Many religious textual accounts describe provocative women: The Great Whore

from the Apocalypse, Saint Mary Magdalene from the New Testament, and the

Daughters of Mara from the Buddhist tradition are all accused of fornication or the

seduction of men. However, when artists have depicted these subjects, the women are

rarely shown transgressing in the ways the texts describe. The Great Whore is often

masculinized and shown as the equal of kings, Mary Magdalene assumes divergent

attitudes about prostitution in early Renaissance Europe, and the Daughters of Mara are

comparable to other Buddhist deities, recognizable only from the surrounding narrative.

Therefore, in this inquiry, I seek out the ways that artists have manipulated misogynistic

religious narratives and introduced their own fears, concerns, and interpretations.

Artistic deviations from the text indicate a sensitivity to cultural values beyond

the substance of their roles within the narrative. Both the Great Whore and her virtuous

counterpart, the Woman Clothed in the Sun, have agency, and the ways they are shown to

use their agency determines their moral status. Mary Magdalene, the patron saint of

prostitutes and a reformed sinner, is shown with iconographical markers beyond just

prostitution, and reveals the ways in which Renaissance artists conceptualized prostitution. In

the last case study, the comparison between the Daughters and the Buddhist savioresses,

the Taras, demonstrates that Himalayan artists did not completely subscribe to the textual

formulations of women as inherently iniquitous. Ultimately, these works of art divulge

not just interpretations of the religious traditions, but attitudes about women in general,

and the power they wielded in their respective contexts.

ABSTRACT

Art historians typically consider Chinese porcelain a decorative art, resulting in scholars spending little time analyzing it as a fine art form. One area that is certainly neglected is porcelain produced during the late 19th and early 20th century during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911) into the early Republic period (1912–1949). As the Qing dynasty weakened and ultimately fell in 1911, there was a general decline in the quantity of porcelain produced in China. Due to this circumstance, porcelain of this era has not received the detailed analysis, characterization of styles, comprehension of themes, and understanding of patronage evident in other periods of Chinese porcelain production. Ultimately, limited research has been conducted to establish the styles associated with late dynastic porcelain into the early Republic’s establishment.

This dissertation utilizes a new perspective that considers the patronage of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) as a high point of late dynastic porcelain. Concrete documentation establishes that motifs were appropriated from Cixi’s painting, suggesting a direct connection between schools of painting and the imagery selected for porcelain during her reign. The porcelain Cixi influenced directly guided the porcelain produced during the Hongxian era (1915-1916), making Cixi’s patronage the key turning point from dynastic porcelain to early Republic porcelain. Utilizing predominately British collections, this study identifies the styles, symbols, and themes associated with porcelain of the 19th and 20th century, elevating late dynastic and early Republic wares to the status of fine art.

My thesis argues that an unrecognized genre existed in classical Chinese painting, one which I call “ethnic" or "minority painting.” The genre of ethnic painting consistently displays certain styles and cultural values and is meant to represent unique ethnic identities. These ideas have not been substantially covered by previous research on Qing dynasty painting. My research raises three main questions: was there a distinct genre in traditional Chinese painting that could be called “ethnic art” (or "minority art")? How did ethnic art distinguish itself within Chinese painting? What were the ethnic identities presented by minority artists from ethnic groups within and outside of China? The materials used for this research include a close visual study of six paintings by Lang Shining (Giuseppe Castiglione) from the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Munich Residenz in Germany and the Musée Guimet in France.

Phoebus 6, Number 1: A Journal of Art History - Table of Contents

“Preface” p. 7-8.

“The Time of Qianlong (1736-1795)” by Wen Fong, p. 9-16.

“The Intellectual Climate in Eighteenth-century China: Glimpses of Beijing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou in the Qianlong Period” by Frederick Mote, p. 17-55.

“The Qianlong Emperor’s Skill in the Connoisseurship of Chinese Painting” by Kohara Hironobu, p. 56-73.

