Art Observation #2 - a Study of the Art of Painting in Chinese and Korean Art

Art Observation #2 - A study of the art of painting in Chinese and Korean Art

1) The work of art I chose to observe is Detail Of Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk. It is attributed to Emperor Huizong. It measures 14 ½ x 57 1/2 inches (36 x 145.3 cm). It is located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass. The picture is located on page 343 in our textbook. The painting dates back to the early 12th century CE. The mediums used to create this work of art are handscroll, ink and colors on silk.

2) Upon looking at the picture you can see two women and a young maid stretching the silk while another woman is busy ironing. They are trying to keep the white silk stretched and flat. Another young girl in pink is lying curiously beneath the bolt of material extended above her head playing. The women and the young maids are dressed in brightly colored robes. The colors used in the robes are red, orange, blue, and white. Their hair is black and in an updo. On the right hand side close to the bottom of the womans dress there is a fire pit with hot coals in it. One lady is holding a bronze iron device in her hand that has burning coals inside of it. The ears on the lady holding the iron seem rather large. The eyebrows look like thin lines. The eyes are small and squinty. The woman on the left looks to have flowers in her hair. The two woman look to have a jewel on their foreheads. The robes the women and girls are wearing all have patterns on them. The little girl in the middle has pigtails in her hair with two bows. The two women and the young maid all appear to be wearing shawls.

3) The elements of art used in this picture are:

Lines - The artist used a lot of fine lines to outline the women and their clothes. Lines are also used to create the pattern on the robes the women and the young girls are wearing.

Hue - The artist used bright colors while painting the robes the women and young girls are wearing. The artist used red, orange and blue.

Texture - The overall texture of the painting appears to be smooth. Although the robes the women and young girls are wearing appear to have rough patterns. The silk that the painting is on is also smooth.

4) This picture provides an intriguing look at Chinese women and their duties in relation to Confucian society, demonstrating how their limited influence was offset by their incredibly important role in the household. The picture shows how the wives were expected to be unafraid of physical labors. The women in the picture were focused completely on serving the husbands. Girls were trained during childhood to help their mothers. The picture shows the women preparing newly woven silk for the court to wear. It was a task most people would assume would be reserved for the peasants, and not the concubines of the emperor. Court ladies were encouraged to do weaving and sewing,