Deck 18: The Art of Asia

Question 1

Vedic beliefs that would later influence later beliefs and art include:

A) Figures should be voluptuous and sensual
B) We can be reincarnated into a higher or lower state
C) The only way to end desire is to follow an eightfold path
D) Color and texture are important

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The gates of the Great Stupa at Sanchi (figure 18.9) feature a tree, footprints, and an umbrella, because these items:

A) Showed that the Buddha's preaching reached out in all directions
B) Depicted the Buddha without using a human form
C) Helped Buddhists appeal to those who looked to the old ways
D) Made the relief decorative

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Why do depictions of the Buddha from the second century CE, such as one by Yasadinna showing a standing Buddha (figure 18.11), show him in bodily form?

A) Art needed to address the Indian love for sensuality and decoration
B) The Buddha needed an ushnisha to signal his understanding
C) Buddhists were hoping to appeal to those who looked to the old ways
D) People wanted images of the Buddha that they could worship

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What allows the faithful to connect with the divine in Hinduism?

A) Dry gardens
B) Depictions of gods
C) Shrines
D) Tea ceremonies

Question 5

The form of a Hindu temple, such as the Kandarīya Mahādeva Temple (figure 18.15B), follows its function through:

A) Chambers that enable movement from the everyday to the sacred
B) Glue on the exterior that shows the connection to gods
C) A womb chamber that addresses an interest in fertility
D) A large, central space that enables worshippers to pray together

Question 6

The use of shading and simulated texture in Sahifa Banu's portrait of Shah Tahmasp (figure 18.16) shows a/an:

A) Respect for enlightenment
B) Usage of oil paint
C) Sense of adornment
D) Inclination for realism

Question 7

Mughal art was typical of Indian art because:

A) It was Buddhist
B) It used Hindu imagery
C) It was made for religious use
D) It showed a love for decoration

Question 8

The banner from the Tomb of Lady Dai (figure 18.19) and the royal crown from the Gold Crown Tomb (figure 18.20) show that __________ was important in early art in China and Korea.

A) Shamanism
B) A need to express power
C) An interest in honoring the dead
D) An ornamented surface

Question 9

By using correct form and intense expression, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy (figure 18.21) reflects both ______ and ______ principles.

A) Confucian / Buddhist
B) Buddhist / Daoist
C) Daoist / Hindu
D) Confucian / Daoist

Question 10

The colossal Buddha from the Yungang Caves (figure 18.22) shows the mixture of the Buddhist faith and the Northern Wei dynasty by:

A) Being an icon of the Buddhist faith
B) Making the Buddhas resemble the emperors
C) Including bodhisattvas
D) Creating an ordered and peaceful society

Question 11

By commissioning works of art like Yu the Great Taming the Waters (figure 18.30), rulers of China sought to:

A) Use art to legitimize their rule
B) Create literati art
C) Associate themselves with the Buddha
D) Create an ordered and peaceful society

Question 12

The focus on simplicity, imperfection, asymmetry, and nature in the native Japanese aesthetic is due to the influence of:

A) Buddhism
B) Shintoism
C) Daoism
D) Garden design

Question 13

The detail from The Tale of Genji (figure 18.33) shows how during the Heian period:

A) People meditated by sitting in rooms with little furniture
B) Men wore a lot of armor
C) Safety was ensured through bars on windows
D) Conduct and clothing were controlled

Question 14

We see the following of Zen Buddhism in garden design through these aspects:

A) Importance of art, stability, and ritual
B) Walking, simplicity, and restraint
C) Simplicity, stillness, and imperfection
D) Symmetry, simplicity, and ritual

Question 15

Gion Nankai's uchikake (figure 18.38) allows us to see that:

A) The lowest class was the wealthiest
B) Buddhist monks wore robes covered in bamboo
C) Fancy undergarments were worn by the upper class
D) The changes in society allowed all people to wear undergarments

Question 16

Early representations of the Buddha were symbolic.

Question 17

Hindu temples are designed to accommodate large groups for worship.

Question 18

When Buddhism spread across China, Buddhist architecture was likely constructed with bays and brackets.

Question 19

The roots of the Japanese aesthetic valued decoration and ornament.

Question 20

During the period when lords built fortified castles with thick defensive walls and tiny windows, artists created screens decorated in large amounts of gold leaf.

Question 21

Upon the Buddha's bodily demise, his followers placed his cremated remains in places connected to important moments in his life and raised _______ , domed burial mounds, above his ashes.

Question 22

Mughal painting is unusual among Islamic art traditions in that it is both decorative and ________ .

Question 23

The most elaborate _____ ever found belonged to the first emperor of the Qin dynasty.

Question 24

During the Ming dynasty, intellectuals shunned the court and created works known as _______ paintings.

Question 25

The most introspective type of garden, known as a ________ garden, is meant to aid in contemplation during meditation.

Question 26

How does the representation of the Buddha that emerged in the second century CE, such as Yasadinna's standing Buddha (figure 18.11), to the use of recognizable attributes used to make figures in other religions always recognizable? Give specific examples, explaining how these attributes are similar and different. Why do you think different religions would have made certain figures recognizable with attributes? What does the fact that these similarities exist say about universal themes in art created by different people?

Question 27

Explain how the form of Hindu temples, such as the Kandarīya Mahādeva Temple (figure 18.15B), reflect the function of the buildings and the beliefs of the religion.

Question 28

Why do you think foreign rulers of China turned to art, such as Yu the Great Taming the Waters (figure 18.30), to promote and legitimize their rule? Why does the fact that they did this show how art matters?

Question 29

How does the Shinto shrine at Ise (figure 18.31) exemplify the aesthetic associated with Shinto beliefs?

Question 30

Hasegawa Tōhaku's Maple Tree (figure 18.37) with Gion Nankai's uchikake with bamboo design (figure 18.38) in terms of subject matters, purposes, forms, and patrons (the people who commissioned the works). How are these works similar and different? What aspect of the Japanese aesthetic do both works reference?