| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Buddhist reliquary stupas | Dome-shaped Buddhist monuments constructed to house sacred relics and serve as objects of veneration. |
| calligraphy | The art of beautiful handwriting and letter forms, particularly prominent in Islamic art for transmitting sacred texts. |
| carpet weaving | A textile technique used to create decorative and functional carpets, an important art form in South, East, and Southeast Asian regions. |
| ceramic vessels | Pottery objects made from clay and hardened through firing, representing one of the earliest art forms in Asia dating back to prehistoric times. |
| contour drawing | A painting technique that emphasizes the outline and edges of forms rather than modeling through shading and volume. |
| cotton weaving | A textile technique using cotton fibers to create woven fabrics, an important textile form in South, East, and Southeast Asia. |
| Japanese woodblock printing | A printmaking technique where images are carved into wooden blocks and used to create multiple prints, a distinctive art form from Japan. |
| manuscript painting | The art of creating painted illustrations and decorations within written manuscripts, a major painting form in West and Central Asia. |
| monochromatic ink painting | A painting technique using black ink in varying tones on silk or paper, developed in China and emphasizing brushwork and composition. |
| pagoda | An architectural form developed in Asia, based on Chinese watchtowers, typically featuring multiple tiers and used in Buddhist contexts. |
| piece-molding technique | A unique bronze casting method used by the Shang dynasty in China where separate mold pieces are assembled to create a vessel. |
| porcelain | A high-fire ceramic material developed in Asia, characterized by its strength, whiteness, and refined quality. |
| rock gardens | Carefully composed landscapes using rocks, plants, and water as distinctive art forms in East Asian aesthetics. |
| rock-cut caves | Caves carved into stone to create Buddhist shrines, stupas, and monastic spaces, found across Asia from India through Central Asia to China. |
| silk-tapestry weaving | A textile technique using silk threads to create tapestry fabrics, a form developed in West and Central Asia. |
| stone carving | The process of shaping stone to create sculptures, architectural elements, and decorative features in South, East, and Southeast Asian art. |
| tea houses | Architectural structures in East Asia designed for the practice of tea ceremonies and related aesthetic rituals. |
| wall painting | A painting technique applied directly to walls, one of the two primary forms of painting in Asian art traditions. |
| wood carving | An artistic technique of shaping and carving wood into functional and decorative objects in Indigenous American art. |
| wool-tapestry weaving | A textile technique using wool threads to create woven tapestries, practiced in South, East, and Southeast Asian regions. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| animistic nature spirits | Spiritual beings believed to inhabit natural elements and landscapes in East Asian religions, particularly Shinto. |
| belief systems | Organized sets of religious, spiritual, or philosophical ideas that guide how a culture understands the world and conducts itself. |
| Buddhism | A major religious tradition that developed in South Asia and spread throughout East and Southeast Asia, generating distinctive religious art forms. |
| calligraphy | The art of beautiful handwriting and letter forms, particularly prominent in Islamic art for transmitting sacred texts. |
| Confucianism | An East Asian ethical system of behaviors that developed in China and influenced artistic and cultural traditions. |
| courtly art | Artwork created for royal courts and the nobility, often depicting court life and serving to display wealth and power. |
| cultural practices | The customs, rituals, and traditional activities of a society that are reflected in and inform artistic and architectural creation. |
| Dao | The fundamental principle in Daoism representing the way of nature and the universe. |
| Daoism | An East Asian religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with nature and the Dao, influencing artistic traditions. |
| Dongson culture | A Bronze Age culture in Southeast Asia known for its distinctive artistic traditions. |
| figural imagery | Representations of human or divine figures used prominently in Asian religious art for veneration and spiritual practice. |
| Gangetic Plain | A key geographic region in South Asia where core social and religious beliefs developed and spread across larger cultural spheres. |
| Gupta India | A great civilization and ruling dynasty in South Asia that became a core cultural center. |
| Han China | A great civilization and ruling dynasty in East Asia that became a core cultural center. |
| Heian Japan | A great civilization and ruling dynasty in East Asia that became a core cultural center. |
| Hindu temple | A distinctive Asian architectural form developed to support Hindu religious practice and beliefs. |
| Hinduism | A major religious tradition that developed in South Asia and influenced distinctive religious art forms across the region. |
