Chinese art

Art I Love ～ The Empress

Lights in the Shadows

Traditional Village in Kaifeng, lighting the classic Chinese lanterns at night to guide the way.

Coming Exhibition: The Great Terracotta Army of China’s First Emperor

“The Great Terracotta Army of China’s First Emperor”

The Great Terracotta Army of China's First Emperor

Who:

Tokyo National Museum

When: Oct. 27, 2015 – February 21, 2016 (Usually open Tuesday through Sunday until 5:00 PM)

Where:

Tokyo National Museum
13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku,
Tokyo, 110-8712, Japan

More Information: Here.

About 2,200 years ago, Qin Shi Huang succeeded in unifying China and became its First Emperor. His legacy is preserved in a vast terracotta army, the discovery of which is considered the greatest archeological find of the 20th century, and which continues to arouse wonder and provide new knowledge. With assistance from institutions such as the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, this exhibition brings together artifacts with connections to the First Emperor while exploring the “everlasting world” of his terracotta army and its mysteries

Stairway to heaven: Artist creates stunning 1,650ft ladder in the sky with FIREWORKS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCW1ObmcLWE

“Stairway to heaven: Artist creates stunning 1,650ft ladder in the sky with FIREWORKS”

by Edward Chow and Emily Chan via “Daily Mail“

Cai Guoqiang used metal and gunpowder for the show in Quanzhou, China
The ladder, which measured 18ft wide, was taken up using a hot air balloon
Artist drew a draft of the show 21 years ago when he visited Bath, England
It was a labour of love for Mr Cai’s elderly grandmother who raised him
Same artist designed the spectacular fireworks to open Beijing Olympics

A Chinese artist has found a unique way to express his love to his grandmother: a gigantic staircase in the air.

These stunning photographs show the 1,650ft ladder, which was made with fireworks, stretch right up into the sky in Quanzhou, south-eastern China, on Monday.

This is the work of Cai Guoqiang, an artist who is originally from the city and now based in New York, reported the People’s Daily Online.

Sky Ladder: A Chinese artist has created this incredible burning ladder that stretches for 1,650ft into the sky

Lit up: The artwork, called ‘Sky Ladder’, is the artist’s way of thanking his grandmother who raised him

The ladder, which was made of metal wire and aluminum, was filled with gunpowder and attached to the bottom of a hot air balloon.

The balloon, which was made with special material, was launched from a boat off the shore of nearby Huiyu Island.

Called the ‘Sky Ladder’, the project started off as a dream for Mr Cai 21 years ago when he was visiting Bath, England. He designed the performance by drawing a draft of the design on the window of an art gallery.

He said he wanted to put on a spectacular fireworks show to thank his grandmother for supporting his dream of being an artist.

‘My grandma was born in a small fishing village in Quanzhou and sold fish to help her grandson realise his artistic dream,’ the artist revealed. . . . .

Stone-Faced Buddha ~ Longmen Grottoes

Longmen Grottoes

Took a little trip to the Luòyáng , China this past weekend as part of a culture trip hosted by the University!

Pronounced something like “loi yahng,” this beautiful home to the National Peony Festival (I’ll add an update on the Peony Garden later) is one of the “cradles of Chinese Civiliazation” and one of the ancient capital cities of China (Henan has 2 of them! – Luoyang and Xinzheng). The city itself is amazingly clean and open, the streets are unlittered and it’s pretty modern.

The best part of my visit by far though was the Longmen Grottoes and the Peony Garden. This week was part of the 2 week festival they have each year for the Peony festival, so people were everywhere despite the rain.

The Longmen Grottoes themselves are absolutely mind-blowing ~ an amazing feat of human design and capability. To imagine that such intricate design, specific carvings, and gentle touch art were feasible so many centuries ago is one of those things that always stops me in my tracks. I know a lot of people aren’t as interested as I in history and stone statues (several of the teachers I was with were fairly denigrating about spending so much time in a “Stone Garden). But to me, standing on the same ground, touching the rocks they touched, seeing the art they created, glimpsing pieces of hearts long past. It’s simply miraculous.

The Grottoes are home to thousands and thousands of carvings on the stone faces of the mountain cliffs. Most are of Buddha or his followers, some are pagodas, buildings, and other designs. The varying stone colors used to frame and decorate the statues, each one different from the rest. Carved over a period of centuries (5th – 15th Century AD), each set was designed by a different artist, many from completely different times. You can trace the changes, both in religion and philosophy (skinny to fat Buddhas for example) and in art styles.

One of the other reasons the grottoes is so stunning is the River Yi (pron. ee) that runs alongside the valley in front of the rocks. The river is clean and beautiful, sweeping along a lovely walkway as antique-style dragon boats float up and down. Stone bridges line the view, criss-crossing over to the other side that offers views of antique buildings lining the mountain paths.