes, pets can tell us so much more about their owners than they realize!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/world/asia/18delhi.html?ref=asia

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

5 Questions: Shawn Foreman















Shawn Foreman is a proud 2009 graduate from the School of Art, having received his MFA in Painting and Drawing under Prof. Michael Crespo. He’s been hired by the Zachary Community School District to teach the gifted and talented visual arts classes for their junior high school and has also set up a studio and art school in Baton Rouge. While at LSU, Shawn took two Asian art classes, Art 4441: Chinese Painting, and Art 4442: Japanese Art. In this interview, we’ll chat with Shawn about how his interest in Asian art developed and the advice he has for LSU students who are interested in Asian art.

Q: Shawn, how did you first become interested in taking Asian art classes? How did your interest in Asia develop?
Q: Before taking these two classes, did you have any formal coursework dealing with Asia?

I am going to answer two questions at once here. In 1995, when I was in the Navy, I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, before then I really had zero exposure to any Asian culture. When I got to Japan the world changed and I was awestruck. What impacted me the most was the completely new way of looking at the world. I have been trying to learn more about Asia ever since.

In moving back to the US I found it difficult to study any Asian subject with great depth. So when I saw a course in Chinese painting during the spring of 2006, and me being a painting major, I jumped at the chance, but because of logistical reasons I was not able to complete it. Thankfully while in graduate school I was able to take these two Art History courses before I graduated.

Q: Were there any challenges that you faced during these two semesters, such as learning unfamiliar names and terms? If so, how did you overcome them?

Yes I struggled with the language, but I was able to cope with it. I found that for 4441 referring to the pronunciation sheet that was handed out in the class was extremely helpful, I referenced it often. While I lived in Japan I picked up a good bit of Japanese, this took care of 4442.

Q: Do you have any advice for LSU students who might be interested in learning more about Asian art, or can you recommend any study tips?

I would say absolutely study Asian art, you will be exposed to new aesthetic thoughts and processes, new purposes for creating, and a better understanding of a culture. As far as studying goes, my suggestion is to study a little every day, don't wait till a week before the exam to start, trust me this is a bad idea. In 4441 I tried to compare Chinese and European painting styles and content, which helped. During 4442 I just tried to connect the art with my memories of Japan.

Q: Has your exposure to Asian art had an impact on your paintings? If so, how? What were the positive aspects of studying Asian art?

Yes. I think about the Northern Song Dynasty's monumental landscape paintings and how I tend to bring a little bit of the idea of painting an image that alludes to something greater than humanity in my work. I also hold to the asymmetrical and imperfect aesthetics of Wabi Sabi, a Japanese aesthetic. I am drawn towards Ogata Korin's line work. I am also drawn towards Zhu Da's brushwork, which may appear to be chaotic and not controlled much, yet it has an expressive quality I can relate to. I hold fast to the idea that to truly understand something you must look at every aspect of it, as a painter I would be short-changing my knowledge of painting by not studying how non-western painters, and artists work. I also feel this relates to history, science, culture or any human endeavor. Whether you're an art student or history student or another major, taking just one of these Asian art history courses would be extremely rewarding and eye opening.

Thank you Shawn, for taking the time to answer these questions! You can view one of his paintings above, entitled "The Gift of the Imagined," and learn more about Shawn's work at his website: Quincyart.com.

Newsworthy: Half the Sky

"Half the sky" is a reference to Mao Zedong's (1893–1976) famous statement that "Women hold up half the sky," indicating his public views on gender equality. (There has even been a women's talk show on Chinese television called "Half the Sky.") The following article from the New York Times Magazine by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn analyzes the startling impact of microfinance and other initiatives aimed at women in developing countries, including those in Asia:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/magazine/23Women-t.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Pop Culture: Le Parkour en Asie

The following article from the BBC about the Barclaycard World Freerun Championships in London made me wonder whether le parkour, or free-running, is popular in Asia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8203262.stm
http://www.worldfreerun.com/ (official website of the championships)

Le parkour originated in French military training of the first half of the 20th century and was systematized into a form of urban gymnastics by David Belle in the early 1990s in the suburbs of Paris. (In fact, the parkour scene in the film "Casino Royale" was performed by a childhood friend of Belle's.) Traceurs and traceuses, as they are known, practice their sport in urban environments, using buildings, stairs, walls, and railings in a manner similar to the ways in which artistic gymnasts use the balance beam, parallel bars, pommel horse, and springboard.

