The art produced in Southeast Asia includes the art from eleven countries that form Southeast Asia. The cultural development of the area was historically dominated by Indian influence, though several cohesive traits exist before Indian influence. [1] The art is inspired by many different countries around the world.
Art culture in Southeast Asia is usually inherited from the art produced in China of East Asia and India of South Asia. Some of the art culture was changed after being invaded by other colonies such Dutch East Indies in Indonesia. [2]
Art in Brunei was not a focus until the early 1950s, Brunei's government then took a stand to support culture. They created a building for artists to sell their works. In 1984, the art market had grown enough that it had to move to a larger space. [3]
Weaving skills have been passed across generations. Brunei produces fabric for making gowns and sarongs. "The weaving and decoration of cloth as well as wearing, display, and exchange of it, has been an important part of Bruneian culture for years (Orr 96)." Weaving became significant in the 15th century. Antonio Pigafetta visited Brunei during his travels and observed how the clothes were made. One example was a Jongsarat, a handmade garment used for weddings and special occasions. It typically includes a hint of silver and gold. It can be used for wall coverings. [3]
The history of Cambodian art stretches back centuries to ancient times, but the most famous period is undoubtedly the Khmer art of the Khmer Empire (802–1431), especially in the area around Angkor and the mainly 12th-century temple-complex of Angkor Wat, initially Hindu and subsequently Buddhist.
Beginning in the mid-20th century, a tradition of modern art began in Cambodia, though in the later 20th century both traditional and modern arts declined for several reasons, including the killing of artists by the Khmer Rouge.
Art in East Timor began to popularize since the violence during the 2006 East Timorese crisis. Children living in the country began graffiting walls into peace murals. [4] [5]
The East Timor Arts Society promotes the art in the area, and house many different artworks produced in the country. [6]
Indonesian art and culture has been shaped by long interactions between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures. Indonesian art may include, for example, prehistoric cave paintings and megalithic ancestral statues of Central Sulawesi, tribal wooden carving traditions of Toraja and Asmat people, Hindu-Buddhist art of classical Javanese civilization which produced Borobudur and Prambanan, vivid Balinese paintings and performing arts, Islamic arts of Aceh, to the contemporary art of Indonesian artists today.
Also of note are Balinese paintings, which often express natural scenes and themes from the traditional dances. Such Balinese art is art of Hindu-Javanese origin that grew from the work of artisans of the Majapahit Kingdom, with their expansion to Bali in the late 13th century. From the 16th until the 20th centuries, the village of Kamasan, Klungkung (East Bali), was the centre of classical Balinese art. During the first part of the 20th century, new varieties of Balinese art developed. Since the late twentieth century, Ubud and its neighboring villages established a reputation as the center of Balinese art. Eiseman observes that Balinese art is actually carved, painted, woven, and prepared into objects intended for everyday use rather than as object d 'art. [7]
In the 1920s, with the arrival of many western artists, Bali became an artist enclave (as Tahiti was for Paul Gauguin) for avant-garde artists such as Walter Spies (German), Rudolf Bonnet (Dutch), Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur (Belgian), Arie Smit (Dutch) and Donald Friend (Australian) in more recent years. Most of these western artists had very little influence on the Balinese until the post-World War Two period, although some accounts over-emphasise the western presence at the expense of recognising Balinese creativity.
Art in Laos has slowly been changed recently after the country has been exposed to other countries around the world, which influenced many other artists. The Laotians have many forms of art, which they always experiment with. The Ho Phakeo temple (built in the 16th century by King Setthatirath) is a popular museum that houses many famous artworks that have been created in the country. [8]
Unfortunately, all films and music in Laos are required to be sent to government studios for official censorship (except for foreign films and music). [9]
Traditional Malaysian art is mainly centred on the crafts of carving, weaving, and silversmithing. [10] Traditional art ranges from handwoven baskets from rural areas to the silverwork of the Malay courts. Common artworks included ornamental kris and beetle nut sets. Luxurious textiles known as Songket are made, as well as traditional patterned batik fabrics. Indigenous East Malaysians are known for their wooden masks. Malaysian art has expanded only recently, as before the 1950s Islamic taboos about drawing people and animals were strong. [11] Textiles such as the batik, songket, Pua Kumbu, and tekat are used for decorations, often embroidered with a painting or pattern. Traditional jewelry was made from gold and silver adorned with gems, and, in East Malaysia, leather and beads were used to the same effect. [12]
Art of Myanmar refers to visual art created in Myanmar (Burma). Ancient Burmese art was influenced by India and was often religious in nature, ranging from Hindu sculptures in the Thaton Kingdom to Theravada Buddhist images in the Sri Ksetra Kingdom. [13] The Bagan period saw significant developments in many art forms from wall paintings and sculptures to stucco and wood carving. [13] After a dearth of surviving art between the 14th and 16th century, [14] artists created paintings and sculptures that reflect the Burmese culture. [15] Burmese artists have been subjected to government interference and censorship, hindering the development of art in Myanmar. [16] Burmese art reflects the central Buddhist elements including the mudra, Jataka tales, the pagoda, and Bodhisattva. [17]
Art has developed and accumulated in the Philippines from the beginning of civilization in the country up to the present era. There are many branches of the art in the Philippines including folk architecture, weaving, literature, pottery, music, and many other art forms.