| iconic images | Distinctive visual representations of divinities and revered teachers used in Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions. |
| iconographic compositions | Elaborate artistic works using symbolic religious imagery in sculptures, textiles, and wall paintings in Asian religious art. |
| Indic worldview | An ancient philosophical framework that differentiated earthly and cosmic realms, recognized sacred sites and beings, and understood time and life as cyclic. |
| Indus River Valley | A key geographic region in South Asia where a sophisticated ancient civilization developed core social and religious beliefs. |
| Indus Valley civilization | A sophisticated Neolithic and Bronze Age civilization that thrived in Pakistan and India and contributed to the development of South Asian culture. |
| intended audience | The specific group of people for whom an artwork is created, which influences the artist's choices in form, content, and presentation. |
| Islamic architecture | Architectural traditions developed in Islamic cultures, including both secular structures like forts and palaces, and religious structures like mosques and tombs. |
| Jainism | A major religious tradition that developed in South Asia and influenced distinctive religious art forms. |
| Khmer Cambodia | A great civilization and ruling dynasty in Southeast Asia that became a core cultural center. |
| Kofun culture | An ancient Japanese culture characterized by monumental burial practices and artistic traditions. |
| landscape painting | A genre of painting that focuses on natural scenery and outdoor environments as its primary subject matter. |
| literati painting | A genre of painting developed by educated elites in China and Japan that emphasizes landscape subjects, often combined with poetry, created by nonprofessional artists. |
| Longshan culture | A Bronze Age culture in China that preceded the Shang dynasty. |
| mandala | A circular or geometric design in Buddhist art that represents the universe and is used in spiritual practice and meditation. |
| mihrab | A niche or empty alcove in the Qibla wall of a mosque that serves as a focal point for prayer. |
| monastic complex | A distinctive Asian architectural form developed to support Buddhist religious practice. |
| mosque | An Islamic place of worship featuring a Qibla wall facing Mecca and a mihrab niche for prayer, typically decorated with calligraphy and vegetal forms rather than figural imagery. |
| narrative compositions | Elaborate artistic works that tell religious stories through sculptures, textiles, and wall paintings in Asian religious art. |
| nonfigural imagery | Visual decoration that does not depict human or animal figures, including calligraphy, geometric patterns, and vegetal forms. |
| patron | A person or institution that commissions, funds, or supports the creation of an artwork, thereby influencing its purpose and content. |
| physical setting | The geographic location, environment, and landscape that influences the creation and function of art. |
| Pure Land Buddhism | A Buddhist tradition that developed distinctive art forms, including Raigo scenes. |
| purpose | The intended function or reason for which a work of art was created, such as religious worship, commemoration, or display of power. |
| Qibla wall | The wall in a mosque that faces the direction of Mecca and the Kaaba, oriented to guide prayer. |
| Ragamala painting | An Indian painting tradition that illustrates Hindu deities and poetic texts, often depicting mythical and historical subjects. |
| Raigo scenes | Distinctive Asian art forms associated with Pure Land Buddhism that depict religious narratives and beliefs. |
| regional painting styles | Distinct artistic traditions and techniques developed in specific geographic areas, reflecting local subjects and cultural preferences. |
| religious function | The primary purpose of an artwork or architectural structure to serve spiritual or devotional practices. |
| secular art | Artwork that is not primarily religious in function, though it may contain religious imagery or themes. |
| shamanistic beliefs | Indigenous spiritual practices and beliefs that influenced Korean and other East Asian religious traditions. |
| Shang dynasty | An ancient Chinese dynasty that developed sophisticated artistic and religious traditions. |
| Shinto religion | The Japanese religious tradition based on the veneration of animistic nature spirits inhabiting the landscape. |
| Sikhism | A religious tradition that developed in South Asia within the Indic worldview. |
| stupa | A Buddhist architectural monument, typically dome-shaped, built to house relics or commemorate Buddhist teachings. |
| Yangshao culture | A Neolithic culture in China known for its early artistic and social developments. |
| Yayoi culture | An ancient Japanese culture that developed distinctive artistic and social practices. |
| Yellow River | A key geographic region in East Asia where ancient societies developed core social and religious beliefs. |
| Zen Buddhist sensibilities | Aesthetic principles influenced by Zen Buddhism that emphasize simplicity, nature, and spiritual contemplation, applied to Japanese arts like ceramics and flower arranging. |