Below are some videos of traceurs from all around Asia. What information do they give you about the differences in urban environments?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXaOf5fXQSU (from China)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJsoQKcyB9U&feature=fvw (from Japan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVUbuLAtl7I&feature=related (from India)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRNZ6aH_Mi4 (from Vietnam)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJwGUyjd3Hg (from Singapore)

And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Local Interest: Lafcadio Hearn




Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) was a Greek-born journalist who lived in Japan from 1890 until his death. His Japanese name was Koizumi Yakumo. While living in Japan, he wrote several books about local customs and ghost stories. His most well-known book was Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1903), several stories from which served as the basis for the 1964 film Kwaidan directed by Japanese director Kobayashi Masaki, which won the special jury prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.

Before going to Japan, Hearn lived in New Orleans for ten years, moving there in 1877 to report for various newspapers. Interestingly, his writing in New Orleans was similar to the type of writing that he did in Japan in terms of its focus on local customs, in particular, on the Creole dialect, cuisine, and voodoo. He is credited by some modern scholars for shaping the image of New Orleans as possessing a distinct local culture due to its multicultural legacy.

Let's return to the period of time that Hearn spent in Japan. In addition to his career as a newspaper journalist, Hearn also taught English literature at Tokyo University and Waseda University. He married Koizumi Setsu and became a Japanese citizen. Although Hearn is best known for his collections of ghost stories, he also wrote about Japanese art and aesthetics, such as an article entitled "Faces in Japanese Art" in the Atlantic Monthly (August 1896, Vol. 78, Issue 466, pp. 219-227).

Hearn's New Orleans home has been designated a local landmark and is now owned by Richard Scribner, a professor in the LSU School of Public Health. Many of his writings on New Orleans life and customs have been collected in S. Frederick Starr, ed., Inventing New Orleans: Writings of Lafcadio Hearn (Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2001). An article about Hearn's cookbook La Cuisine Creole (1885), and several recipes from it can be found here:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/food/side/4544683.html

Lafcadio Hearn is a fascinating link not only between Japan and the state of Louisiana, but also with LSU!

(photo of Lafcadio Hearn from Wikimedia Commons)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Arts Focus: Zhang Huan

Zhang Huan is one of the most thought-provoking contemporary artists working today. Born in 1965 in Henan Province in central China, he was part of an artists' collective located on the outskirts of Beijing known as the "East Village," which because of cheap rents had become a nexus for avante-garde artists by 1993. The period of time that he spent in the "East Village" and abroad marked a dramatic departure from the academic training in oil painting that Zhang had undergone at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, from which he earned an MFA. Known initially as a performance artist, Zhang used his body as a canvas, engaging in feats as diverse as locking himself inside a metal case in a simulation of death to walking into a fishing pond with a group of nearly fifty people in an effort to raise the water level.

From 1998-2006, Zhang lived and worked in New York City, after which he moved back to China, establishing his studio in Shanghai. He has been the focus of numerous group and solo exhibitions. In recent years, his worked has turned from performance art to sculpture and installations. In the link below, New York Times journalist David Barboza takes viewers on a tour of Zhang's Shanghai studio and draws interesting comparisons between the nature of art-making and the commercialization of contemporary Chinese art.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/arts/20070903_Zhang_FEATURE/index.html

Zhang Huan's website is located here:

http://www.zhanghuan.com/

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Welcome!

Welcome to the Asian Art Library! This blog will be a place to share all things having to do with Asian art, and perhaps ruminations on other art and culture-related topics as well.

To begin with, one of the best internet resources for Asian art is a website called Arts of China Consortium. The website provides a directory of graduate programs in Asian art history in the U.S. and abroad, a list of fellowships and grants, information about lectures and conferences on Asian art, and job listings. To visit the site, go to:

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/html/chinese/.