Carved+Bamboo+Brush+Washer+in+the+Shape+of+a+Lotus+Leaf+by+Chu+San-hung

=**Carved Bamboo Brush Washer in the Shape of a Lotus Leaf by Chu San-hung**=



Title: Carved Bamboo Brush in the Shape of a Lotus Leaf Artist: Chu San-hung Country of Origin: China Period: Ming Dynasty (1386-1644) Current Location: National Palace Museum – Taipei City, Taiwan
 * Artwork Identification**

Brush washers are a staple in the traditional art of Chinese brushwork ranging from calligraphy to painting. These staples serve fulfill the purpose of removing excess ink from brushes, while withholding a reputation for their functionality and artistic beauty [2]. In this specific piece the brush washer takes the form of a lotus leaf: a plant revered as a symbol of purity and elegance because of it unique ability to arise from muddy and rough terrain flawlessly and untouched [3]. Bamboo //Brush Washer in the Shape of a Lotus Leaf// is a piece that withholds the reputation of a brush washer in aesthetics and symbolic use of the lotus.
 * Introduction**

The brush is carved from bamboo root and resembles the shape of a lotus leaf with the edges curling up to form a bowl. The general color of the piece is dark brown with highlights of lighter tones. The edges of the leaf are peppered with holes made by insects and a crab sits on the edge a well. The brush’s exterior and interior surfaces display veins (appearing as almost tactile) and the artist’s signature is displayed on the exterior surface with a note reading, “Made by Chu Sang-sung”. To the right of the leaf seems to stem a blooming lotus flower with its petals slowly unfolding. Given the curled edges, the textured surface and color of the brush, it gives the appearance as if a lotus leaf had naturally died and curled into a shape of a brush washer. Measurements: Length: 15.1 cm, width: 9.3 cm, height: 7.2 cm, weight: 58 g
 * Descriptive Analysis**



Chinese calligraphy has been dated back to the earliest years of the country’s history. Still widely practiced today, it is revered as an art more than its means of passing information because of its rhythmic and precise movements. Taught and trained at a very young age, the Chinese believe one’s calligraphic talents are a reflection of one’s abilities and knowledge. This art form can be found all throughout China ranging from inscriptions in paintings to sitting rooms in households [1]. Commonly used a tool for removing excess ink from calligraphy brushes, brush washers served a valuable functional purpose within Chinese culture. Brush washers were made of various materials such as porcelain, jade, agate, enamel, and ivory. The most common used design for a washer is a round flat shape made of porcelain. Based on this information, it is probable that this particular brush washer’s purpose was more for aesthetics than functionality because of its off-centered base and bamboo composition. The artist's decision to carve a brush washer into a lotus leaf might have been to solidify the brush washer's reputation of displaying elegance and simplicity; portraying the ideal that although the brush washer serves a somewhat custodial purpose, its beauty still remains as that of a lotus lead blossoming through the mud [5].
 * Formal/Contextual Analysis**

__Bamboo Carving__

Bamboo is one of the eternal themes of Chinese drawings and is considered the symbol of prosperity, wealth and safety. Round carving, openwork carving, deep carving, and surface carving are the methods of bamboo carving. There are twenty-seven steps used in bamboo carving, such as utensil making, sketching, carving and peeling. However, the finish works are full of life, clever, and resourceful in unique and creative forms. Bamboo carvings are used in public places to create an atmosphere of peaceful, elegant, and unsophisticated style.

Objects made from bamboo:
 * brushrests
 * paperweights
 * boxes
 * figures
 * cups
 * fan frames
 * shapes taken from nature (fruit)
 * miniature landscapes
 * birdcages

The Ming Dynasty began in 1368, and lasted until 1644 A.D. It appeared to be a very powerful government. The capital was originally located in Nanjing but the third emperor moved the capital to Beijing. The founder, Hongwu Emperor was the third of only three peasants ever to become an emperor in China. He also made Ming a strong, assertive, highly centralized regime. The Ming attempted to arrange according to a rule, the exercise of political power and to make uniform the patterns of bureaucratic behavior to correct what early Ming saw as forbearing, slovenly, and corrupt mismanagement that had been imposed by a succession of foreign dynasties.
 * The Ming Dynasty**

Modern scholars described Ming government as the great achievement of Chinese civilization. Ming government also has been seen as proof of irregularity of forms versus actualities, as a working system ever in need of patching up but never susceptible to thoroughgoing rational correction. Therefore, the Ming emperors were the executive officers of a system that required daily participation in making decisions and verifying the routine acts of governing. The emperors could make informed decisions on a very broad range of matters of state from routine appointments for all the thousands of offices to be filled by ranked civil and military officials to vast or trivial modifications of policy.

