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Lesson Plans
Art History ©1999
by Marilyn Stokstad
Focus Lesson 19
Chapter 11: "Japanese Art Before 1392"
Chapter 22: "Japanese Art After 1392"
AP* Course Description
- Non-European Artistic Traditions
Key Components
- Instructor's Resource Manual with Tests, Vol. I: pp. 34–37, 69–70, 148–153, 220–221
- Study Guide, Vol. I: pp. 4–20
- Instructor's Resource Manual with Tests, Vol. II: pp. 28–30, 75, 116–121, 187–188
- Study Guide, Vol. II: pp. 62–66
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview this site. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated information and links to other sites.
Key Words and Terms
- incising
- dogu
- moats
- haniwa
- bodhisattva
- iconography
- kondo
- pagoda
- axis mundi
- lakshanas
- ushnisha
- urna
- mudra
- mandalas
- joined-wood
- calligraphy
- block printing
- collage
- naturalistic
- realism
- gold leaf
- ink painting
- atelier
- literati
- fusuma
- tatami
- tokonoma
- shoji
- bay
- raku
- lacquer
- inlay
- maki-e
- woodblock prints
- key block
- polychrome
- registration mark
- ukiyo-e
- nishiki-e
- japonisme
Suggested Pacing
Allow a week or less for this chapter. However, it would be useful to check the College Board Web site early in the school year to determine what the topics will be that year for the 30-minute essay question that requires the inclusion of non-European examples in the response.
Test Strategy
Non-European art is used as the basis for multiple-choice questions as well as for essay questions. Students will be required to know the geographic origin of a work as well as be able to "do formal analyses of non-European art." Students will also need to be able to identify cross-cultural connections among art styles, including non-European art.
Key Concepts
- Influence of the Japanese on Western art
Japanese printmaking is frequently discussed in relation to the art of the Impressionists, in particular Monet and Mary Cassatt, and such Post-Impressionists as Van Gogh. It was popular among artists in late nineteenth-century France to collect Japanese prints, whose unique graphic style and quirky compositions profoundly influenced the earliest modernists. - Asymmetry
Whereas Chinese and European artists often stressed symmetry, or balance, Japanese artists enjoyed creating off-balance compositions, often with a sense of humor or playfulness. Even in their religious artwork, Japanese artists were not afraid to evoke this playful attitude. - Buddhism
Buddhism, which came from China and became the state religion, had a deep influence on Japanese art. Buddhist symbols were frequently used in Japanese art. - Tea Ceremony
In Japan, art, architecture, and design combined to create the atmosphere for cha no yu, or the "tea ceremony." In the same way that African artists created masks for use as part of a ritual, Japanese artists created environments for the ritual of drinking tea.
Summing Up Student Understanding
After discussing the Japanese tea ceremony, ask students to write an essay explaining the elements of the tearoom. They might use as an example the Tai-an tearoom of Son no Rikyu (p. 861). Students should consider the tearoom, the ceremony itself, when it is performed, and why.
The text describes the Tai-an tearoom as creating a space for an "intimate gathering," with the "aesthetic of modesty, refinement, and rusticity." Students should explain how this effect is achieved and the materials that are used. In addition to explaining the tearoom, students should discuss how this aesthetic influenced Japanese secular architecture. For instance, they might mention how the tatami mats have come to be used as the primary method for describing the size of a Japanese room.