Consider how objects and images can represent scholars’ ideals. This description content is not the same as the summary.
Grade Level
3-5
K-2
Lesson 4
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
Learn about the five constants (virtues, or good qualities) of Confucianism and relate these constants to their own lives
Discover how particular artworks and objects tell us something about the people who value them and their beliefs
Design and arrange a scholar’s study to reflect their own commitment to knowledge and scholarship as well as their own interests
WORKSHEETS AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Paper
Pencil
Touch objects (for physical toolkit): bamboo brushes, limestone sample
About the Artwork
Scholars’ rocks are often actual rocks, typically limestone, or, more rarely, petrified wood, that are found in nature and have been eroded by water and acidic soil over time. Some found rocks are slightly modified (polished or sanded) later, while others are made in ceramic by craftspeople. Scholars’ rocks are also seen in Chinese paintings. The rocks often resemble a landscape of mountains or caves, suggesting a land where immortal beings lived. Rocks can also evoke the shapes of animals or mythical creatures. Scholars’ rocks were placed in a scholar’s study and admired for their beauty as well as being used as visual tools for reflection and inspiration. They were typically prized for four qualities: thinness (shou), openness
(tou), perforations (lou), and wrinkling (zhou).
Like a scholar’s rock, Brush Rest in the Form of a Mountain evokes natural
forms; the mountainous shape is not only beautiful, but also brings to mind ideas of seclusion and reflection in the mountains, away from society. This brush rest is also a functional object used to hold calligraphy brushes. Reading and writing were essential, lifelong practices for Confucian scholars, and special writing tools were important components of a scholar’s desk.
More from this series
- Video
Feminism Now Symposium: Jennifer Kennedy and Liz Linden
Here's a test summary with some text here i go hello world in to the apple tree here we are.
- Story
How Visual Art Becomes Music: Niles Luther on Composing Hiroshige
Niles Luther, the Brooklyn Museum’s composer in residence, learned early in his training as a classical cellist that technique is meant to serve a story. Ideally, it serves many stories,
- Story
The Many Shades of Ancient Egyptian Pigments
By: Elizabeth Treptow, Katie YeeAncient Egypt was flooded with color. Artists and craftspeople brightly embellished a variety of surfaces, including temple and palace walls, coffins, statues, and pottery.
