Arts

East Asia
PRE- ASSESSMENT:

You will visit three

of the East Asian
countries Fasten
your seatbelt!
Activity I: Travel to
East Asia
As you move around the
countries written below,
group each picture according to the country they
belong to by writing its number under the correct
heading.
CHINA JAPAN KOREA
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Paintings in
JAPAN,
KOREA and
CHINA
If you were asked to make a painting,
what would you paint? Why would
you choose that?

I will paint…__________________________.

because … _____________________________.
What do you call the
things you are going to
paint?
In East Asia, the objects
or items that are
usually put into
paintings are called
subjects, themes or
motifs. These may be
about animals, people, landscapes, and
anything about the environment.
Activity 2:
Identify the subjects of the paintings
below. Write the answers in your
notebook.
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
To start with, did you know
that painting started from
pre-historic man?
He used red ochre and
black pigment. 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. It is historically comparable to Western painting.
Eastern countries continued to influence each other’s
production of arts over the centuries.
CH I N 1. Flowers and birds
A 2. Landscapes
3. Palaces and Temples
4. Human Figures
5. Animals
6. Bamboos and Stones
PAINTING SUBJECTS OR T
HEMES
JAPAN
1. Scenes from everyday life
2. Narrative scenes crowded
with figures and details
 PAINTING SUBJECTS OR
THEMES
SOUTH KOREA Subjects are divided into five
categories:
1. landscape paintings
2. Minhwa (the traditional folk
painting)
3. Four Gracious Plants (plum
NORTH KOREA blossoms, orchids or wild orchids,
chrysanthemums)
4. bamboo
5. portraits
Important aspects in East Asian
Painting:
Landscape painting was regarded
as the highest form of Chinese
painting. They also consider the three
concepts of their arts:
Nature, Heaven and Humankind
(Yin-Yang). Chinese society,
basically agricultural, has always
laid great stress on understanding the pattern of nature and
living in accordance
with it. Oriental artists often
created landscapes rather than paintings with the human figure
as subjects.
• 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 1st
Century AD it provided not only a
cheap and widespread medium for
writing but painting became more
economical.
• The ideologies of Confucianism, Daoism, and
Buddhism played important roles in East Asian art.

• Chinese art expresses the human understanding of

the relationship between nature and human. This is
evident in the form of painting of landscapes,
bamboo, birds, and flowers, etc. This might be
called the metaphysical, Daoist aspect of Chinese
painting.
 The history of Korean painting dates to 108
C.E., when it first appears as an independent form.
It is said that until the Joseon dynasty the primary
influence of Korean paintings were Chinese
paintings. However, Korean paintings have
subjects such as landscapes, facial features,
Buddhist topics, 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.
Painting is closely
related to
calligraphy among
the Chinese people.
Your beautiful handwriting
is considered calligraphy.
So, keep on writing not
only beautifully but also
artistically.
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. Poets
write their calligraphy on their
paintings.
Your paintings can be mounted on scrolls, such as hanging scrolls or hand
scrolls, album sheets, walls, lacquerware, folding screens, and other media.
Vertical Scroll Lacquerware
 Horizontal Scroll

Album- leaf
 Enrich your knowledge about
Chinese calligraphy:

