JAPN 270 - Japanese Art and Culture

Institution:

Williams College

Subject:

Japanese

Description:

This course is a survey of traditional Japanese painting, sculpture, architecture, woodblock prints, and decorative arts. Special attention will be paid to the developments in artistic style and subject matter in the contexts of contemporary cultural phenomena. Through visual analysis students learn the aesthetic, religious, and political ideals and cultural meanings conveyed in the works of art. This course offers students a solid grasp of the social, cultural, and art histories of Japan, and how Japan's foreign relations influenced the development of its artistic trends. Course highlights include the transmission of Buddhism and its art to Japan; the relationship between words and images; Zen Buddhism and its art (dry gardens; temples; and tea ceremony related art forms) in the samurai culture; the sex industry and kabuki theater, their art, and censorship; and the affinities between Japanese woodblock prints and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.williams.edu

Phone Number:

(413) 597-3131

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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