Lectures: MWF 10:10-11:05am, 212 Houghton House
Office Hours: M 2:00-3:00pm, F 4:00-5:00pm, or by appointment, 208 Houghton House

This course will explore painting practice from the beginnings of China's "Golden Age" in 618 through the end of Mongol conquest and rule in 1368. Painting is regarded as one of the premier art forms in the earliest Chinese histories of art, second only to calligraphy. Material will be presented chronologically, but broader topics will include popular subject matter in early painting, including figural topics and landscapes; early theories on painting and the development of art criticism; notions of artist's places within specific social classes; questions of patronage and collecting; and relationships between painting, calligraphy and poetry. The course is cross-listed with Asian Studies. It addresses Goals 6 (an intellectually grounded foundation for the understanding of differences and inequalities of gender, race, and class) and 7 (knowledge of the multiplicity of world cultures).

TEXTS

• Richard M. Barnhart et al., Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997).
• Diana Hacker, ed., A Pocket Style Manual, 4th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004).
• Sylvan Barnet, ed., A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 9th ed. (New York: Longman, 2008)—recommended for students new to art history.

COURSEPACK (available from the Art Department)

• Gu Kaizhi (Ku K’ai-chih), “Technique,” in Early Chinese Texts on Painting, ed. Susan Bush and Hsio-yen Shih (Cambridge, Mass., and London: Harvard-Yenching Institute, 1985), 32-36.
• Jing Hao, "Notes on the Method for the Brush," trans. Stephen H. West, in Ways with Words: Writing about Reading Texts in Early China, ed. Pauline Yu et al. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 202-13.
• Susan Bush and Hsio-yen Shih, ed., excerpts from “Sung Literati Theory and Connoisseurship,” in Early Chinese Texts on Painting, 191-240.
• Deng Chun (Teng Ch’un), “The Emperor as Connoisseur and Artist,” in Early Chinese Texts on Painting, 134-37.
• Alfreda Murck, “The Buddhist Monks Muqi and Yujian,” in Poetry and Painting in Song China: The Subtle Art of Dissent (Cambridge, Mass., and London: Harvard University Press, 2000), 252-58.
• Zhao Mengfu (Chao Meng-fu), “Scholars’ Painting and the Spirit of Antiquity,” in Early Chinese Texts on Painting, 254-55.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Week 1.          Sept. 1-5.         Beginnings of pictorial art in China.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 1-12, skim 19-47.
Sept. 1.             Overview of the course.           
Sept. 3.             Approaches to Chinese painting.
Sept. 5.             Themes in pre-Tang painting.

Week 2.          Sept. 8-12.       Tang court paintings.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 47-61, 75-85; Gu, “Technique.”
Sept. 8.             Images of emperors.
Sept. 10.           Images of court ladies
Sept. 12.           The art of copying; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.

Week 3.          Sept. 15-19.     Funerary and religious art in the Tang dynasty.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 61-75.
Sept. 15.           Imperial tomb murals and landscapes.
Sept. 17.           Buddhist art.
Sept. 19.           LIBRARY RESEARCH SESSION. Meet at the Reference Desk of the Library at 10:10am.

Week 4.          Sept. 22-26.     Five Dynasties painting.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 87-96; Jing, “Notes on the Method for the Brush.”
*Quiz this week*
Sept. 22.           Pictorial themes in the Five Dynasties.
Sept. 24.           Jing Hao and Guan Tong; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.
Sept. 26.           Jiangnan landscape style.

Week 5.          Sept. 29-Oct. 3. Nature and man in the Northern Song.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 96-105.
Sept. 29.           Early Song landscape painting.
Oct. 1.              Peace Reigns along the River.
Oct. 3.              Architectural painting; RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL DUE.

Week 6.          Oct. 6-10.        Figure painting in the Song.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 106-12.
Oct. 6.              Themes in figure painting.
Oct. 8.              Night Revels of Han Xizai.
Oct. 10.            Nomads.

