Arts of Zen in East Asia
ARHA 277
Spring 2019 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
CEAS 288, RELI 277 |
Zen, a school of Buddhism that originated in China and later spread to Japan and Korea, is considered a gateway to East Asian thought and a force that challenges modern materialism. The nature of abstraction, spirituality, and enlightenment can best be approached through the arts associated with this religious school, which include ink painting, calligraphy, ceramics, architecture, and garden design. In this course, we will discuss how the ideas of Zen were elucidated in the visual arts by looking at major works from the 13th through the 20th centuries. We will also examine the ways in which artworks were incorporated in the practice of Zen rituals, especially those related to meditation and the tea ceremony. In addition, we will explore the meanings of pictorial and literary ko'an and how they form visual and textual riddles based on allusion and wordplay. Through a comparative approach, we will analyze the development in the form, style, and iconography of Zen art in East Asia, while tracing the history of Zen Buddhism and its underpinning philosophical concepts related to enlightenment, emptiness, and beauty. The goal of this course is to form an in-depth appreciation for the arts of Zen in their historical, philosophical, and cultural context. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ART |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-MN) |
Major Readings:
Steven Addiss, ZEN SOURCEBOOK: TRADITIONAL DOCUMENTS FROM CHINA KOREA, AND JAPAN (Hackett, 2008).
Helmut Brinker and Kanazawa Hiroshi, ZEN: MASTERS OF MEDITATION IN IMAGES AND WRITINGS (Artibus Asiae, 1996).
Levine, et al. AWAKENINGS: ZEN FIGURE PAINTING IN MEDIEVAL JAPAN (Japan Society, 2007).
Ohki Sadako, TEA CULTURE OF JAPAN (Yale University Press, 2009). And, additional readings accessible on the course website.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two in-class exams, class presentations, two short writing assignments, one long term paper |
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