Asian art has a long, venerable and quite different tradition than that of the West. However, many of the advanced concepts of art and abstraction in the West were applied for centuries in Asia specifically gestural, semi controlled paint application, restricted color range (frequently just black and white), free linearism, emphasis on flatness of the picture surface, asymmetry, voids or empty spaces, misty color fields, and acceptance of accidental effects. But to the West, the distant and exotic Oriental vision was still beguiling and alluring. In Asian art precise and detailed descriptions were not necessarily the goal; instead, revealing the essence of an object or a part of the natural world and evoking feelings and thoughts from the viewer became the goal. An example is The View of Fuji, by Beikwa Yamaoka in this Gallery. Asian art also does not imitate reality, and the physical properties and expressive qualities of the artist's medium (ink, paint) are appreciated as independent aesthetic ends.

China
A large part of the collection represents pictorial art. In these paintings on silk, the differences between Western and Chinese art are highlighted. To the Chinese, painting and writing come from the same desire to express political, social, and religious concepts. The earliest characters in their written language were representations of objects. Although these were later given phonological significance, the connection between writing and representation remains. Calligraphy and painting use the same brush, materials, and strokes. The literati poets were learned civil servants who explored these relationships. Chaohen Li's Abode of Pleasure at Lotus Lake, displays the equal significance of calligraphy and painting.

Another key difference is found in point of view. In the West, the horizon line is usually found mid-scene, as if the observer were standing on the ground; in China, the objects farthest away are placed at the top of the scene, moving the perspective from the ground to "birds eye" as in the landscape Contemplating the Sea from a Mountain Retreat.

Symbolism also plays a vital role in Chinese art. In portraits, for example, details of the wearers' costumes and robes signify the rank of the person. Flowers and animals also have symbolic significance. Pairs of Guardian Lions, like those of the Ch'ing Dynasty exhibited in this gallery, are commonly placed in front of Imperial gates, shrines, and temples to ward off evil. The lion, which is not native to China, has always been associated with Buddha in Chinese art. It symbolizes the strength and endurance of the "Enlightened One."

A highlight of the Asian collection are the lacquered screens that are assembled to recreate a Chinese philosopher's pavilion. The Chinese used the sap from the Asian sumac tree since the Shang Dynasty (1523-1027 B.C.). It was collected and refined to create a sticky liquid, which dries to a hard and transparent coat with a pearly soft sheen. Three to 18 layers are painstakingly brushed on to become an elegant finish for architectural and decorative objects. A form of lacquer known as Coromandel was also developed by the Chinese for application to large scenic panels, which comprised folding screens such as the one displayed in this Gallery. Pine panels were coated with layers of soft clay and grass fibers. Successive layers of black lacquer were then painted on. After drying, the artist engraved his design into the shiny surface and applied gilding and special paints to the grooves and hollows he had created much like cloisonné enamel work. The result is a marvelously jewel-like scene set off from a black ground.

Japan
The strength of the Chinese artistic tradition greatly influenced the art of its neighbor, Japan. The origins of Japanese art can be found in the 6th Century, when Buddhism was introduced to Japan. Hundreds of years later the art of the Muromachi Period, which began in the 14th century, still carried elements of the stylistic influences from China. The 15th Century Japanese, Jizo Basatsu on Lotus, reveals a stylistically Chinese treatment of the Buddhist subject with more color than other Japanese works.

The brief Momoyama Period of the 16th Century brought a change in the style of Japanese art. The love of clarity, purity, and nature pressed artists to explore daring brush strokes to create works of larger composition. In this gallery two works, which demonstrate these bold techniques and animal symbolism, are the Tiger and Bamboo, and Squirrel in Branches. The tiger signifies the strength of the spirit. The squirrel is admired for its ability to climb anything.

The landscapes of the Tokugawa Period (17th to 19th Centuries) are light, soft, and poetic as in Araki Taurei's Landscape in Grey. With the onset of modernity came a push toward Western style realism. Many artists accepted this challenge, while others returned to the traditional subjectivity, which characterizes Japanese art.

Tibet
Also included in this gallery are works from Tibet where art and living are intimately connected. This Himalayan country is an autonomous region of China headed by the Dalai Lama who, along with Buddha, is an important subject for Tibetan art. Since Tibetan Buddhists create their works to express religious faith, their names are unknown.

Influenced by Chinese style and form, thankas (cloth scroll paintings) adhere to strict Buddhist traditions. The main figures—Buddha, Dalai Lama, saints, and philosophers—are formed from an outline or a transfer, with colors chosen boldly and symbolically and set within a complex iconography. They dazzle the eye. They are meant to be educational, inspirational and beautiful.

Along with manuscript illuminations and monastery murals (forms also found in Western religious painting) thankas are painted on fabric with vegetable and mineral pigments. Rods inserted at the top and bottom allows them to be rolled up and easily transported, an essential requirement in a nomadic culture.

Tibetan art is a classic example of art based on non-artistic principles such as religious and philosophical beliefs. Buddhism teaches not so much that the mind perceives existing things as that things are created by the mind - it interprets values rather than describes facts. Applied to artistic activity, if properly and purely done, the artist will generate symbols and shapes, which are part of the eternal stream of life and consciousness (the Tao). In the West pure inspiration, universal symbols and shapes is artistic abstraction.

Please note, paintings, objects and artists represented on the website may not be on view at all times.

Ronald C. Roth Director & CEO