“An Overview of Stylistic Development in the Qianlong Painting Academy” by She Cheng, p. 74-90.

“Document and Portrait: the Southern Tour Paintings of Kangxi and Qianlong” by Maxwell Hearn, p. 91-131.

“Tangdai: A Biographical Sketch” by Ju-hsi Chou, p. 132-140. 

“For the Love of God: Castiglione at the Qing Imperial Court” by Howard Rogers, p. 141-160.

“Approaches to Painting at the Qianlong Court” by Claudia Brown, p. 163-168.

“Notes” p. 169-198. 

Phoebus 2: A Journal of Art History - Table of Contents

“Preface” by Jack Breckenridge, p. 3.

“Contributors” p. 4-5.

“Table of Contents” p. 6-7.

“The Problem of Antisolimenismo in Neapolitan Baroque Painting” by Donald Rabiner, p. 8-16.

“Mid-Fourteenth Century Painting in Suchou: Some Lesser Masters” by Claudia Brown, p. 17-30.

“A Re-Examination of the Cult of Demeter and the Meaning of the Eleusinian Mysteries” by Sherly Farness, p. 31-38. 

“Arizona Portfolio” p. 39-53. 

          “Wooden Cross” by Mildred Monteverde, p. 40-43.

          “Le Petit Tablier” by Rosalind Robinson, p. 44-47.

          “La Réunion des plus Célèbres Monuments Antiques de la France” by Vicki C. Wright, p.
          48-53. 

“An Unpublished Rowlandson Sketchbook” by Anthony Gully, p. 54-74.

“Are We Ready for Shih-T'ao?” by Ju-hsi Chou, p. 75-87. 

“A Conversation Between Adolph Gottlieb and Jack Breckenridge” transcribed by Jack Breckenridge, p. 88-96. 

“Three Recent Art Reference Books” by Winberta Yao, p. 97-102

The early to mid 20th century saw the rise of two woodblock print movements, shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga. Both movements involved changes in style and production in a time of changing landscapes and tastes. Increased industrialization and greater international contact impacted both movements, while an awareness of a market abroad and embracing modern art sensibilities defined shin- hanga and sosaku-hanga respectively. Ten prints by 6 sosaku-hanga artists and 4 shin-hanga artists demonstrate the conventions and variations of their respective styles. A close analysis of two prints applies the history of Japan and printmaking to two prints from different movements. A catalogue of all ten prints provides a brief overview of works in relation to their historical influences. Comparisons with the ukiyo-e prints from earlier Japan create a greater understanding of the shin-hanga prints discussed, while the lives of the artists themselves help elucidate readings of sosaku-hanga prints. Analyzing the work of sosaku-hanga artist Shiko Munakata demonstrates the tension that results from the combination of modern art and traditional craft that inform the perspectives of artists in that movement. A print by Takahashi Shotei reveals shin-hanga's approach to portraying modernizing Japan. Both movements addressed changes in Japanese society and formed relationships with the international art community.

A Japanese national identity is generally thought to have originated in the 17th century, with the advent of the Kokugaku movement. I will argue that there is earlier evidence for the existence of a Japanese national identity in the Kumano Nachi mandalas of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. These mandalas employ the Nachi waterfall as a symbol of the strength and power of the Japanese land, counterbalancing Chinese Buddhist visual motifs. In this paper, I further assert that these mandalas are an early example of an artistic tradition of painting specific landscape features as symbols of a Japanese national identity, and that this tradition continues into the modern period.

Many cultures find connections between humans and nature. Chinese philosophies such as Daoism assert that mountains are sacred beings of cosmic energy. These cosmic beings have elements that coincide with parts of the human body: rocks are bones, water is blood and veins, trees and grass are hair, clouds and mist are breath, the mountains themselves are the body. "Bodyscapes" is an exploration of these concepts using charcoal and ink to merge the human form with natural landscape.