Asian Art Research Articles

Review of “Someone to Talk To”

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Five Nanjing Poets in Translation: Huang Fan, Malingshu Xiongdi, Sun Dong, Yu Bang, Dujia

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

A Glance at Nanjing

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Review of “Dry Milk”

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Tracing the Anthropocene in Southeast Asian film and artists’ moving image

Tracing the Anthropocene in Southeast Asian film and artists’ moving image

Cinematic animism and contemporary Southeast Asian artists’ moving-image practices

The concept of the Capitalocene is, I believe, especially relevant for contextualizing how contemporary Southeast Asian film and artists’ moving-image practices respond, allude or relate to climate and ecological change. As the introduction to this dossier suggests, the Capitalocene draws attention to the relationship between climate change, the long history of the region’s colonization by western powers, and the continuing structural dynamic of coloniality.1 Within this regional context, coloniality signals the structural continuity of regimes and practices of capitalist extraction and necropolitics, thereby connecting the long history of colonization to the aftermath of official national independence. Various post-independence forms of disaster-capitalist regimes in the region are underpinned by political systems of authoritarianism and impunity, whose foundational institutions, mechanisms and ideologies – such as developmentalism, patriarchy, racialization and racial hierarchy – are traceable to the longue durée and legacies of colonization.2 Instead of resorting to the generalizing language of...

Calligraphy of Images: Artworks by Yukei Teshima

Postwar Japanese calligraphy has been little studied in Western art history, and in particular, there is no analysis of the work of one of the most important calligraphers of postwar Japan,Yukei Teshima (1901–1987). The relevance of this research lies in the fact that the Calligraphy of Images (Japanese “Shosho”), created by the master, is an example of building a dialogue between fundamentally different traditions of Western and Eastern art, a dialogue that allows the calligrapher to see the uniqueness of Japanese calligraphy, including its spiritual and aesthetic content. The purpose of this study is to determine the specifics of Teshima’s work, using the example of his most famous artworks: “Hokai” (literally “Collapse”) (1957), containing the image of houses collapsing one after another from the explosions of aerial bombs at the end of World War II; and “Tsubame” (“Swallow”) (1960), giving rise to the feeling of flight through a “dancing” movement of a bird. The authors conclude that, although Tesima’s “calligraphic paintings” show a connection simultaneously with the Chinese roots of Japanese calligraphy and the avant-garde painting of the West, the calligrapher remains faithful to the Japanese artistic and aesthetic tradition. Unlike Chinese calligraphy, traditionally understood as a tool for “nurturing life”, or avant-garde painting generated by Western conceptuality, Teshima’s calligraphy expresses the Buddhist ideals of accepting one’s destiny (one’s path to enlightenment) and lack of attachment. The calligrapher uses the “hisshoku” (“rusty brush”) writing technique, which involves “overcoming” the brush and conveying the tactile sensation of a stroke (a symbol of overcoming the materiality of the world), and also forms the “boundless space” of the sheet, i. e. “aki”, which he calls “Space of [divine] love” and connects with the free soaring of the spirit.

THE UNITY OF POETIC AND MUSICAL PRINCIPLES IN THE REFLECTION OF NATURE IN CHINESE CHAMBER AND VOCAL MUSIC OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

In recent years, Chinese academic music, both instrumental and vocal, has been rapidly spreading not only in the homeland, but also in the European (Eurocentric) cultural space. Performers from the Celestial Empire often build their concert programs, combining artefacts of Western and Oriental art. However, for a listener brought up in the European tradition, it is difficult to understand the specifics of the artistic embodiment of various images by Chinese composers, among whom a special place is occupied by images of nature. Therefore, the urgent musicological problem is to substantiate the principles of interaction between the poetic and musical first in the chamber and vocal music of Chinese authors. The aim of the article based on the consideration of traditional Chinese philosophical and aesthetic concepts, analysis of selected chamber and vocal artefacts to identify the main characteristics of the interaction of poetic and musical components in the Chinese composer's solo songs. The research methodology is reflected in the following problem: 1) analysis of basic research on the reflection of the theme of nature in Chinese chamber and vocal music; 2) finding out the meaning of symbols of nature in Chinese songwriting; 3) implementation of analytical studies of selected Chinese composer's solo songs to confirm the author's hypothesis; 4) generalization and disclosure of prospects for further research on this topic. Scientific novelty. The article presents its own concept of the embodiment of images of nature in the chamber and Chinese composer's vocal music, considers the features of the interaction of poetic and musical components in reflecting the theme of nature, leading in the national spiritual and artistic tradition. Conclusions. Analysis of a number of solo songs by contemporary Chinese composers confirmed the main hypothesis of the author's concept that their system of musical expression is aimed at revealing the hidden meaning of each poetic line, and therefore contains a number of allusions inspired by the symbolism of poetry. In the musical-poetic synthesis of chamber-vocal artefacts one should look for ways out of unambiguous interpretation, understand their playful metaphorical nature, hints and symbols familiar to readers brought up in the Chinese spiritual tradition.

