What's the Use of Art? : Asian Visual and Material Culture in Context

Post-Enlightenment notions of culture, which have been naturalized in the West for centuries, require that art be autonomously beautiful, universal, and devoid of any practical purpose. The authors of this multidisciplinary volume seek to complicate this understanding of art by examining art objects from across Asia with attention to their functional, ritual, and everyday contexts. From tea bowls used in the Japanese tea ceremony to television broadcasts of Javanese puppet theater; from Indian wedding chamber paintings to art looted by the British army from the Chinese emperor's palace; from the adventures of a Balinese magical dagger to the political functions of classical Khmer images-the authors challenge prevailing notions of artistic value by introducing new ways of thinking about culture.The chapters consider art objects as they are involved in the world: how they operate and are experienced in specific sites, collections, rituals, performances, political and religious events and imagination, and individual peoples' lives; how they move from one context to another and change meaning and value in the process (for example, when they are collected, traded, and looted, or when their images appear in art history textbooks); how their memories and pasts are or are not part of their meaning and experience. Rather than lead to a single universalizing definition of art, the essays offer multiple, divergent, and case-specific answers to the question What is the use of art? and argue for the need to study art as it is used and experienced. This series of case studies from Asia helps broaden and decolonize our understanding of what art is and assert the need to go beyond established ways of thinking about art in English-language scholarship.An engaging and wide-ranging collection, What's the Use of Art will appeal not only to Asia art historians, historians, and anthropologists, but also to collectors and readers with an interest in museum studies and material culture studies. Post-enlightenment Notions Of Culture, Which Have Been Naturalized In The West For Centuries, Require That Art Be Autonomously Beautiful, Universal, And Devoid Of Any Practical Purpose. The Authors Of This Multidisciplinary Volume Seek To Complicate This Understanding Of Art By Examining Art Objects From Across Asia With Attention To Their Functional, Ritual, And Everyday Contexts. From Tea Bowls Used In The Japanese Tea Ceremony To Television Broadcasts Of Javanese Puppet Theater, From Indian Wedding-chamber Paintings To Art Looted By The British Army From The Chinese Emperor's Palace, From The Adventures Of A Balinese Magical Dagger To The Political Functions Of Classical Khmer Images - The Authors Challenge Prevailing Notions Of Artistic Value By Introducing New Ways Of Thinking About Culture. The Chapters Consider Art Objects As They Are Involved In The World: How They Operate And Are Experienced In Specific Sites, Collections, Rituals, Performances, Political And Religious Events And Imagination, And Individual People's Lives; How They Move From One Context To Another And Change Meaning And Value In The Process (for Example, When They Are Collected, Traded, And Looted, Or When Their Images Appear In Art History Textbooks); How Their Memories And Pasts Are Or Are Not Part Of Their Meaning And Experience. Rather Than Lead To A Single, Universalizing Definition Of Art, The Essays Offer Multiple, Divergent, And Case-specific Answers To The Question What Is The Use Of Art? And Argue For The Need To Study Art As It Is Used And Experienced. This Series Of Case Studies From Asia Helps Broaden And Decolonize Our Understanding Of What Art Is And Asserts The Need To Go Beyond Established Ways Of Thinking About Art In English-language Scholarship.--jacket. Acknowledgments -- Introduction : Wrapping And Unwrapping Art / Morgan Pitelka -- Functions -- From The Living Rock : Understanding Figural Representation In Early South Asia / Robert Decaroli -- Disposable But Indispensable : The Earthenware Vessel As Vehicle Of Meaning In Japan / Louise Allison Cort -- From The Wedding Chamber To The Museum : Relocating The Ritual Arts Of Madhubani / Richard H. Davis -- In The Realm Of The Indigo Queen : Dyeing, Exchange Magic, And The Elusive Tourist Dollar On Sumba / Janet Hoskins -- Movements -- Plunder, Markets, And Museums : The Biographies Of Chinese Imperial Objects In Europe And North America / James L. Hevia -- Situating Moving Objects : A Sino-japanese Catalogue Of Imported Items, 800 Ce To The Present / Cynthea J. Bogel -- Memories -- Angkor Revisited : The State Of Statuary / Ashley Thompson -- An Ancestral Keris, Balinese Kingship, And