Khubilai and the other Mongol rulers of China appreciated their subjects’ skills in the visual arts. The Chinese had a long history as talented painters, sculptors, and porcelain makers. They carved intricate designs into ivory, jade, and lacquer, a hard material made from the sap of Asian trees. Chinese artisans also produced colorful textiles out of silk and cotton. Some of these textiles were worn as clothes, while others were hung on walls as art.
The Mongols did not make any specific contributions to the visual arts in China, but several noticeable developments occurred under their rule. Some of the educated Confucians who were kept out of government service turned to the arts for work and self-expression. Under the Yuan, a style of painting called wen ren hua first appeared. The name means “literary man’s painting” in Chinese; the works were painted by well-educated amateur artists and were intended to appeal to the educated. Wen ren hua artists often painted highly detailed scenes from nature that depicted their own emotions. Their work differed from the paintings done by “official” artists, who had trained at the Song academy for art. Traditional paintings focused on portraits, religious subjects, and scenes from everyday life. One Chinese painter at the Great Khan’s court, Zhao Mengfu (12541322), was famous for his paintings of horses, a popular subject with the Mongols.
Anew Kind OF Ceramics
One artistic innovation during Yuan times was the appearance of blue-and-white porcelain. This development did not occur with direct royal support, though in general the potters of the empire had great freedom to create what they wanted. The distinct blue-and-white style remained popular in China for several hundred years, and is often associated with the later Ming Dynasty.
Sculpture under the Mongols tended to focus on traditional subjects. Most sculptures were made for Buddhist patrons and focused on religious subjects. Sculptors worked with stone, wood, and bronze to create their images. Artists also carved reliefs-three-dimensional images that rose out from a flat surface.
Under Khubilai, northern and southern Chinese artistic styles came together. His rule also helped bring Chinese influences to other lands, such as Persia, and introduced foreign artistic elements to China. One important influence came to the empire from Tibet. Aniga (1244-1306), a Tibetan Buddhist artist and architect originally from Nepal, impressed the Phags-pa Lama with his artistic talents. The lama brought the artist to Khubilai, who commissioned him to build temples and other buildings in Shangdu and Khan-baliq. Aniga also designed gold jewelry, and the Great Khan eventually had him supervise all the artisans in China. The Tibetan influence on Chinese art included the depiction of religious figures wearing jewelry and colorful ornaments.
World History