In the seventeenth century, the dynasty fell because the weakness of the Ming government. The founding emperor abolished the offices of chief ministers of state and their supporting secretarial and advisory staffs in 1380 [4].

Sewell, Jack .“The art institute of chicago quarterly,” Vol. 50, No. 4 (Nov. 15, 1956), pp. 65-68, The Art Institute of Chicago.
 * Related Sources (Ming Dynasty and Lotus Flower)**

Gure, Desmond. ”Artibus asiae,” Vol. 20, No. 4 (1957), pp. 309-320, Artibus Asiae Publishers.

Jayne, Horace H.F.”Parnassus,” Vol. 2, No. 2 (Feb., 1930), pp. 17-19, College Art Association

//Printed// Da-Wei Kwo. //Chinese Brushwork in Calligraphy and Painting//. Courier Dove Publications, 1990. [2]
 * References**

Shen-Miller, J., “Sacred lotus, the long-living fruits of China Antique,” //Seed Science Research//, 12, no. 3 (2002): 10.1079/SSR2002112. //Cambridge Journals//. (3 March 2009). [3]

Chen, Tingyou. //Chinese Calligraphy//. 五洲传播出版社, 2003. [1]

Mote, Twitchett, and John K. Fairbank. //The Cambridge History of China: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1// Cambridge University Press, 1988. [4]

//Online// Art, National Palace Museum. //Carved// //Bamboo Brush Washer in the Shape of a Lotus//. 2008. [] (accessed January 26, 2009)

Cultural China."Brush Washer" [] (accessed April 10, 2009) [5]

"Ming Dynasty" [] [4]


 * Lesson Title:** Symbolic Functional Art
 * Grade Level:** Secondary (9-12)
 * Time:** 7 to 8 (45 / 50 min.) class periods

This lesson will meet the following National Standards for Arts Education (Visual Arts):
 * Standards**
 * NA-VA. 9-12, 1** Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes. (1,2)
 * NA-VA. 9-12, 3** Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. (2,4)
 * NA-VA. 9-12, 5** Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others. (1,3,4)

This lesson will meet the following National Educational Technology Standards for students:
 * NETS 2** Communication and collaboration. (a,d)
 * NETS 3** Research and information fluency. (b,c,d)
 * NETS 6** Technology operations and concepts. (a,b,c)

Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. The brush washer made by Chu San-Hung is carved in the shape of a Lotus leaf, which symbolizes purity and elegance in Chinese culture. Many artworks and tools used in art involve symbols that hold cultural significance to the artist or intended audience as well as showing a connection to deeper meanings that the artist wishes to show.
 * Central Concepts**

Functional Art: Works of art that are designed to help an individual carry out a specific task. The use of a brush washer is essential to calligraphy and painting. These dishes allow an artist to clean their brush in order to obtain the right amount paint/ink or the correct color. There are many types of functional art such as ceramics, baskets, furniture, armor, and much more.

(Anticipatory Set) Students will enter the class and be given an unsharpened pencil. They will be asked to get out a piece of paper and write down what they think a symbol is (prompting them to use the tool of a pencil sharpener). The teacher then explains the concept of “it takes tools to accomplish tasks or works of art.” The educator will then project the image of the Lotus Bowl. Students will be shown various artistic tools and the works that they created as well as passing around a small number of tools to touch and feel during the discussion. After a brief period students are asked about the Lotus Bowl, what they think of the image and what it is. An informative lecture and discussion that involves prompting questions and projection of images then introduces students to examples and concepts of functional art as well as correlating these themes with symbolism.
 * Lesson Activities**
 * Activity 1: Tools as a form of Artwork (one class period)**

Students are to brainstorm ideas about symbolism in groups of 3-4 and come up with a webbed concept map containing vocabulary, imagery, and statements relating to the definition of symbolism. The definition will be projected on the board. The maps are viewed and discussed in an open discussion including questions that are then projected on the board. The students are then instructed to visit an online gallery that is comprised of images of functional artwork.The gallery will be created by the teacher prior to the lesson and contain links that students can use for research. (Later part of webquest/student-designed page). The use of this online class-generated WebQuest allows for students to take advantage of computers and social bookmarking in the development of their own website. The construction and use of the WebQuest becomes a reference tool for this unit.To be more clear, a WebQuest is an online, interactive module that engages students to learn in an exploratory fashion. Once examples of symbolic artworks are discovered and summarized students will be instructed to think of symbols that relate to their personal life and the community they live in.
 * Activity 2: Constructing Meaning: Mapping Symbolism and Discovering Functional Works (one class Period)**