A Modern Presidency / Lene Pedersen -- Raw Ingredients And Deposit Boxes In Balinese Sanctuaries : A Congruence Of Obsessions / Kaja M. Mcgowan -- Conclusion : Ways Of Experiencing Art: Art History, Television, And Javanese Wayang / Jan Mrázek. Jan Mrázek And Morgan Pitelka, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Post-Enlightenment notions of culture, which have been naturalized in the West for centuries, require that art be autonomously beautiful, universal, and devoid of any practical purpose. The authors of this multidisciplinary volume seek to complicate this understanding of art by examining art objects from across Asia with attention to their functional, ritual, and everyday contexts. From tea bowls used in the Japanese tea ceremony to television broadcasts of Javanese puppet theater; from Indian wedding chamber paintings to art looted by the British army from the Chinese emperor's palace; from the adventures of a Balinese magical dagger to the political functions of classical Khmer images—the authors challenge prevailing notions of artistic value by introducing new ways of thinking about culture.The chapters consider art objects as they are involved in the world: how they operate and are experienced in specific sites, collections, rituals, performances, political and religious events and imagination, and in individual peoples'lives; how they move from one context to another and change meaning and value in the process (for example, when they are collected, traded, and looted or when their images appear in art history textbooks); how their memories and pasts are or are not part of their meaning and experience. Rather than lead to a single universalizing definition of art, the essays offer multiple, divergent, and case-specific answers to the question'What is the use of art?'and argue for the need to study art as it is used and experienced.Contributors: Cynthea J. Bogel, Louise Cort, Richard H. Davis, Robert DeCaroli, James L. Hevia, Janet Hoskins, Kaja McGowan, Jan Mrázek, Lene Pedersen, Morgan Pitelka, Ashley Thompson. Post-Enlightenment notions of culture, which have been naturalized in the West for centuries, require that art be autonomously beautiful, universal, and devoid of any practical purpose. The authors of this multidisciplinary volume seek to complicate this understanding of art by examining art objects from across Asia with attention to their functional, ritual, and everyday contexts. From tea bowls used in the Japanese tea ceremony to television broadcasts of Javanese puppet theater; from Indian wedding chamber paintings to art looted by the British army from the Chinese emperor's palace; from the adventures of a Balinese magical dagger to the political functions of classical Khmer images--the authors challenge prevailing notions of artistic value by introducing new ways of thinking about culture. The chapters consider art objects as they are involved in the world: how they operate and are experienced in specific sites, collections, rituals, performances, political and religious events and imagination, and in individual peoples' lives; how they move from one context to another and change meaning and value in the process (for example, when they are collected, traded, and looted or when their images appear in art history textbooks); how their memories and pasts are or not part of their meaning and experience. Rather than lead to a single universalizing definition of art, the essays offer multiple, divergent, and case-specific answers to the question "What is the use of art?" and argue for the need to study art as it is used and experienced. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction: Wrapping and Unwrapping Art 12 Functons 30 ONE. From the Living Rock: Understanding Figural Representation in Early South Asia 32 TWO. Disposable but Indispensable: The Earthenware Vessel as Vehicle of Meaning in Japan 57 THREE. From the Wedding Chamber to the Museum: Relocating the Ritual Arts of Madhubani 88 FOUR. In the Realm of the Indigo Queen: Dyeing, Exchange Magic, and the Elusive Tourist Dollar on Sumba 111 Movements 138 FIVE. Plunder, Markets, and Museums: The Biographies of Chinese Imperial Objects in Europe and North America 140 SIX. Situating Moving Objects: A Sino-Japanese Catalogue of Imported Items, 800 CE to the Present 153 Memories 188 SEVEN. Angkor Revisited: The State of Statuary 190 EIGHT. An Ancestral Keris, Balinese Kingship, and a Modern Presidency 225 NINE. Raw Ingredients and Deposit Boxes in Balinese Sanctuaries: A Congruence of Obsessions 249 Conclusion. Ways of Experiencing Art: Art History, Television, and Javanese Wayang 283 Contributors 316 Index 320 0824830636,9780824830632 University of Hawaii Press