080035 PS Case Study II/III: Chinese painting from the perspective of Dong Qichang (1555-1636) (2023S)

"Dong Qichang (1555-1636) is one of the most complex, controversial, and misunderstood personalities in the history of Chinese art." (Ho 1992, 3) Thus Dong Qichang is described in the opening words of a comprehensive anthology on his person. He was a scholar, artist, art theorist, and art historian, and had a lasting influence on the perception of Chinese painting. To this day, the evaluation criteria consolidated by him continue to shape our view of the subject. Starting from Dong Qichang, we will deal with selected personalities and works of Chinese painting. A central theme of the course is the expansion of a way of looking at and interpreting art, which students will also be able to apply when looking at non-Chinese art.

Students will acquire knowledge about the basic features of Chinese painting in this case study. First, through common assignments and group presentations, general questions about the major personalities, schools, and tools of Chinese painting are answered. The knowledge acquired in this way will then be deepened on the basis of concrete works in the elaboration of an individual topic through a presentation and a final paper.

At the end of the course, students should be able to describe Chinese painting with appropriate terminology, to contextualize and differentiate works historically and stylistically, to name important artists and to characterize their work, as well as to describe the most prominent personalities and their contributions to research on Chinese painting.

Through intensive study of an art historical topic, students have expanded and consolidated the specialized knowledge, working techniques, and intellectual skills they have previously acquired. They are able to independently gain an overview of the relevant specialized literature and to critically receive it. They have begun to engage in the art historical research process orally and in writing.