75667 - History of East Asian Art (1) (LM)

Course contents

Narrative art along the Silk Roads. Jātakas and episodes in the life of the Buddha from India to Central Asia, China and Japan

The course will concern itself with Buddhist narrative art in India, especially the representation of the last life of the Buddha and his previous lives, from the first examples in India to later depictions in Central Asia, China and Japan. The programme will be divided into two parts: the first dedicated to theoretical aspects of narrative art and the analysis of the materials and different narrative modes used in India (Bharhut, Sanci, Amaravati, Gandhara e Ajanta), and the second devoted to a critical reading of a selection of narratives from outside India and especially the murals of Kizil and Dunhuang, the reliefs of Yungang and the Buddhist narrative paintings of Japan.

Readings/Bibliography

V. Dehejia, "On modes of Visual Narration in Early Buddhist Art", The Art Bulletin, LXXII, 3, 1990, pp. 374-392.

- D. Patry Leidy, The Art of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its History and Meaning, Boston–London, Shambala, 2009, pp. 9-79.

- Rajeshwari Ghose (ed), Kizil on the Silk Road: Crossroads of Commerce and Meeting of Minds, Mumbai, Marg Foundation, 2008, pp. 8-23; pp. 32-39; pp. 40-65; pp. 94-105.

- Fan Jinshi, The Caves of Dunhuang, London, Scala Publishers, 2010, pp. 7-65; pp. 74-83; pp. 88-95.

Teaching methods

Frontal lesson: presentation, reading and analysis of selected works

Assessment methods

The exam will be conducted orally and will assess the student's command of the material studied in the course. The student will be asked to provide a commentary on images selected from among those found in the course texts and will be judged on his ability to summarise and critically discuss topics raised in the course, making use of the exam bibliography and the course tools provided.

The assessment will thus consider the student's:
- competence in commenting on the images, i.e. in identifying, dating and contextualizing the works illustrated;
- knowledge and understanding of the topics covered;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an ability to provide a full description of the images and an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

Teaching tools

Power point presentations

Office hours

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