| Zen ink painting | A distinctive Asian art form that reflects Zen Buddhist beliefs and aesthetics. |
| Zen rock garden | A distinctive Asian art form that reflects Zen Buddhist beliefs and aesthetics. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Buddhism | A major religious tradition that developed in South Asia and spread throughout East and Southeast Asia, generating distinctive religious art forms. |
| courtly patronage | Support and sponsorship of art and religion by royal courts, which facilitated the adoption and development of Buddhism and other cultural practices in Asian societies. |
| cultural transmission | The process by which cultural ideas, practices, artistic forms, media, and styles spread across regions through trade routes and contact between societies. |
| Islamic sultanates | Islamic political and religious states that exercised at least partial control over regions in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia during the second millennia CE. |
| maritime networks | Sea-based trade routes that utilized seasonal monsoon winds to connect North Africa, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and south China, enabling cultural and commercial exchange. |
| monsoon winds | Seasonal wind patterns that facilitated maritime trade and travel across Asian waters and between Asia and Africa. |
| Silk Route | An ancient network of trade routes connecting the Greco-Roman world with China and India, facilitating cultural and artistic exchange across West, Central, and East Asia. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| art-historical argument | A reasoned explanation or interpretation about a work or group of works of art supported by evidence and analysis. |
| Asian aesthetics | The principles, values, and standards of beauty and artistic expression that are characteristic of Asian artistic traditions. |
| blue-and-white porcelain | Chinese ceramic ware decorated with blue designs on white background, highly popular internationally and imitated by ceramic centers in Iran, Turkey, and Europe. |
| Buddha of Bamiyan | A monumental Buddha sculpture in Afghanistan that exemplifies Gandharan artistic influence combining Hellenistic and Buddhist traditions. |
| colonial era | A historical period during which European influence affected Asian artistic styles, including the adoption of naturalism and perspective in Asian painting traditions. |
| cultural practices | The customs, rituals, and traditional activities of a society that are reflected in and inform artistic and architectural creation. |
| Gandharan culture | An ancient culture in Afghanistan and Pakistan that bridged West and East Asian artistic traditions, known for blending Greco-Roman and Buddhist artistic elements. |
| Han dynasty | A major Chinese dynasty during which the Silk Route was active, facilitating significant cultural and artistic exchanges. |
| Hellenistic-influenced artistic style | Artistic style showing the influence of Hellenistic (Greek) culture, characterized by Greek visual traditions and aesthetic principles. |
| Indus Valley civilization | A sophisticated Neolithic and Bronze Age civilization that thrived in Pakistan and India and contributed to the development of South Asian culture. |
| Islamic sultanates | Islamic political and religious states that exercised at least partial control over regions in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia during the second millennia CE. |
| Mongol Empire | A vast empire that facilitated the exchange of art and ideas across Asia, West Asia, and Europe during a period of free cultural exchange. |
| Mughal styles | Artistic and architectural styles developed by the Mughal Empire, adopted and adapted in Hindu court architecture, painting, and fashion. |
| naturalism | An artistic approach that aims to depict subjects as they appear in nature with accurate representation of form, light, and detail. |
| perspective | A technique for representing three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface, adopted in Asian painting traditions during the colonial era through European influence. |
| Silk Route | An ancient network of trade routes connecting the Greco-Roman world with China and India, facilitating cultural and artistic exchange across West, Central, and East Asia. |
| silk weaving | The craft of weaving silk fabric, originating in China and flourishing for thousands of years as an important art form and trade commodity. |
| Tang dynasty | A major Chinese dynasty during which the Silk Route was active, facilitating significant cultural and artistic exchanges. |
| Tang slipwares | Ceramic wares produced during the Tang dynasty, created using slip decoration techniques and coveted internationally for over 1,000 years. |
| theory and interpretation | Different frameworks and perspectives used to understand and explain the meaning, context, and significance of works of art that may change over time. |
| visual analysis | The systematic examination and interpretation of a work of art's formal elements, such as color, composition, form, and technique, to understand its meaning and significance. |