[Oct. 11-14, FALL RECESS]

Week 7.          Oct. 15-17.      Literati theories on painting in the Northern Song.
Readings: Bush and Shih, excerpts from “Sung Literati Theory and Connoisseurship.”
Oct. 15.            “The Painter as Artisan or Scholar,” “Poetry and Painting,” “Calligraphy and Painting.”
Oct. 17.            “The Tao and Painting,” “Naturalness and Painting, “Spontaneity and Painting”; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.

Week 8.          Oct. 20-24.      Genre topics in the Song.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 112-18.
Oct. 20.            Horses-and-buffalo.
Oct. 22.            Birds-and-flowers, fish-and-dragons.
Oct. 24.            TBA.

Week 9.          Oct. 27-31.      Late Northern Song painting.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 118-126; Deng, “The Emperor as Connoisseur and Artist.”
Oct. 27.            Landscape painting; FIRST TEST due.
Oct. 29.            Huizong’s Imperial Painting Academy.
Oct. 31.            Scholarly paintings.

Week 10.        Nov. 3-7.         Court and literati painters in the Southern Song.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 126-33.
Nov. 3.            The Southern Song Painting Academy.
Nov. 5.            Ma Yuan, Ma Lin, and Xia Gui.
Nov. 7.            Literati paintings; ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.

Week 11.        Nov. 10-14.     Buddhist painting in the Southern Song.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 133-37; Murck, “The Buddhist Monks Muqi and Yujian.”
*Quiz this week*
Nov. 10.           Chan paintings.
Nov. 12.           Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers.
Nov. 14.           Ningbo painting workshops.

Week 12.        Nov. 17-21.     Painters and politics in the Yuan dynasty.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 140-51; Zhao, “Scholars’ Painting and the Spirit of Antiquity.”
Nov. 17.           Loyalist painters and Qian Xuan.
Nov. 19.           Zhao Mengfu and scholar-official painters; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.
Nov. 21.           Court artists.

Week 13.        Nov. 24.          Daoist paintings in the Yuan.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 150-54.

[Nov. 26-30, THANKSGIVING RECESS]

Week 14.        Dec. 1-5.         Landscape masters in the early to middle Yuan.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 154-69.
Dec. 1.             Followers of Song landscape styles.
Dec. 3.             Wu Zhen.
Dec. 5.             Huang Gongwang; RESEARCH PAPER DUE.

Week 15.        Dec. 8-12.       Painting masters of the late Yuan.
Readings: Barnhart et al., 169-95.
Dec. 8.             Ni Zan.
Dec. 10.           Wang Meng.
Dec. 12.           Birds-and-flowers, bamboo, and plum.

Finals Week.  Dec. 19.  SECOND TEST due.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1.         Class Participation (15%).  This includes regular and punctual attendance (see attendance policy) and participating in discussions in class or on the Blackboard discussion board. I grade participation on a daily basis, as follows: A for speaking up in class or on the discussion board (even to ask a question or to answer one of my questions incorrectly), B for showing up to class but not speaking, C for not paying attention or coming in late, 0 for not coming to class at all.

2.         Quizzes (5%).  Quizzes are noted on the calendar, and missed quizzes cannot be made up.

3.         Response papers (20%).  Throughout the semester you will write several one-page papers responding to some of the primary sources we will read in translation. More details to follow.

4.         Research paper (20%), due Friday, Dec. 5.  This is to be a short research paper (roughly 5-7 pages) on a single Chinese painting from the Tang to Yuan periods. More details to follow.

5.         First Test (20%), due Monday, Oct. 27.  This take-home test covers material from Weeks 1-7.

6.         Second Test (20%), due Friday, Dec. 19, 11:30am.  This take-home test covers material from Weeks 8-15.

OFFICE HOURS
I am happy to meet with you outside of class during my office hours (see top of syllabus) or at another time that is convenient for you, in 208 Houghton House.  The best way to reach me to set up an appointment is by e-mail.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
I consider attendance at lectures to be mandatory. Asian art history is a challenging subject; don’t make it impossible by skipping class! That said, if you have a reasonable excuse for missing a class (religious holiday, athletic participation, etc.) I expect you to notify me as soon as possible—preferably in advance—and to turn in a one-page essay on the topics covered on the day of your absence, within a week. Not doing so will directly impact your participation grade. If you are absent four times or more, you should be prepared for me to notify the Deans about your performance. I take attendance regularly.

