Both the human figure and natural landscape are depicted in this work, titled "A Lady Amid Bamboo Trees," which is from an album of Chinese paintings. The exhibit of Asian art includes some works that have rarely, if ever, been been displayed before.

Human figure and landscape explored in Asian art exhibit

The variety of ways the human figure and natural landscape have been represented through the ages in Asian art is explored in a new exhibition at the Yale University Art Gallery that traces the evolution of these themes from ancient history through the 20th-century. "Figures and Landscapes in Asian Art" features art works ranging from Neolithic ceramics to painted scrolls to modern sculpture. The exhibition, on view through Dec. 12, is drawn from the gallery's permanent collection, supplemented by loans from private collectors. "Such thematic installations as this, as well as our recent exhibitions focusing on 'flora and fauna' and 'spirit and ritual,' give us a welcome opportunity to display works that have rarely, if ever, been publicly exhibited," says David A. Sensabaugh, curator of Asian art at the gallery. "We have some extraordinary objects that can be linked and seen in new ways when associated with millennia-old motifs." The development of the separate genres of figure and landscape painting in China can be traced through a variety of items on view, including vessels featuring abstract and animal forms, which were among the first decorative images in Chinese art. By the late third millennium B.C.E., stick figures, such as those on a Majiayao culture storage jar on display, began to appear. A millennium later, a clear human face appears on one side of a bronze finial with an animal mask on the other. Representations of humans appear by the second century B.C.E. in the form of tomb figurines that gave status to the deceased in the afterlife, according to Sensabaugh. Other objects on view include two 11th-century portraits of octogenarian statesmen of the Song dynasty who represent the moral authority of age in a Confucian, bureaucratic society; landscapes in an album leaf by 12th-century painter Li Shan and on a painted pillow from the same period; and later landscapes by master artists Shen Zhou, Ju Jie, Dong Qichang, Lan Ying and Gong Xian. The exhibit also explores the transmission of Chinese figural styles to Japan. Among the representative art works are a Haniwa figure of a helmeted warrior from the sixth to seventh century C.E., 17th-century Japanese screens and 19th-century Japanese landscape hanging scrolls. Also on view is a porcelain sculpture, titled "View of Distant Sea II," by 20th-century Japanese artist Sueharu Fukami. Gallery talks on the exhibition will be offered at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12, and noon on Thursday, Oct. 14, by Patricia Volk, a graduate student in the history of art. Sensabaugh will give an art à la carte talk at 12:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The Yale University Art Gallery, located on the corner of Chapel and York streets, is open to the public without charge Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. A wheelchair-accessible entrance is at 201 York St., with a reserved parking space nearby. For taped general and program information, call (203) 432-0600 or check the gallery's website at www.yale.edu/artgallery. T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Women with breast cancer genes risk relapse with conservative therapies Ex-Secretary of State describes greatest foreign policy challenges facing the U.S. Researchers discover animals will shun others with infectious diseases Exhibit will offer Yale community a peek at libraries' treasures HHS Secretary to talk about Medicare, privacy issues NY governor, UPenn president are year's first Chubb Fellows Solicitor General Waxman to speak at Law Reunion Conference to explore 'dilemma' over use of cost-benefit analysis to make policy decisions Headstone dedication will highlight Divinity Convocation Goethe's contributions to science, modern culture celebrated Grant supports STAR program to promote success in sciences Scientists studying how animals move in perfect tandem Two-part sculpture coming together for first time at Yale center Human figure and landscape explored in Asian art exhibit Exhibit features works of Chinese artist who mixes Western and Eastern styles and symbols Yale hosts day-long conference on Asian studies Stalin's secret plans to invade Alaska among topics discussed at international conference . . . Yale launching annual United Way fundraising drive Series focuses on slavery in early U.S. and the Middle Ages Drug for glaucoma will be tested in clinical trial at the medical school Medical program will focus on topic of breast cancer German scholar to speak to local Humboldt chapter members . . . In the News . . . Campus Notes Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus| Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page