Magyar építészek Dél-Ázsiában és közvetítőszerepük a magyar építészetben

The role of oriental art was significant in architecture at the turn of the 19th and 20th century. While the Art Nouveau movement in Western Europe was influenced by the Japanese and Persian art, Hungary made efforts to find the origin of the Hungarian architecture. This study presents the Asian trip of architect Károly Róbert Kertész, published in his work entitled Architecture of Ceylon. In the 1930’s architect István Medgyaszay was invited to India to design a museum in Mumbai. His archive, containing the plans, photographs and letters born during the trip, can be found in the Medgyaszay Memorial House. During the reconstruction of Medgyaszay’s Indian trip (2021) some mysterious watercolour plans were discovered among his designs. Additionally, as a result of the research in Mumbai (2020) this study introduces István Medgyaszay’s friendship with Perin Jamshedji Mistri, the first professional woman architect in India; and highlights the role of Jenő Cholnoky geographer in the work of both of the aforementioned architects.

2022 Expedition to Mali

The 2022 field season (January 23 – February 23) turned out to be very productive: we managed to clarify the history of Dogon migrations from the Mande Country to the Bandiagara Highlands. We received quite complete information on the prophet Abirɛ, who predicted the return of Dogon to their historical homeland and completely new information about Bozo and Bambara puppets. Finally, we acquired many interesting artifacts for the State Museum of Oriental Arts. Due to the inability to arrive to the Dogon Country, it was decided to focus on the area of the city of Bougouni (Sikasso region) in southern Mali and on the Mande Country (regions of Koulikoro and Kayes, from the city of Kangaba in the west to Bamako in the east). Two magnificent, beautifully attributed works of traditional Bambara art were acquired in Bougouni for the collection of the State Museum of Oriental Arts: “Monkey” (Warabilen) and “Wild buffalo” (Sigi; Sigifin) masks. During the expedition, new and very significant data were obtained on the migrations of the Dogon from the Mande Country to the Bandiagara Highlands. A lot of information has now been accumulated regarding how the Dogon came to their new homeland. They were published, including in Russian. But the Manding oral traditions about the exodus of Dogon are still little known. We have partially succeeded in making up for this shortcoming. Oral historical traditions about the exodus of the Dogon from the Mande Country are changeable, internally contradictory and extremely unstable narratives with confused chronology, filled with omissions and vague allusions. However, some conclusions can still be drawn: there is almost no doubt that the root cause of the Dogon leaving for the lifeless rocks of Bandiagara was some kind of difficult and bloody conflict, accompanied by numerous victims. It is also clear that there were several waves of resettlement, and the last Dogon left for the highlands in the middle of the second half of the 19th century. It was also possible to find out that the Bambara and Bozo puppets are not at all a secularized popular theater. The puppet society is associated with the Koré secret society, and is perhaps one of the most powerful Bambara societies, which in this case refers to three ethnic groups: the Bambara proper, the Bozo (Dogon partners in a marriage-prohibitive joking relations) and the Marka (Soninké). Ceremonies involving puppets are completely sacred (only members of the Society take part in them), semi-sacred (only men take part in them), and, finally, publicly available — everyone, including women and children, takes part in them.

