Inspirations among artists in China : A comparative study of Chinese art during the dynasties of Han and Tang

This study aims to examine and compare four objects of Chinese art that derive from two different dynasties; the Han dynasty and the Tang dynasty. The goal is to reach an understanding of what the art in China conveyed, and how Hellenistic and religious influences affected the Chinese art during the two dynasties. Thereafter a comparing will be made between the arts of the Han and the Tang periods, to deduce what the differences were between them. This study also aims to take part in the debate of whether the Chinese art really were adapting foreign styles and concepts or not. The issue this study aims to solve are divided between three questions: What did the four artworks convey during the dynasties of the Han and Tang? In what ways were the artworks influenced by Buddhism and Hellenism during the two dynasties? What differences and similarities exists between the artworks of the Han dynasty and the Tang dynasty? To answer these questions, this study uses literature about the arts of China from two authors. The conclusion of this study show that the four artworks were all influenced by Hellenistic and Buddhist elements, and they had both their differences and similarities. The attributes of Hellenism gave birth to the realism of sculptures, and the attributes of Buddhism in the beginning of its spread into China were slowly being adapted into Chinese society by the ordinary people