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?
The script found on these objects is commonly
called jiaguwen, or shell-and-bone script. It was 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 natural phenomena. He then started to work
out simple images from what he conceived as
representing different objects such as
Temples are the usual subjects
in East Asian painting. Now,
observe the roofs of the
temples and buildings in
China, Japan and Korea. Do
you notice their sweeping
roofs? Why do they have this
unique type of roof?
East Asian temples and houses have
sweeping roofs because they believe
that it will protect them from the
elements of water, wind and fire.
Buddhists believed that it helped
ward off evil spirits which were
deemed to be straight lines.
The figures at the tips are called roof guards.
There are three main types of roofs
in traditional Chinese architecture
that influenced other Asian
architecture:
1. Straight inclined - more
economical for common Chinese
architecture
2. Multi-inclined -
roofs with two or
more sections of
incline. These roofs
are used for
residences
of wealthy
Chinese.
3. Sweeping – has curves that rise at the corners of the roof.
These are usually reserved for temples and palaces although
it may also be found in the homes of the wealthy. Originally,
the ridges of the roofs are usually highly decorated with
ceramic figurines.
 Woodblock printing is a technique for
printing text, images or patterns used
widely throughout East Asia. This
method was adapted in Japan during the
Edo period (1603-1867) and became one
of their oldest and most highly developed
visual arts.
Woodblock Printing
Japanese Ukiyo-e
The best known and most popular style of
Japanese art is Ukiyo-e, which is
Japanese for "pictures of the floating
world” and it is related to the style of
woodblock print making that shows
scenes of harmony and carefree everyday
living. Ukiyo-e art was produced in a
diversity of different media, including
painting and became an art domain of the
upper classes and royalty but later was
also produced by the common people.
 Painting is
Painting is indeed
indeed oneone
of the
ofhighest
the
forms of arts in East Asia. Do people
highest forms
from East of arts
Asia use other in East Asia.
materials as
Docanvas
people from East Asia use
for painting?
Let’smaterials
other find out as weas move on tofor
canvas festivals
and theater performances in East Asia.
painting?
Can you describe the costumes used in
Let’s
Eastfind
Asianout as we
festivals andmove
theatre on to
performances?
festivals and theater performances
in East Asia.
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.
We will have further discussions on face
painting in the fourth quarter but in this
module you will learn the meaning of colors
for face and mask painting.
 East Asian countries have theatrical forms like
Peking Opera of China and Kabuki of Japan.

The performers from China and Japan usually

paint faces depending on the character or
personification they are portraying. So aside from
painting on silk, paper and printing on woods,
Chinese and Japanese also painted their face and
Koreans paint masks for theatrical and festival
performances.
Peking opera face-painting
or Jingju Lianpu is done
with different colors in
accordance with the
performing characters’
personality and historical
assessment.
 The hero type characters are normally
painted in relatively simple colors,
whereas enemies, bandits, rebels and
others have more complicated designs
on their faces
 It is a traditional special way of
make-up in Chinese operas in
pursuit of the expected effect of
performance. Originally, Lianpu
is called the false mask.
MEANING OF COLORS FOR
FACE PAINTING:
Guan Ju - Red
indicates devotion,
courage, bravery,
uprightness and
loyalty.
Huang Pang -
Yellow signifies
fierceness, ambition
and cool-
headedness.
Zhu Wen - A green
face tells the audience
that the character is
not only impulsive
and violent, he also
lacks self-restraint.
Zhang Fei - Black
symbolizes roughness and
fierceness. The black face
indicates either a rough and
bold character or an
impartial and selfless
personality.
Lian Po - Purple stands
for uprightness and cool-
headedness. While a
reddish purple face
indicates a just and noble
character.
Cao Cao - white
suggests treachery,
suspiciousness and
craftiness. It is common
to see the white face of
the powerful villain on
stage.
Jiang Gan - The clown or
chou in Chinese Opera has
special makeup patterns called
xiaohualian (the petty painted
face).
Sometimes a small patch of
chalk is painted around the
nose to show a mean and
secretive character.
At times, the xiaohualian is
also painted on a young page
or jesting to enliven up the
performance.
 Kabuki Make- up of Japan
Kabukimakeupor Kesho is
already in itself an
of the actor’s own role through
interpretation
the faci
stage al
, becomesthis
temporalization of makeup
collaboration with the a
audience.
Kabuki Make-up of
Japan
Kabuki makeup or Kesho is already
in itself an interpretation of the
actor’s own role through the
medium of the facial features. “On
stage, this interpretation becomes a
temporalization of makeup in
collaboration with the audience. The
result is a decoding of the drama
traced out in the graphic designs of
the painted face.”
Kabuki Makeup is also another way of face painting which has
two types:
1. standard make-up - applied to most actors
2. kumadori make-up - applied to villains and heroes
- It is composed of very dramatic lines and shapes using colors
that represent certain qualities.
• dark red = passion or anger
• dark blue = depression or sadness
• pink = youth
• light green = calm
• black = fear
• purple = nobility
 Some examples of face
painting are the mukimi-guma
or suji-guma, where the lines
are painted onto an actor’s face.
These are then smudged to
soften them.

