Mongolian History, Painting, and Sculpture The

Until the twentieth century, most of the people who inhabited the vast Mongol empire were nomads. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries (the era of Chinggis Khan and his grandson, Khubilai Khan) the land stretched from Korea to Hungary and included nearly all of Asia except India and parts of Southeast Asia (Worden xxvii, 3). The arts, in the early years, primarily would be categorized as folk art and only after the people's revolution extended into the arena of fine arts. The Mongolian painters and sculptors managed, finally, in the early twentieth century to free themselves from the grim canonical directives and modes of Buddhism (Akademiia 489). Principal figures in art and sculpture were Sharov, Zhungder, Zhalsrai, Tsagaan-Zhamba, Manibadar, and sculptor Chaimbol who trained many Mongolian sculptors in his studio (Akademiaa 492).

The harsh conditions of Mongolia greatly affected the arts. Imagine a country which did not have a single printed publication before the early 1920's. Not until 1924 did a newspaper make an appearance (Petrov 125). Artists and artisans were classified socially below the lamas,

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tocrats ran up huge debts to Chinese and Russian merchants and when pressed for payment, extracted more livestock from the commoners (Worden 80-81). Of particular interest, against this landscape of harsh constrictions upon the artists, is the crucial position of religion as a key controller of aesthetic life prior to the 1920's. Monasteries were trade centers, and the temples were the only permanent buildings. The monasteries were situated along trade routes, offering supplies, guides, and entertainment to travelers. Grass and water provided basic sustenance to the caravans, and some monasteries rented various buildings as lodging for travelers. Fairs, ceremonies, and competitions provided diversion. Artists constructed masks for dances, jewelry, silver items, and ornaments. Many monasteries housed lamas who were skilled silversmiths (Miller 109-110). The monasteries provided a crucible for those who desired to pursue an artistic life. They needed not to be so immediately concerned with daily survival needs. The Tibetan monks perpetuated the values of the Mongol Lamaists. The clothing, architecture, and icons of the temples were inextricably interwoven with religious doctrine. As the monastic system grew, it provided
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Approximate Word count = 1260
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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