Art History?

This article is presented in two parts. In part I, I call into question the viability of a currently received opinion about the foundations of the subject called “Art History,” primarily by challenging assumptions that are implicit in conventional uses of the terms “art” and “work of art.” It is widely supposed that works of art are items of a kind, that this kind is the bearer of the name “art,” and that it has a history. In part II, I propose to correct this error by using the word “art” in a presently unconventional—although not unprecedented—way. The proposal relies upon a concept of cultural evolution running intellectually parallel to a Darwinian account of genetic evolution. The thesis has strong metaphysically realist implications, relating cultural evolution to what can be said and done and can properly be seen to have a history only in a universe to which real regularities are attributed. The recommended use of the term “art” is secured upon an estimate of the role of memetic innovation as radically pervasive, embracing all thought and action. “Art,” understood in the suggested way, becomes the name of a category, which has no history as kinds have histories.     

Kalacakra Tantric Tangka Art

Tangka refers to silk, linen or woolen fabric painted scrolls in Tibetan. Before making a Buddha image, followers of Tantric Buddhist will hold some rituals, including reciting sutras, offering sacrifices, dispensing alms, freeing captive animals, and inviting eminent monks to pray for the workplaces, instruments and materials for making the Buddha image. Those painters who will paint image will also bathe and be purified by incense smoke, pray and perform some Buddhist activities before wor…     

Tantric Art Showin Shenzhen

ＴａｎｔｒｉｃＡｒｔＳｈｏｗｉｎＳｈｅｎｚｈｅｎ￥ＮＡＮＫＡＴＡＩＴｈｅＴａｎｔｒｉｃＡｒｔｓｏｆｔｈｅＴａｒＭｏｎａｓｔｅｒｙｐｕｔｕｐｉｎＳｈｅｎｚｈｅｎｉｎＯｃｔｏｂｅｒ１９９４ｃｒｅａｔｅｄａｈｉｔｉｎｔｈｅｓｐｅｃｉａｌｅｃｏｎｏｍｉｃｚｏ...     

The End of Art?

This article focuses on the arguments that Arthur Danto has advanced for alleging that the developmental history of art is over. The author is skeptical of Danto's conclusion and maintains that Danto has failed to demonstrate that art history is necessarily closed. The author also contends that Danto's end-of-art thesis is better construed as a specimen of art criticism than as an example of the speculative philosophy of art history.     

Opening the Window for Tibetan Art

ＯｐｅｎｉｎｇｔｈｅＷｉｎｄｏｗｆｏｒＴｉｂｅｔａｎＡｒｔ￥／／Ｔｈｉｓｙｅａｒｍａｒｋｓｔｈｅ３０ｔｈａｎｎｉｖｅｒｓａｒｙｏｆｔｈｅｆｏｕｎｄｉｎｇｏｆｔｈｅＴｉｂｅｔＡｕｔｏｎｏｍｏｕｓＲｅｇｉｏｎ．Ｃｈｉｎａ＇ｓＴｉｂｅｔｉｓｃｅｌｅｂｒａｔ...     

Han Shuli and His Pursuit of Art

ＷＡＮＧＤＵＩＰＥＯＰＬＥｎ１９９６，ＨａｎＳｈｕｌｉｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒｗｉｔｈＮｇａｗａｎｇＺｈａｂａａｎｄＹｕＸｉａｏｄｏｎｇａｃｃｅｐｔｅｄｔｈｅｅｎｔｒｕｓｔｍｅｎｔｏｆｃｒｅａｔｉｎｇａｈｕｇｅｈｉｓｔｏｒｉｃａｌｏｉｌｐａｉｎｔｉｎｇ—Ｄ...     

Butter Sculptures：Art to Melt the Heart

Butter sculptures originated in the Tar Monastery in Qinghai Province. They form a kind of carving art, but the material used is butter mixed with mineral colors. The Tibetans think those who pay sacrifices to Buddha and Buddhist guardians will enjoy peace and happiness.     

Dr.Xiong Wenbin and His Tibetan Fresco Art

ＺＨＯＵＹＩＮＧｓｌｉｍ，ｓｈｒｅｗｄ，ｐｌａｉｎｌｙｄｒｅｓｅｄｙｏｕｎｇｍａｎｉｓｏｆｔｅｎｓｅｅｎｅｎｔｅｒｉｎｇａｎｄｌｅａｖｉｎｇｔｈｅＣｈｉｎａＴｉｂｅｔａｎＳｔｕｄｉｅｓＣｅｎｔｅｒｉｎｔｈｅＡｓｉａｎＧａｍｅｓＶｉｌａｇｅｉｎＢｅ...     

Tangka Painting Art of the Tibetan Race （Ⅰ）

Tibetan painting art is mainlyrevealed in mural paintings aswell as tangka.Tangka incar-nates not only the special character of Tibetan painting art but also thefeatures of Tibetan traditional crafts andmounting.     

