Tang dynasty art

Night Shining White, a handscroll attributed to Han Gan (active 742–756).

Tang dynasty art (simplified Chinese: 唐朝艺术; traditional Chinese: 唐朝藝術; Wade–Giles: T'ang²-ch'ao² I⁴-shu⁴; pinyin: Tángcháo Yìshù) refers to the art in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907). It is best known for the development of many forms—painting, sculpture, calligraphy, music, dance and literature.

Background

A jade-carved dragon, Tang dynasty, Shanghai Museum

The Tang dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an (today's Xi'an), the most populous city in the world at the time, is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization—equal, or even superior, to the Han period. The Tang period was considered the golden age of literature and art.

Stimulated by contact with India and the Middle East, the empire saw a flowering of creativity in many fields. Buddhism, originating in what is modern day Nepal around the time of Confucius, continued to flourish during the Tang period and was adopted by the imperial family, becoming thoroughly sinicized and a permanent part of Chinese traditional culture. Block printing made the written word available to vastly greater audiences.

Painting

Main article: Tang dynasty painting

Tang painting from Dunhuang

The Nine Pinnacle Pagoda of Shandong, completed by 756 and crowned with an unusual set of miniature pagodas; it is also unique for its octagonal base, which was rarely seen in Tang pagodas which often had square base plans

Beginning in the Tang dynasty, the primary subject matter of Chinese painting was the landscape, known as shanshui (mountain-water) painting. In these landscapes, usually monochromatic and sparse, the purpose was not to reproduce exactly the appearance of nature but rather to grasp an emotion or atmosphere so as to catch the "rhythm" of nature.

Trading along the Silk Road of various products increased cultural diversity in cosmopolitan Chinese cities, such as Chang'an, had a marked influence on the Chinese arts of the Tang dynasty. Many designs that were enjoyed with the upper classes of imperial China became common even in everyday art.^[1]

Music

The first major well-documented flowering of Chinese music was for the qin during the Tang dynasty, though the qin is known to have been played since before the Han dynasty.

Late 20th century excavations of an intact tomb of the period revealed not only a number of instruments (including a spectacular concert bell set) but also inscribed tablets with playing instructions and musical scores for ensemble concerts, which are now heard again as played on reproduction instruments at the Hubei Provincial Museum.

Opera

Chinese opera is generally dated back to the Tang dynasty with Emperor Xuanzong (712-755), who founded the Pear Garden, the first known opera troupe in China. The troupe mostly performed for the emperors' personal pleasure.

Poetry

The Poetry of the Tang dynasty is about the most appreciated poetic era of Chinese poetry. The shi, the classical form of poetry which had developed in the late Han dynasty, reached its zenith.

During the Tang dynasty, poetry became popular. It was a sign of learning. Many people wrote poems. One of China's greatest poets was Li Po, who wrote about ordinary people and about nature. Nature was a powerful force in Chinese art. One of Li Po's short poems was titled "Waterfall at Lu-Shan". It shows how Li Po felt about nature.

Tang dynasty artists

A ceramic female polo player, from northern China, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, made with white slip and polychrome. From the Musée Guimet (Guimet Museum), Paris.

Bai Juyi (772-846), poet
Zhou Fang (730-800), painter, also known as Zhou Jing Xuan and Zhong Lang
Cui Hao, poet
Han Gan (718-780), painter
Zhang Xuan (713-755), painter
Du Fu (712-770), poet
Li Bai (701-762), poet
Meng Haoran (689 or 691-740), poet
Wang Wei (699-759), poet, musician, painter
Wu Tao-Tzu (680-740), famous for the myth of entering an art work
Zhang Jiuling (678-740), poet

Gallery

A rounded ceramic plate with "three colors" glaze and floral design, 8th to 9th century.
A rounded ceramic plate with "three colors" glaze, 8th century.
A ceramic offering plate with "three colors" glaze, decorated with a bird and trees, 8th century.
A ceramic offering plate with six eaves and "three colors" glaze, 8th century.
A gilded bronze Avalokitesvara statuette, late 7th or early 8th century
Three of eight terracotta lady musicians on horseback, early 8th century
Early T'ang period palace maids, Shensi History Museum
Tang court ladies, 706 AD, Qianling Mausoleum
Seated Mahayana Buddha statue
Tang dynasty bronze mirror with dragon
Ladies dancing, 7th century
A figurine of a plump Tang woman
Earthenware statue of a foreigner with a wineskin, c. 674–750
Gilt hexagonal silver plate with a Fei Lian beast pattern
A Tang portrait of Emperor Wen of Sui, by Yan Liben, 7th century
Buddhist mural in the Bezeklik grottoes, 9th century
”Tejaprabhā Buddha and the Five Planets”, 897 A.D., British Museum
Tang dynasty bodhisattva statue missing its head and left arm
A Tang dynasty bronze foliate mirror
Statue head of Guanyin
A limestone statue of a mourning attendant, 7th century
Terracotta lady, 7th-8th century
”Lokhapala on a Recumbent Bull”, 618-906, Brooklyn Museum
Tang clay figurine of a Sogdian man wearing a distinctive cap and face veil, possibly a camel rider or even a Zoroastrian priest engaging in a ritual at a fire temple, 8th century AD

References

↑ Birmingham Museum of Art (2010). Birmingham Museum of Art : guide to the collection. [Birmingham, Ala]: Birmingham Museum of Art. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-904832-77-5.

Tang dynasty topics

History	Timeline of the Tang dynasty Transition from Sui to Tang Xuanwu Gate Incident Tang–Eastern Turks War Tang–Xueyantuo War Goguryeo–Tang War Baekje–Tang War Silla–Tang War Sino-Tibetan relations during the Tang dynasty Tang–Western Turks War oasis states Karakhoja Karasahr Kucha Conquest Battle of Talas An Lushan Rebellion Niu–Li factional strife Sweet Dew Incident Huang Chao Rebellion

Society and culture	Art Poetry Three Hundred Tang Poems Poets Official headwear Old Book of Tang New Book of Tang Li Bai Du Fu Islam during the Tang dynasty

Government	Emperor List Family tree Three Departments and Six Ministries Imperial guards Administrative divisions Jimi system Jiedushi Four Garrisons of Anxi Imperial examinations Turkic generals

Military expansion	Protectorate General to Pacify the West Protectorate General to Pacify the North Protectorate General to Pacify the East Protectorate General to Pacify the South Protectorate General to Pacify Beiting Tang dynasty in Inner Asia Third Chinese domination of Vietnam

Science and technology	Flying cash Woodblock printing Yi Xing

Economy	Salt Industry Commission

Xia → Shang → Zhou → Qin → Han → 3 Kingdoms → Jìn / 16 Kingdoms → N. & S. Dynasties → Sui → Tang → 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms → Liao / Song / W. Xia / Jīn → Yuan → Ming → Qing → Modern China

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