At the beginning of this lesson the students will receive a ceramics demonstration on how to create a coil vessel using scratch and slip techniques and will also be given a handout that contains vocabulary, process, and proper tools to use. The teacher will also guide the students though the sequence of gathering clay and other materials in order to begin the assignment. Students will then create their own bowl/vessel that incorporates their choice of a symbol/symbols and should represent an aspect of their own life/interest that is important to them. The vessel or bowl may be of various size and shape but is required to function for use as a food/drink piece, or to hold objects such as pencils or brushes etc. The requirement of a functional element ties into the Lotus brush washer and theme of functional art yet students are not required to shape their work into their chosen symbol. This lesson would be the duration of two periods of class time to work on the modeling of clay using the scratch and slip method to piece together coils. During the work time, the instructor will move around the room offering help and constructive criticism and will engage students in critical inquiry that pertains to aesthetics and the effectiveness of the symbolism used in the piece. (Is the symbolism apparent to the viewer?)
 * Activity 3: Functional Ceramics (two class periods)**

Students are introduced to the process of glazing through the use of a YouTube video.(@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQcP5pq11ME) After the video has been shown the students will also receive a handout that explains basic glazing techniques/materials and a copy of the youtube address. The teacher will explain why/how glazing allows the work to serve its functional purpose. Once these tasks are met the teacher will guide students through the sequence of gathering materials and appropriate procedures in order to begin glazing their own work. The works will be fired (second firing) in a kiln over the weekend and returned to the students the following week. While at home the students are required to become members of a group facebook page for the class. Students should share a brief statement on the "wall" of the page about how their use of symbolism is important to them and also include a paragraph about the role of functional art/tools. The use of the interactive facebook wall will help students develop their statement. Each student should comment and make suggestions on the posts of their peers. The technology portion of the lesson will be introduce on the first day in the event that students need another class period to finish glazing.
 * Activity 4: Glazing: Durability = Function (one to two class periods)**

Once the ceramics work has been completed the pieces are returned to students and photographed in the final lesson. The images will be placed in a digital portfolio that students will edit and add to throughout the year/semester (summative assessment). Prior to the final class of the unit, students should have written a brief statement about the work that has been revised from their facebook post. The class will have a group critique in which the works are assessed and the statements are introduced/posted alongside each piece. The entire class will hold a short critique of each artwork before moving on to the next. Before works are placed into digital portfolios students have time to revise their statements based on input from the class and teacher. The image and statement from each student will then be added to their digital profile on a class computer. At the end of the semester/year the profiles will be uploaded to []. This is an online site that holds the work of art students throughout the country and from many different schools.
 * Activity 5: Try It Out (critique and use of functional art) (one class period)**

Group grade for concept map – scoring sheet would include the following:
 * Assessment**
 * Activity 2:** **Constructing Meaning: Mapping Symbolism and Discovering Functional Works**

Does the concept map reflect an adequate analysis of symbolism? (5pts.) Does the concept map show evidence of website research? (5pts.) Are artwork examples clearly related to symbolism and supported? (5pts.)

Individual grade for ceramic work. Rubric
 * Activity 3 and 4: Functional Ceramics,** **Glazing: Durability = Function**
 * **Criteria (Student Shows)** || **Possible points** || **Points earned** ||
 * Understanding of process and techniques for creating ceramics work || 5 ||  ||
 * An effort to apply concepts of aesthetics in the work || 5 ||  ||
 * The the use of symbolism to represent themselves || 5 ||  ||
 * A concern for cohesive and effective art considering the elements of the project || 5 ||  ||
 * An artist statement containing evidence of artists intent and relates symbolism || 5 ||  ||

__What is Web 2.0?__, Buffington, 2008.
 * References**

__Digital Portfolios in Visual Arts Classrooms__, Fitzsimmons, Debra. Art Education Sept. 2008.

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__Webquests: Utilizing Technology in a Meaningful Way to Facilitate Preservice Learning,__ Kundu and Bain, Art Education, March 2008.

@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQcP5pq11ME Marilyn Wilken, professor of Ceramics at Olivette Nazarrine University, Bourbonais, IL

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