FORMAT FOR WRITTEN WORK
One of the things you will learn in an art history class is the importance of presentation. This applies to your written work as well:

1. Type all work in a 12-point font.
2. Double-space.
3. Leave one-inch margins on all sides.
4. Number your pages.
5. Staple your work.
6. Put your name on every page and the date on the first page.
7. Check that your spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct--these are crucial to effective communication of your ideas. I will lower your grade if you have excessive errors. A Pocket Style Manual has helpful chapters titled "Clarity," "Grammar," "Punctuation," and "Mechanics." Read them.
8. If you cite another source, use either parenthetical references or footnotes. (See A Note about Cheating and Plagiarism below.) Make sure that you follow one of the documentation styles explained in A Pocket Style Manual (MLA, APA or Chicago-Style).
9. Include pictures with captions if appropriate (and please attach them to a clean sheet of paper--do not give me loose postcards, illustrations torn from magazines, or copies of the books you found the pictures in. Black-and-white photocopies are okay).

A NOTE ABOUT CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM
I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. Not only does it destroy the trust that I have in you to do your best, it is unfair to the other students, and obviously you will not learn anything if you resort to cheating. If I find that you have cheated on a test or on a written assignment, you will receive a zero for the assignment and I will contact the Deans and/or the Committee on Standards about your case.

Now, just in case you are not clear about what plagiarism is: plagiarism is the use of someone else's words or ideas without giving that person credit. In application, this means that in your writing assignments, you need to cite your sources. When quoting directly from a text-say, five words or more in succession-you need to put those words in quotation marks and include a parenthetical reference or footnote citing the source. When rewriting a passage from a text in your own words, you don't need the quotation marks but you do still need the parenthetical reference or footnote. If you don't understand exactly what constitutes plagiarism, or how to use parenthetical references or footnotes, please ask me. I would prefer to explain what it is and how to avoid it before it happens rather than after.

GRADING
PLEASE NOTE:  I mark down one-third of a grade (for example, from A to A-) for each calendar day that a paper is late. I also mark down one-third of a grade for every ten mechanical errors (except on the first assignment to be turned in); notice what kinds of mistakes you tend to make on that first assignment, and try not to repeat them.

All tests, quizzes and the research paper will receive a letter grade. Response papers will not receive a letter grade, but a check, check-plus or check-minus. Make-up written assignments, which count as part of your participation grade, will receive a check or a check-minus. If you are unsatisfied with a grade, please prepare a written statement explaining what grade you think you should have received and why, and submit it to me along with the assignment for review.

Assignments are due during the class period on the due date. Please bring me a hard copy. Again, I mark down for lateness. If you think you will need an extension, you should talk to me as early as possible.

A NOTE ABOUT THE CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING (CTL)
Hobart and William Smith Colleges encourage students to seek the academic collaboration and resources that will enable them to demonstrate their best work. Students who would like to enhance their study skills or writing skills, or have other academic inquiries, should contact the CTL. You may visit the CTL web site to learn more about the services and programs that are available: http://www.hws.edu/academics/ctl/index.aspx.
 
If you are a student with a disability for which you may need accommodations, you are required to register with the Coordinator of Disability Services at the CTL and provide documentation of the disability. Services and accommodations will not be provided until this process is complete. The web site for information pertaining to registration with the CTL and documenting disabilities is: http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/stuaffairs_disabilities.aspx.

WEBSITE
There are two websites for this course: one at my homepage, and one at Blackboard. This syllabus, paper assignments and links to online resources for early Chinese painting can be found at both. The Blackboard site also has a course calendar, daily handouts, a discussion board, and an online gradebook.