Time Schedule:
Winston C Kyan
wckyan@u.washington.edu
ART H 400
Seattle Campus
Courses on special topics, frequently by visiting faculty, which cannot be offered on a continuing basis. Consult art history office for subjects offered.
Class Description
ART H 400C Spring 2003 "Caves of Dunhuang: Art, Religion and History on the Silk Road"
Introduction to the Buddhist art and architecture of the Dunhuang cave temples, complemented by relevant monuments from the Silk Road.
This course investigates diverse forms of Buddhist art from the Dunhuang cave temples in northwestern China. The nearly 500 decorated caves from this site, which includes murals, clay sculptures, silk banners and manuscripts, provide an overview of 1000 years of medieval Chinese religious art and social history. Accordingly, this course emphasizes the original physical and cultural contexts of these artworks, while paying attention to identifying and understanding the basic styles, iconography and narratives of Chinese Buddhist art.
Lectures, discussion, and the study of original objects in local museums.
Recommended preparation
Background in Buddhism, Chinese civilization and/or art historical analysis.
Class Assignments and Grading
Readings are drawn from introductory texts and specialized articles, including historical documents and Buddhist sutras.
Midterm exam, final exam, research paper, class participation.