The makeup and perfume

worn throughout performances
were highly significant to the
stories that were being told.
Kumadori — The Painted Faces
of Japanese Kabuki Theatre
KOREAN MASK
Korean masks, called tal or
t'al, originated with religious
meaning just like the masks of
other countries which also have
religious or artistic origins.
Korea has a rich history of
masks. They use it in funeral
services to help banish evil
spirits and theatre plays dating
back to the prehistoric age.
The roles of colors in Korean masks:
1. Black, Red and White – Bright and vibrant colors that help
establish the age and race of the figure
2. Half Red and Half White mask - symbolize the idea that
the wearer has two fathers, Mr. Red and Mr. White
3. Dark-faced mask - indicates that the character was born of
an adulterous mother

Some masks have moving parts like winking or shifting

eyes and moving mouths. To further add to the lifelike
features of the masks, black fabric is draped from the top of
the mask over the wearer's head to simulate hair.
 PAPER ARTS and KNOT
TYING of China, Japan and
Korea
 To begin with our next topics,
answer this question and the
challenge below.
When I was still a child, what
objects have you created using
paper?

Back when I was a child,

___________________________.
Situation: You are stranded on an island
with your little brother or little sister and
the only things you have saved in your
bag are: a plastic envelope with two
sheets of bond paper and a roll of
sewing thread.
Challenge: While waiting for somebody
to rescue you, how can you use the two
materials to cheer up your brother?
Answer:
_______________________________
FOLK ARTS OF
CHINA:
1.Paper cut
2.Paper folding
3.Chinese knots
4.Paper kites
The earliest document showing
paper folding is a picture of a
small paper boat in an edition of
Tractatus de Sphaera Mundi
from 1490 by Johannes de
Sacrobosc
o.
In China, traditional
include
funeralsburning yuanbao which is
a folded paper that look like gold
nuggets or ingots called Sycee.
This is also used for other
ceremonial practices. This kind of
burning is commonly done at
their ancestors’ graves during
the Ghost Festival.
A sycee is a type of silver or
gold ingot currency used in
China until the 20th century.
The name is derived
from the
Cantones
e words
meaning
"fine silk.”
Today, imitation gold sycees
are used as a symbol of
prosperity by Chinese and are
frequently
displayed during the Chinese
New Year.
The Gold
Paper
folded to
look like
a Sycee
 Origam
i
The term Origami came from
“ori” meaning "folding", and
“kami” meaning "paper". It is the
traditional Japanese art of
paper folding, which started in
the 17th century AD
Origami butterflies were used
during the celebration of Shinto
weddings to represent the
bride and groom, so paper
folding had already become a
significant aspect of Japanese
ceremonies by the Heian period
(794–1185) in Japanese history.
Flowers,
animals,birds,
fish,geometric
shapes and
dolls arethe
common
models
used i
Japanese
n
Origami.
Decorative Chinese paper cuttings
are usually symmetrical in design
when unfolded and adapt the
12 animals of
the Chinese
Zodiac as
themes and
motifs and
mostly
choose the
red color.
The earliest use of paper
was made as a
pattern for
lacquers,
decoration
on
windows,
doors, and
walls.
Chinese Buddhists believe that
hanging “Window Flowers” or
decorative paper cuttings, like
pagodas and other symbols of
Good Luck, attract good luck
and drive away evil spirits. The
process of paper cutting is
aided by a pair of scissor or
knife and other sharp flat
cutter.
Jianzhi is the first type of
paper cutting design, since
paper was invented by the
Chinese. The cut outs are also
used to decorate doors and
windows. They are sometimes
referred to "chuāng huā",
meaning Window Flower.
 KITE MAKING
A kite is an assembled or joined
aircraft that was traditionally
made of silk or paper with a
bowline and a resilient bamboo.
Today, kites can be made out of
plastic. Kites are flown for
recreational purposes, display of
one’s artistic skills.
According to Joseph
Needham, one of the
important
contribution
s of Chinese
in science
and
technology
to Europe is
the kite.
Chinese kites may be
differentiated into four main
categories:
1. Centipede
2. Hard-Winged Kites
3. Soft-Winged Kites
4. Flat Kites
KNOT TYING
In Korea, decorative knotwork
is
known a s
“Maedeup or
called Dorae”
or double
connection knot,
often called
Korean knot work
Zhongguo is the Chinese
decorative handicraft art that
began as a form of
Chinese folk
art in the
Tang and
Song Dynasty
(960-1279
AD)
in China.
In Japan, knot tying is
called Hanamusubi.
It
emphasizes
on braids
and focuses
on Individual
knots.