Arts of Japan

This course surveys the arts of Japan from the sixth to the twentieth century. Focusing on landmark objects and sites—including temples, shrines, gardens, painting, sculpture, prints, castles, mausoleums, brothels, theaters, museums, and world’s fairs—students will gain an understanding of key monuments as well as the techniques and means by which visual arts were employed to overwhelm the senses, transport viewers into supernatural worlds, consolidate power, placate the dead, and define Japan itself will be considered. Essential themes of the course will include the relationship between artistic production and Japanese sociopolitical development, Sino-Japanese as well as Western cultural exchange, and the impact of religion, region, gender, and class on the appearance of Japanese art.

学习日本艺术的历史、流派与文化背景。

• 1Identify and critically contextualise canonical works of Japanese art from the sixth to the twentieth century, demonstrating understanding of their formal, material, and cultural characteristics.
• 2Apply art historical methods—including visual, material, and iconographic analysis—to interpret Japanese artworks and critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of these approaches.
• 3Explain the interplay between Japanese visual culture and historical developments, including political structures, religious practices, gender dynamics, class hierarchies, and regional influences.
• 4Analyse the design and function of complex multimedia environments—such as temples, gardens, and theatrical spaces—and assess their religious, political, and aesthetic roles in shaping viewer experience.