Tangka Painting Art of the Tibetan Race （Ⅱ）

Tibetan painting art finds expression in two: murals and tangka paintings. The two vary in painting styles and materials used. Tangka paintings show the unique feature of Tibetan fine arts.However, in the face of refined tangka, how one should enjoy it? Do you know how to paint it? How to mount it? Anything special in this regard?Mounting MethodIn Tibet, when a tangka has been created, it would be mounted. The brocade for mounting, called Gyishamo in Tibetan, always has the same dimension: Gyishamo below the tangka amounts to half that of     

A (Digital) Future for Saharan Rock Art?

First visited by westerners in the mid-nineteenth century, Saharan rock art has since received a great deal of attention. The richness and diversity of this region is recognised by the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list of three properties: Tassili-n-Ajjer in Algeria, Tadrart Acacus in Libya, and Ennedi in Chad. The situation in many North African countries now makes this vast region very difficult to access: safety in the field is not guaranteed and few research funds are available. Today, a new generation of African and foreign scientists has no access to rock art sites in the north of the continent and the lack of fieldwork may entail a lack of safeguard and awareness. The growth of digital technologies over the last 15 years has revolutionised methods for recording rock art sites. Digital technologies are also used to mitigate the gap between artworks and accessibility in those countries where turmoil and social instability make fieldwork impossible. However, much of the documentation and most digital recordings of artworks currently available on the Internet lack an archaeological context. Equally, many of these websites barely mention methodological and theoretical aspects. It is also difficult to understand the extent of awareness among local communities in remote areas—sometimes suffering a digital and linguistic divide—and if (and how) they are genuinely able to exploit these digital resources. Here, I collate some examples from different parts of the Sahara illustrating that the recording, management and dissemination of rock art still present highs and lows. I argue that we should share theories and methods within the digital scientific community, with a view to adopting a shared nomenclature and a public thesaurus, making our cataloguing criteria explicit and, finally, developing an ethical code of conduct involving local communities.     

Bilbao's Art Scene and the “Guggenheim effect” Revisited

The article analyzes the effects of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (GMB), adopting a new research perspective and trying to pursue the links between the museum and Bilbao's art scene. Until now, the impact of the museum has been analyzed from two different perspectives. The first focused on the urban development and regeneration aspects and the success of the museum as a tourist magnet and an image-making device. The second perspective concentrated on the direct economic benefits of the museum, i.e. direct returns and effects on the economy. The missing lens in previous analyses, however, was the impact of the museum on the city's art landscape, including the art support activities. In this context, the article describes for the first time in a detailed way how the GMB has contributed to the shaping and propulsion of changes on commercial and non-profit art spaces in Bilbao. Although it is clear that other factors may play a role, it can be asserted that the effects of the museum are not only limited to an increase in tourism or fiscal return, but also contribute to the development and spatial articulation of the local art scene and public support of the arts.     

Art,Transformation, Liberation: Balzac's Eugénie Grandet

Balzac's works about actual artists like Le Chef d’oeuvre inconnu have long been studied to derive the author's ideas about the artistic creative process. Eugénie Grandet also deals with art, however, even though there is not a real artist in it. In telling the story of Eugénie and her cousin Charles, Balzac suggests his views on the effects of beauty created by artful arrangement as opposed to the beauty in nature uncrafted by human art.     

Artificial Intelligence, 3D Documentation,and Rock Art—Approaching and Reflecting on the Automation of Identification and Classification of Rock Art Images

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory - Rock art carvings, which are best described as petroglyphs, were produced by removing parts of the rock surface to create a negative relief. This...     

The Istanbul Modern Art Museum: An Urban Regeneration Project?

Abstract

In the 2000s, contemporary art institutions have flourished in Istanbul. New museums (mostly private) and art galleries have been created; biennials and fairs of contemporary art have attracted a growing number of visitors. To what extent could this fostering of culture be linked with the “Bilbao effect”? To what extent are the promoters of these cultural investments betting on economic development and urban regeneration through these projects? Focusing on the Istanbul Modern Art Museum (IM), this article analyses the process of its creation and its potential impact on its environment. It argues that the development of culture investments in modern arts in Turkey is mainly due to the private initiatives of large industrial groups and the wealthiest families, most of the time with political support. More than the expected economic impact of cultural investments, the main reason for these public–private collaborations is the symbolic dimension that contemporary art provides to a country which strives to be perceived as modern, developed and European. From the IM to Istanbul European Capital of Culture 2010, cultural investments are a means of strengthening an international image in the context of the “membership” negotiations between “Turkey and the European Union”.     

Americans spellbound──Tibetan Children's Art Troupe in the United States

Inthegoldenautumnoflastyear,theTibetChildren'sArtTroupeperformedinWashingtonDC.NewYork,SanFranciscoandLosAngeles.foraperiodof25days.ThiswasthefirsttimeTibetanchildrenhadperformedoutsideChina.Thetroupewascomposedof17childartists,allTibetan.withanaverageageof12years.TheyhailedfromLhasa,NyingchiandXigaze.Spellboundbytheirperformance,theAmericanaudiencesreferredtothemas"youngangelsfromthesnowland."MostAmericansknowTibetthroughtheirlocalmassmedia.Intheirmind,TibetisalandwhereTibetancultu…