The emergence of modern Singaporean art is often tied to the rise of art associations, art schools, and exhibitions in the 20th century, [18] though the most well-known are the aesthetics of local and migrant Chinese artists whose art practices depicted Southeast Asian subject matter while drawing upon Western watercolor and oil painting, as well as Chinese ink traditions. [19] [20] The most famous are the migrant Chinese artists who painted in the Nanyang style in the 1950s, the name of the movement drawing from "Nanyang" (Chinese :南洋; pinyin :nán yáng; lit. 'Southern Ocean'), a sinocentric Chinese term used to refer to Southeast Asia from the geographical perspective of China. [21] [22] [23]
The history of Singaporean art may include, for instance, artistic traditions of the Malay Archipelago, portraiture, landscapes and natural history drawings of the colonial period, Chinese ink painting, Islamic calligraphy, Nanyang style paintings, social realist art, abstract art, and art practices using other traditional media such as sculpture, photography, and printmaking. It also includes contemporary art practices such as performance art, conceptual art, installation art, video art, sound art, and new media art. Singapore and Malaysia's long shared history as British Malaya results in many overlaps in the art histories of both countries, with the expulsion of Singapore from the Federation of Malaya taking place in 1965. [19]
Contemporary art in Singapore made by the artists today tends to examine themes of "hyper-modernity and the built environment; alienation and changing social mores; post-colonial identities and multiculturalism." [24] Across these tendencies, "the exploration of performance and the performative body" is a common running thread. [24] Singapore carries a notable history of performance art, with the state having enacted a de facto ban on the art form for a decade from 1994 to 2003, following a controversial performance artwork at the 5th Passage art space in Singapore. [25] [26]
Many of the art in Thailand is based on Buddhism. The first period of art occurred during the Sukhothai Kingdom, which began in the 13th century. The art during the period was mostly artworks drawn of Buddha. [27]
Art in Vietnam was first introduced as clay pots created during the Stone Age. It is estimated that Vietnamese art began when indigenous groups began creating pottery. [28]
The art has been forged many times in the past. Some of the art at the Fine Arts Museum in Ho Chi Minh City had actually been forged. The forgery was revealed when Nguyen Thanh Chuong noticed a forgery of an artwork that he created, which set off an entire scandal relating to the museum. [29]
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and north-west of mainland Australia which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia is bordered to the north by East Asia, to the west by South Asia and the Bay of Bengal, to the east by Oceania and the Pacific Ocean, and to the south by Australia and the Indian Ocean. Apart from the British Indian Ocean Territory and two out of 26 atolls of Maldives in South Asia, Maritime Southeast Asia is the only other subregion of Asia that lies partly within the Southern Hemisphere. Mainland Southeast Asia is completely in the Northern Hemisphere. Timor-Leste and the southern portion of Indonesia are the only parts in Southeast Asia that are south of the Equator.
Hinduism in Southeast Asia had a profound impact on the region's cultural development and its history. As the Indic scripts were introduced from India, people of Southeast Asia entered the historical period by producing their earliest inscriptions around the 1st to 5th century CE. Today, Hindus in Southeast Asia are mainly Overseas Indians and Balinese. There are also Javanese and Balamon Cham minority in Cambodia and south central Vietnam who also practice Hinduism.
The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally-located along ancient trading routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Islam, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture, often different from the original indigenous cultures.
The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. The major regions of Asia include Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia.
Korean arts include traditions in calligraphy, music, painting and pottery, often marked by the use of natural forms, surface decoration and bold colors or sounds.
Nanyang is the Chinese term for the warmer and fertile geographical region along the southern coastal regions of China and beyond, otherwise known as the 'South Sea' or Southeast Asia. The term came into common usage in self-reference to the large ethnic Chinese migrant population in Southeast Asia, and is contrasted with Xiyang, which refers to the Western world, Dongyang, which refers to East Asian cultural sphere and occasionally including the Greater India, and Beiyang, which refers to Russia. The Chinese press regularly uses the term to refer to the region stretching from Yunnan Province to Singapore and from Myanmar (Burma) to Vietnam ; in addition, the term also refers to Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia and the Philippines in the region it encompasses.
