13565

SoSe 21: "Literati Painting" of the Song and Yuan Dynasties - On the Basis of Case Studies

Birgitta Augustin

Information for students

Bewertung: aktive Teilnahme an Diskussionen der Werke sowie relevanter Literatur (40%), Referat (25%), Seminararbeit (35%). Eine Literaturliste wird in der ersten Sitzung ausgegeben.

Additional information / Pre-requisites

Grading: active class participation, i.e., discussions of the paintings and relevant scholarship (40%), presentation (25%), seminar paper (35%) A reading list will be handed out in the first session. close

Comments

The current state of scholarship suggests that the so-called “literati painting” originated in the Song dynasty (960–1279) and reached a high point during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). What do we understand in general by the term “literati”? What are special features of “literati painting” and what may the painters have wanted to express with their works? Often-discussed features of “literati painting” include inscriptions written not only in standard and cursive, but also in the archaic seal script directly into the compositions as well as so-called “calligraphic brushwork,” which became one of the hallmarks of “literati painting.” The term “calligraphic brushwork” indicates that the pictures were rather “written” not painted. The subject of “literati painting” has long been a challenge for art historians and sinologists alike and has been discussed since its inception in the Song dynasty. How has “literati painting” been treated in modern scholarship and how has the approach changed over time? These and many other questions will be discussed in this course. This online seminar is based on a series of case studies and focuses on individual, better-known works of art and artists (painters as well as calligraphers) from the 11th to 14th centuries. The students will have to work with digital images of these works. They will be asked to look closely, describe the works in detail and to discuss them against the background of the relevant literature. close