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sample_met_museum_paper.docxThe artwork that I chose from The Metropolitan Museum of Art was the Chinese Courtyard in the Style of the Ming Dynasty, also known as The Astor Court. Although it took twenty-six Chinese craftsmen to build the entire courtyard, Brooke Astor, a trustee at the Met, conceived the idea. The Chinese Courtyard is a realistic replica of Chinese garden courtyards dating back to the seventeenth century because it imitates the traditional architecture, was built with materials typical of that time period, and allows you to experience what Chinese people did while being inside a traditional garden courtyard.
The Chinese Courtyard in the Style of the Ming Dynasty is located in Gallery 217 on the second floor in the Florence and Herbert Irving Asian Wing. This section of the museum displays artwork from all parts of Asia such as China, Japan, Korea, and India. Walking through the different galleries, you can notice that the various artworks are displayed chronologically. Artworks that date back to ancient times appear in the front galleries. As the visitor walks further through the museum, they encounter more recent artwork, some even from the twenty-first century. I really like the idea of putting Asian artworks in chronological order because you can compare artworks from different times, and also see what ideas, resources, and materials were important and available during those time periods.
Two Chinese painting galleries are installed on either side of the entrance to the Chinese Courtyard. The two galleries are filled with paintings of Chinese people, landscapes, and calligraphy, dating to around the seventeenth century. There was also pottery, such as vases and flasks that were beautifully painted. I think the idea of putting the Chinese Courtyard in between the galleries was to depict a realistic feel of living in seventeenth century China. A visitor can go from viewing the painting and pottery galleries, which display the culture and lifestyle of that time, and then enter into a type of Chinese architecture from that same time.
An actual courtyard from the seventeenth century influenced the Chinese Courtyard. The original courtyard was located inside a garden owned by a Chinese scholar living in the city of Suzhou. His courtyard was called The Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets. Brooke Astor, who had the idea to create this garden courtyard, spent some of her childhood growing up in China. She wanted the courtyard to be authentic as possible, which I can say was achieved. There was also a similar garden courtyard that was described and shown in the fifth edition of the textbook Art History II, by Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren. An official (someone who works for the government) from Beijing built it during the early sixteenth century. He was so tired of his duties and serving the government that he wanted to be in a place where he can live a life of simplicity and leisure. The garden courtyard retreat was named Garden Cessation of Official Life.
The style of the Chinese Courtyard was very typical of Chinese art and architecture during that time period. The entrance to the courtyard is a round portal with a rock statue on each side. The entryway is actually known as the “moon gate.” Upon entering, the visitor can see the entire view of the garden and courtyard. There is a covered walkway, a small reception hall, and a half-pavilion. The pavilion has a roof, with corners that curve upward, which is very distinctive and typical of Chinese architecture. One of the first things I noticed were all of the rocks that were distributed throughout the courtyard. There were even rocks that appeared like they were sculpted. Rocks are actually very symbolic and significant in Chinese gardens. The piled rocks, which looked like little mountains, are called jiashan. The large single rocks, which to me looked like sculptures, are called feng. These rocks actually represent the landscapes of China, specifically mountains. Something else that represented Chinese landscape was a small pond. The pond had real life koi fish and a couple of plants surrounding it. Together, the water and rocks represent the idea of Yin and Yang; The Yin is described as “cool and wet,” and the Yang as “solid and hard.”
A lot of the garden courtyard was built with grey terracotta, a typical material used for Chinese gardens. The floor is covered in large square tiles, which were made out of low-fired, unglazed ceramics. The doorframes and part of the walls were also similarly made this way. Much of the courtyard is built using four kinds of wood: gingko, camphor, fir, and Nan. Nan is a rare wood of the evergreen species. The Nan wood was very eye-catching and stood out to me in the Courtyard. The Chinese pay special attention to the design and structure of the architecture. The windows were a great example, which all had different geometric patterns. Not only were they beautifully designed, but they also made the garden feel very spacious.
The Ming Room, sometimes known as the Scholar’s Retreat, was a room where one could work or relax, with a view of the garden. A lot of the Ming Room, like the pillars and railings of the façade, was built using these different kinds of wood. My favorite part of this entire garden courtyard was the terrace, specifically known as the “moon-viewing terrace.” As soon as you enter, there is natural sunlight all through the courtyard and it gives you a sense of tranquility. At the time, the owner of the house would invite friends over to drink tea or write poetry under the terrace at night, when the moon was fully visible. Aside from night activities, the garden courtyard was often used by scholars and many others as a place of retreat, where one could mediate and easily escape from the outside world.