The Art Collection of the Oriental Countries of the Mikhail V. Nesterov Bashkir State Art Museum (History of the Collection, Research Issues, Discoveries)

The art collection of the Oriental countries is one of the unique in the Mikhail V. Nesterov Bashkir State Art Museum. It includes artifacts of such countries as China, Japan, Mauritanian Spain, Iran and Turkey. The history of the Bashkir State Art Museum began with the collection of Russian Art of the 19th and early 20th centuries gifted by Mikhail V. Nesterov. Thanks to active object donations from various sources in the 1920s and 1930s, the structure of the Nesterov museum collection became much broader than just the art of Russia. It is precisely in those years that the collection of Oriental art began to form. Despite the lack of its focus, art pieces that came from various sources are of great interest and demonstrate the artistic culture of different Eastern countries.

Culturally Responsible Approach to Teaching East Asian Art in the Classroom

Drawing from the rich philosophical traditions of East Asia, we redress the questions and inquiry methods of teaching about East Asian artists and their works in the classroom, rejecting European White master frameworks when appreciating the arts of East Asia. To illustrate our approach, we have chosen two contemporary Asian artists, Do-ho Suh and Wou-Ki Zao, and we discuss why and how European White pedagogy has limitations in appreciating these works. As an alternative, we focus on a holistic lens of viewing East Asian artistic expressions, which is one of the key methods to understand artworks by many East Asian artists (Sullivan & Vainker, 2018; Stanley-Baker, 2014). To make East Asian art curriculum culturally responsive and authentic, we suggest that art educators adopt the holistic approach of teaching the East Asian art, in which art is seamlessly weaved with worldview, culture, and philosophy as one.

Community-Based Art Projects in San Francisco Chinatown: A Survival Strategy

While research about contemporary Asian arts exhibited in mega museums has attracted growing attention, there is little dialogue concerning community-based art practices in everyday Asian and Asian American neighborhoods. This interview article highlights community-based art projects led by a grassroots organization, the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC), to help understand Chinatown’s stories as shared and lived by the community during a challenging time. Hoi Leung, CCC’s chief curator, explained how the organization mobilized art to share diverse local stories, celebrate a sense of belonging, and raise public awareness about racial justice issues within the communities it serves. To counter socially constructed assumptions about Chinatown and its residents, CCC actively develops cross-sector partnerships to centralize underrepresented voices through community-based arts and projects.

Book review: Asian Arts Therapists: Navigating Art, Diversity, and Culture

Book review: Asian Arts Therapists: Navigating Art, Diversity, and Culture

The level of quality of life of schoolchildren with disorders of the autic spectrum in comparison with typically developed peers

In connection with the increasing the number of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who enrolls in educational institutions of Ukraine, the issue of individualization of physical education (PE) of children with ASD in the school process becomes important. There is little data on the quality of life of schoolchildren with autism spectrum disorders. It does not allow to draw individual trajectories of physical education of such children, to help them to improve their adaptability. Most of studies have been performed on males. Objective: to analyze the level of cognitive, physical, emotional, social functioning and functioning in school of girls of primary school age with autism spectrum disorders and compare them with typically developed peers. It was found that there were no differences between the rates of girls with ASD and girls with typical development in walking and running, feeling of pain and low energy levels, the frequency of school absences due to doctor visits and the frequency of forgetting things. However, the level of development of cognitive, social and emotional functioning of girls with ASD is significantly lower than the indicators with typical development by all criteria. To overcome the problems with cognitive, social and emotional functioning of girls with ASD, it is recommended to select appropriate means of PE. In oder to improve the cognitive processes (attention, memory) of girls with ASD, we recommend to increase the amount of means that promote the development of coordination in PE classes; to improve physical functioning - exercises for developing muscle strength and endurance. The game activity with normal girls will help to improve the social well-being of girls with ASD. We should use oriental martial arts and oriental gymnastics to improve the psycho-emotional state of girls with ASD.

A Year of Theater Lockdown

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Nag-aaya si Lobo

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Sendai

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Rofel Brion Recalls and Reimagines the Creative Writing Program

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.

Review of “Women of the Weeping River”

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia is a peer-reviewed journal that is multi-disciplinary in scope and features articles in literature, philosophy, theology, performance arts, visual arts, forms of media and other related areas, especially studies engaging Philippine and Asian experience. It is a forum of dialogue between scholars and creative artists in the Philippines and other countries in Asia that seeks to shed light on issues related to culture and identity and especially on Asian arts and humanities.