Southeast Asian music encapsulates numerous musical traditions and styles in many countries of Southeast Asia. This subregion consists of eleven countries, namely, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, which accommodate hundreds of ethnic groups. Thousands of styles of music are present as a result of regional groups speaking many languages all over the subregion of Asia. Regionalism is usually accepted and celebrated, however, it is sometimes suppressed by the people, even though countries from southeast Asia are trying to construct national cultures. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity are the paramount faiths in Southeast Asia. Throughout history to the present time, instrumental and vocal music has been centralized and focused on the religious life of subregional Asia. Urbanization has helped to assimilate musical and religious practices. Although modernization has put a significant threat on the distinctive regional music traditions, most countries in the region have maintained their own unique style and nature of music that encapsulates various periods of development in music, culture, and belief.
The Crow Museum of Asian Art is a museum in downtown Dallas, Texas, dedicated to celebrating the arts and cultures of Asia including China, Japan, India, Korea, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines, from ancient to the contemporary. The Crow Museum opened to the public on December 5, 1998, as a gift to the people and visitors of Dallas from Mr. and Mrs. Trammell Crow. The museum is a member of the Dallas Arts District. The interior was designed by Booziotis and Company Architects of Dallas.
Liu Kang was a Singaporean artist known for his Balinese-themed figurative paintings. He was a founding member of the Singapore Art Society, and was credited with developing the Nanyang Style, an art style associated with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, and physical objects associated with Buddhist practice, such as vajras, bells, stupas and Buddhist temple architecture. Buddhist art originated in the north of the Indian subcontinent, in modern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the earliest survivals dating from a few centuries after the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama from the 6th to 5th century BCE.
Silat is the collective term for a class of indigenous martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines and Southern Vietnam. There are hundreds of different styles (aliran) and schools (perguruan) which tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, weaponry, or some combination thereof.
The culture of Singapore has changed greatly over the millennia. Its contemporary modern culture consists of a combination of Asian and European cultures, mainly by Malay, South Asian, East Asian and Eurasian influences. Singapore has been dubbed as a country where "East meets West", "Gateway to Asia" and a "Garden city".
Lim Hak Tai, was one of Singapore's pioneer artist at the turn of the 20th century, and was the person who inspired the Nanyang School of art form, to reflect the 'Nanyang' region, both in painting style and subject matter.
Mohammad Din Mohammad was a Singaporean Malay artist known for his works inspired by Sufism, with his artistic practice spanning painting, assemblage, and Islamic calligraphy. Mhd Din's works are also heavily influenced by his devotion to the practice of the Malay martial arts called silat. He was also a practising bomoh or traditional healer.
The Nanyang style of painting, also known as Nanyang art or the Nanyang school, was a modern art movement and painting tradition initially practised by migrant Chinese painters in Singapore from the late-1940s to 1960s. As immigrant artists taken by the novelty of tropical landscapes, the Nanyang artists' works characteristically depicted Southeast Asian subject matter such as tropical fruit, kampung scenes, and batik fabric while drawing upon a synthesis of Western watercolor and oil painting techniques with Chinese ink traditions.
It is quite difficult to define Indonesian art, since the country is immensely diverse. The sprawling archipelago nation consists of 17.000 islands. Around 922 of those permanently inhabited, by over 1,300 ethnic groups, which speak more than 700 living languages.
Art of Myanmar refers to visual art created in Myanmar (Burma). Ancient Burmese art was influenced by India and was often religious in nature, ranging from Hindu sculptures in the Thaton Kingdom to Theravada Buddhist images in the Sri Ksetra Kingdom. The Bagan period saw significant developments in many art forms from wall paintings and sculptures to stucco and wood carving. After a dearth of surviving art between the 14th and 16th century, artists created paintings and sculptures that reflect the Burmese culture. Burmese artists have been subjected to government interference and censorship, hindering the development of art in Myanmar. Burmese art reflects the central Buddhist elements including the mudra, Jataka tales, the pagoda, and Bodhisattva.
Salleh Japar is a Singaporean contemporary artist working across sculpture, installation and painting, with his work coming into prominence in late 1980s Singapore. Within Singapore's history of contemporary art, Salleh is known for his collective work with Goh Ee Choo and S. Chandrasekaran for the seminal 1988 exhibition, Trimurti. In 2001, Salleh was one of four artists selected to represent at the very first Singapore Pavilion at the prestigious 49th Venice Biennale, alongside artists Henri Chen KeZhan, Suzann Victor, and Matthew Ngui.
Traditional Malaysian art is primarily composed of Malay art and Bornean art, is very similar with the other styles from Southeast Asia, such as Bruneian, Indonesian and Singaporean. Art has a long tradition in Malaysia, with Malay art that dating back to the Malay sultanates, has always been influenced by Chinese, Indian and Islamic arts, and also present, due to large population of Chinese and Indian in today's Malaysian demographics.
The visual art of Singapore, or Singaporean art, refers to all forms of visual art in or associated with Singapore throughout its history and towards the present-day. The history of Singaporean art includes the indigenous artistic traditions of the Malay Archipelago and the diverse visual practices of itinerant artists and migrants from China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe.