I was particularly intrigued by Professor Ye's correlation between European and Chinese art. I enjoyed the idea that the way in which a painter chooses to represent landscapes (or any subject, for that matter) reveals a lot about the artist and the society in which he or she lives. I would love to see more examples of Chinese painting and how it changed as it came under the influence of outsiders and new styles.
I too was intrigued by Professor Ye's wealth of knowledge. It made me look at Chinese art in a new way. I would love to know where I could get some art prints or slides or overheads so I could share them with my classes. A script to go along would be great. We just finished studying the Renaissance in Europe and our study of China is around the corner so making comparisons would make a lot of sense. [Edit by="crieder on Nov 30, 4:21:53 PM"][/Edit]
Professor Ye was great! He was so amazingly passionate about cosmopolition east asia, I couldn't help but catch his energy and enthusiasm! I particuarly liked the history of calligraphy, it was interesting to see the different styles and the rigor that it takes to produce such artwork. I am excited to look into this when we are in China.
I really enjoyed listening to Professor Yei, his enthusiasm and passion for art was intriguing. It was interesting to look at the different forms of art from China. I liked the use of space and color that was apparent in many pieces of art. The landscape was the primary focus with the people and places depicted in a small area of the painting. The use of the color red made the subjects appear more vivid and important, these individuals stood out from others.
In language arts groups today, we read "Little Oh" by Laura Krauss Melmed. It is a folktale-type story about an origami girl that comes to life. One of the illustrations is similar to Chinese landscape paintings we looked at during last seminar. I told my students how asian painters thought that the use of space was so important in a landscape painting. My students then brought it to my attention how the illustrator used space on some of the other pages. They noticed more than I did!
There is a book called Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain by Margaret Bateson-Hill that is a story of a simple old peasant woman who weaves together many thmes from traditional Chinese folktales. It honors the strong spirit of Lao Lao and celebrates those who value life's simple pleasures over greed and selfish desire for riches. The Chnese craft of paper cutting is at the center of the story sand there are instructions so that you can make your own paper cuts. It would be a great book for elementary students. I use it in middle school.
It is interesting that Sam Y. the speaker on December 12th implied the same when he discussed tracing the roots of Asian societies. I would be interested in seeing the progression of ancient art through the centuries and discovering the influences of economics, politics, dynasties and the such.
I think we should get a list of good literature together to use in our elementary classrooms.
I agree and some examples of the art. Children love comparing different art pieces and learning all about the artists. I would love to dive further into this and incorporate those magnificent castles. How fun!
Thanks to Professor Ye, I too look at Asian artwork/landscapes in a different light. The use of negative space, placement of people or objects, and color accents - especially red, can be seen and discussed in the classroom by using children's books. A good example I found was "The Empty Pot" by Demi.
Cathy,
I would love to read the book Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain to my class.
(I might have to borrow your copy.)
Yes, it seems perfect for elementary students and could lead into a good discussion on values. Even at 1st grades, the kids understand greed. I also like to connect art projects with language arts. The paper cutting activity sounds fun. The kids would enjoy the process but no guarantees on the end results.
Bev
Bev I will try to remember to bring the book on Saturday because I think you would enjoy using it.The illustrations are beautiful. If you want to call Ridgecrest and leave me a reminder. My extension is 252.
See you Saturday, CAthy
Becky I agree with you and would love to pull together a list. Let's do it.
Cathy[Edit by="crieder on Jan 16, 8:01:45 PM"][/Edit]
Professor Ye was very interesting. I loved his many slides and examples of exceptional works of art through time. It is also very helpful to know of the website resources that he gave us for future reference. What really made an impression was the importance of calligraphy as an art form. I had known that calligraphy was important in Chinese culture but what I now realize, thanks to Dr. Ye, is the many forms that it takes, its significance in ancient Chinese history, and the calligraphers themselves possessing superior self-discipline, intelligence and well-being. The arts of the east never cease to amaze me!
Now that I am basically finished with my Japan unit it occured to me when I saw in the PV News a paperfolding club on the hill that leads paperfolding/oragami workshops at the Malaga Cove Library. As I recall most workshops are held at the library are in the middle of the day during the week. I bet they/a representative would be interested in coming to a classroom to lead a paperfolding lesson if a teacher was interested.