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Chinese Art
Teacher's Resource
Lesson Plan: Icons and Symbols
Lessons submitted by: Patti Burkhardt
Picture
This
Grades 9-12
Sunshine State Standards: VAC141, VAD142
Goal:
These various activities will ready Grades PreK-12 students for
their visit to the Naples Art Museum where the Gow
Collection will be explored. Three lessons are included: one each
for Grades PreK-2, Grades
3-5, and Grades 6-12. Additionally, two
on-site lessons are included for use by students while touring the collection
at the museum. They are titled Picture This,
(this one) targeted at Grades 9-12, and Animal
Symbols, targeted at Grades 3-5.
Background Information:
Symbolism
in China is a complex system that permeates all aspects of life and
thought. Because of the enormous number of symbols
and their variations, entire studies have been dedicated to their meanings.
Some Chinese believe that natural forces and animals possess spirits
which are represented either in realistic form (birds, reptiles, insects,
etc.) or mythical combinations (the phoenix, dragons, etc.)
Considered the
most important symbol, the dragon is highly regarded and complex. Originally
a symbol of rain, fertility, and male vigor, the dragon possessed the
power to navigate between heaven and earth. Beginning with the Han Dynasty,
the dragon became the exclusive symbol of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven,
who was the person who had the power to mediate between the worldly
and the heavenly.
The ancient Chinese
showed concern for the structure and form of the world and the mysterious
forces that operated within it. Rocks, mountains, clouds, water, and
other natural forces had their own spirits and are represented in Chinese
art with their own symbols. A great symbolic picture of the universe
in which the world was devised could be reduced to a miniature symbolic
pattern in the design of a holy shrine, the structure of a palace, the
plan of a city, or the layout of a garden. The Chinese believed in the
divinity of nature, and man was a natural component, not a separate
entity, who was to live in harmony with nature.
SELECTED SYMBOLS
- BAT: Good luck
and happiness.
- CLOUDS: Good
fortune and happiness, especially when they have more than one color.
- CRANE: One of
the many symbols of longevity.
- DRAGON: One
of the most complex symbols. From the Han Dynasty on, it is the symbol
of the Emperor or Son of Heaven. Unlike its Western counterpart, the
dragon is a good-natured and benign creature.
- MOUNTAINS: Cosmic
order and permanence.
- PEARL: Purity
and preciousness.
- RAINBOW: Emblem
of marriage.
- STONE: Longevity.
- SWASTIKA: Immortality.
- PHOENIX: The
male phoenix, if represented with the female unicorn and the five
magic beings, is a sign that the land is being ruled by a just king.
Depicted with a dragon, it symbolizes the empress. (http://www.ucf.edu)
Opening Whole
Group Discussion:
Do you
practice any special cultural traditions in your home? If you do, then
you may also have unique items or artifacts that you use on special
occasions or that have a unique cultural significance for you. Works
of art often convey special meanings to the particular cultures in which
they were created. These treasured works can also tell us important
details about a culture, such as its social practices, values, and religious
beliefs, or simply how people live from day to day. It would probably
take you a lifetime and many thousands of dollars to travel the globe
and learn about all of the world's different cultures and the treasured
artifacts they have produced, but you can discover some of them right
here in this collection.
Activity:
- First, familiarize
yourself with the questions listed below.
- Then, move about
the exhibition scanning for the four cultural treasures that you find
the most interesting.
- Visually study
one artifact at a time and read the museum description. Learn as much
as you can about each work of art and then answer the questions below.
Questions:
Remember, choose four artworks or cultural
treasures and answer the questions below for each:
- Name the cultural
treasure and describe the materials used to create it.
- What Chinese
tradition or practice does this artwork express?
- If the artwork
has a function, how was it used?
- Why do you think
this particular treasure is valued by its culture?
- What can you
learn about the culture from the artwork that you did not already
know?
(http://www.glencoe.com)
Assessment of
Effort / Perseverance
Rubric
- 4- The
project was continued until it was as complete as the student could
make it; the student gave effort far beyond that required; the student
took pride in going well beyond the requirement.
- 3- The
student worked hard and completed the project, but with a little more
effort it might have been outstanding.
- 2- The
student finished the project, but it could have been improved with
more effort; there was adequate interpretation of the assignment,
but the student neglected the finishing touches; or the student chose
an easy project and did it indifferently.
- 1- The
project was mostly completed with a few loose ends left off; the student
displayed minimum involvement and lackadaisical effort.
- 0- The
student did not adequately finish major portions of the work.
(Here are
related lessons for Grades PreK-2, Grades
3-5, Grades 6-12, and a walk-about called
Animal Symbols, targeted at Grades 3-5.)
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