Towards a history of art that is non-Western

Unabridged and Disgorged > Postmodernism > Towards a history of art that is non-Western
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blisslessly Registered User Posts: 158 (1/21/04 5:13 pm) Reply	Towards a history of art that is non-Western I think we're all pretty much familiar with the European and American chronology of artistic movements, but I was wondering if anyone had knowledge of art history from a non-western culture. Basically, I was at the museum with some friends, looking at paintings, when I realized that people can only fully appreciate, say, Bronzino's Allegory of Venus and Cupid, if they had grown up learning Greek mythology and knowing all the symbols, if they appreciated its counterposition to Renaissance ideals...etc. Otherwise, its just a weird, incestuous-looking painting. It would be nice to look at, say, a Chinese painting and be able to appreciate it and pick up on all the hidden meanings and the historical development of art and aesthetics. What's considered beautiful or art-worthy is culture-bound, and I was just wondering if a cross-cultural approach is at all possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...give me wings.........
mask of the red death Posts: 3 (4/19/04 9:06 pm) Reply	Re: Towards a history of art that is non-Western Knowledge is helpful, but art can be appreciated without knowledge of its cultural origins. Have you ever seen any Japanese woodblock prints? They are breath taking.