Asian arts

• The four periods of indian art is ancient, classical, islamic ascendancy or transtional period, and mogul
• The Ajanta Caves of Maharashtra, India are 30 rock-cut cave monuments that date back from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE, including paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art , as well as frescos that are reminiscent of the Sigiriya paintings in Sri Lanka
• The image of Shiva the destroyer, develops into Shiva the Cosmic-dancer represented by a four-armed figure, where one hand holds the fire with which he destroys, another holds a drum, which is the first sound heard in the world during creation, then the third arm points up in a reassuring gesture, and a fourth arm points down to the dwarf in which he dances to.
• Islamic Ascendancy (1192-1757) or Transitional Period) This was the period of evolution from Vedism into Hinduism or Brahmanism. The two great Indian epics: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana emerged in this period
• Moguls contributed to the enrichment of Indian culture, in painting and in architecture. The most splendid example is the Taj Majal built in 1632 by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife.
• Shiva statue is from the classical period
• Diwali is celebrated by Hindus in India and all around the world in October or November. It is the Hindu New Year and is either a 3-day or 5-day holiday depending on where you come from.
• Diwali is a very exciting and colorful holiday, where homes are cleaned to welcome the New Year and windows are opened so that the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, can enter. Hindus believed that she cannot enter a house which is not lit up, so every household burns special Diwali clay lamps (diyas) to light the way for the goddess, which is why the holiday is also known as the 'Festival of Lights'.
• Rangoli is one of the most beautiful and most pleasing art forms of India. It is comprised of two words: 'rang' meaning 'color' and 'aavalli' meaning 'colored creepers' or 'row of colors'.
• The traditional form of Rangoli made use of designs and motifs based on nature, such as: Mangoes

  Creepers

  Flowers

  Swans

  peacocks, etc.
• Rangoli, the art of making designs or patterns on the walls or the floor of the house, uses finely ground white powder along with different colors. Numerous households in the Indian subcontinent make use of Rangoli designs for decorating the courtyard of their house.
• The traditional form of Rangoli made use of designs and motifs based on nature, such as:

  • Mangoes
  • Creepers
  • Flowers
  • Swans
  • peacocks, etc.
• In Rangoli, the colors in the traditional art form were extracted from natural dyes, like barks of trees, leaves, indigo plant, etc. These days, synthetic dyes have more or less replaced the natural dyes of the earlier times.
• The materials used in the Rangoli patterns of today give either a very flat appearance or a 3-D effect. Rangoli designs include geometric patterns, the swastika, lotus, trident, fish, conch, creepers, leaves, trees, flowers, animals, etc.
• Pakistani architecture is divided into four recognized periods:

  ●Pre-Islamic

  ●Islamic

  ●Colonial

  ●Post-Colonial
• Around the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE, an advanced urban culture developed for the first time in the region, with large buildings, some of which still survive to this day like Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, and Kot Diji which are among the pre-Islamic settlements that are now tourist attractions.
• Across Pakistan, brightly colored flamboyant trucks, painted with images of idealized landscapes, famous personalities, flowers, and trees, turned village lanes, city streets, and long-distance highways into a gallery without walls; a free-form, kaleidoscopic exhibition in motion.
• People who inhabited the region of present Uzbekistan are known for making printed cloth. Printed table-cloths, curtains, bed-spreads, shawls and various coverlets were utilitarian and served as a daily-round ornament as well.
• Uzbekistan ceramics hold a prominent place among the numerous forms of popular applied art.
• Applied arts in ancient Kazakhstan were part of life’s daily routine.
• Clothing, utility tools, yurts, and horses’ saddles were always decorated using nomadic patterns and design.
• • Kazakhstan’s visual arts are relatively young. In ancient times, nomads used to draw on rocks and, today, these petroglyphs can be found throughout Kazakhstan.
• Fine art in Kazakhstan varies in style, direction, and genre. The most captivating work by Kazakhstan artists in different periods can be seen in museums across the country.
• Tajiks have been making fabrics, utensils, musical instruments, carpets, furniture, jewelry, and many other things for many centuries.
• The art of decorative carving is very important for local residents. Carving is mostly present in architectural monuments, household structures and objects, musical instruments, and souvenirs.
• When Islam came, Tajik’s carving gradually changed to Arabian inscriptions using images of people and animals while some carvers prefer “vegetative,” geometrical patterns. In architecture, ornaments in the form of lotus, tulips, and other flowers are more common.
• The most unique and beautiful carpets in the world are produced by Turkmenistan. These vary in shape and purpose. Carpet weaving is an ancient art, and each tribe developed its own distinctive pattern.
• The traditional arts include felt manufacture, jewelry making, woodwork, ceramics, and silverwork.
• Turkmen carpets have been traditionally woven out of wool, cotton, and silk by women, using horizontal looms. The method of weaving has been modernized, but the beauty and quality of the fabrics remain.
• Turkmenistan is also the source of keteni, a homespun silk that is used for the beautiful dresses worn by Turkmen women on special occasions. The embroidery uses different patterns that are as unique as a family seal.
• Kyrgyz women produce a wide range of textiles, mostly from the felt of their sheep. Nowadays ancient patterns are adapted to the tourist and export market, but it is still a living tradition and that all yurts and most houses contain hand-made carpets or rugs called shirdaks.
• Large elaborately embroidered wall hangings called Tush kyiz are traditionally made in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, by elder women to commemorate the marriage of a son or daughter.
• Colors and designs are chosen to symbolize Kyrgyz traditions and rural life. Flowers, plants, animals, stylized horns, national designs, and emblems of Kyrgyz life are often found in these ornate and colorful embroideries.
• Flat cushions called xxx are usually made in shadow-pairs. These are seen on every chair, padding the seat.
• West Asia is rich in cultural heritage, and this is clearly evident in the variety and quality of regional arts and crafts. Typical artistic forms from the region include: ●embroidery ●ceramics ●wood carving ●inlaid wood designs ●Calligraphy ●hammered metalwork ●blown glassworks
• A yurt is a portable, circular dwelling made of a lattice of flexible poles and covered in felt or other fabric. They are a sturdy, reliable type of tent. Yurts have been the primary style of home in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia, for thousands of years.
• Pakistan is also known as the land of the paks, pure and clean
• A yurt is a tent also known as ger
• Diyas is a special diwali clam lamps
• Borobudor in java is a Buddhist monument from 8th century