On initial analyzation
of the painting it may only be seen as a beautiful and detailed depiction of
some sort of trade or interchange occurring. However, the creator -Giuseppe
Castiglione- had much more in mind than just creating a good looking scroll.
Instead, his various techniques and the circumstances under which the scroll
was created give the viewer a more full bodied experience while also building
the environment under which it was created.
Giuseppe Castiglione was
born in Milan, Italy in 1688 where he would later come to master various great
Renaissance techniques. He had just finished his career as a muralist when he
had joined the Jesuit order. Around the time of his joining the Jesuit order
the Qing emperor at the time had requested Jesuit members who worked in
astronomy, painting, cartography, and other fields to visit China. The first of
these members, Matteo Ricci had set precedent in 1582 for the Jesuit order by
integrating himself and learning from their culture instead of trying to “save”
them through cruelty and violence. With these guidelines of behavior that Ricci
had set Castiglione traveled to China and reached Beijing in 1715. On his
arrival Castiglione immediately began combining Renaissance techniques -such as
Renaissance realism- therefore, successfully achieved syncretism between
European arts and Chinese arts. Whereas, many before him -aside from Ricci-
were unable to create a connection between themselves and the culture and
lifestyle of China through integration. It is because of this that he gained
favor from Emperor Kangxi who enjoyed Castiglione’s style of painting.
Throughout the 1720s Castiglione created some of his most revered and famous
paintings while he progressed in popularity with Chinese royalty. This success
came to make him a part of the royal family in the eyes of Emperor Qianlong who
made Castiglione official court painter in 1736 and then administrator of
imperial parks in 1748. Throughout history Castiglione was the first of the
Jesuits to rise as high as he maintained these positions and stayed in China
until his death in 1766, 50 years after his arrival to China.
This artistic creation
delineates Kazak emissaries from the West offering a tribute of horses to the
ruler Qianlong as a token of devotion to the Manchu system. The ruler, whose
unconcerned highlights are treated with all the accuracy of a miniature, is
situated on a platform before a screen, encompassed by a restricted assembling
of retainers. The setting owes more to European pictorial procedure than to Oriental
Asian conventions. To be sure, the scroll can't be translated as a progression
of groupings but instead as a fundamental entire, keeping an eye on optical
fantasy. The equivalent applies toward the Western sensible treatment of the
steeds, a subject wherein Castiglione exceeded expectations that appear to be
even more alive set against the distinct, exposed environment. The portrayal of
the horse is practiced to such an extent that the degree of brushstrokes is
unnoticeable.
Mindful of the antagonistic
vibe of the Chinese, the Jesuits tried to propagate their confidence however
not to force their way of life. Likewise, they endeavored to adjust to
indigenous traditions. Such was the situation of Castiglione, who received
Chinese strategies while keeping up a fair compromise among Western and
Oriental pictorial procedures. A entitled spectator and a man of succinct
personality, Castiglione prevailing with regards to delineating the mysteries
of the Manchu court where deception, accommodation and control were
communicated with delicate compassion.
Many believe that art is
a valuable tool for political, religious, societal, etc., expression which can
in turn become a type of propaganda. In her essay, “The Fundamentals of
Interpretation: Formal and Contextual Analysis” Anne D’Alleva writes that,
“Style is important to art historians because if works of art both reflect and
shape the world around them, then style is one way that they do that”(D’Alleva.
49). The piece kazas offering horses in tribute to emperor qianlong was
created by Castiglione in an era under which art was used to create a unity
between the various territories that were ruled over by the Qing dynasty. When
analyzing the hanging scroll one of the most important details is that the
background is mostly blank which draws the attention of the observer forward
into the subjects of the painting. The first thing that can immediately be seen
are the horses that are being presented to Qianlong by the Kazaks, these horses
have more intricate uses of shading and linework. These horses -mostly the
black and white ones- can be seen with varying depths of shading where there
are curves such as the under belly or in the joint sections where it is more
rounded. The horse’s mains are detailed as well as the viewer is able to see
various small sections of hair flowing from all of the horse’s mains. As added
insight and meaning to these details in The Arts of China Michael
Sullivan writes, “Central Asian horses were prized tribute items and emblems of
power in the imperial stables from as far back as the Han dynasty and were
frequently represented in painting and sculpture”(Sullivan. 349). What this
demonstrates is that as the court painter, Castiglione uses the giving of
horses to Qianlong as a form of stating the the Qian dynasty or that Qianlong
himself was a figure of power.
In addition,
Qianlong is already demonstrated as a figure of higher status or of greater
power and influence by Castiglione. Qianlong is place in on an elevated stone
or marble platform while he is surrounded by what appear to be his servants or
aides. Four of the aides are standing symmetrically to him intently looking
towards the horses but standing by Qianlong’s side. There also seems to be a
structure that is built on top of this platform where Qianlong sits, the color
of the fence is a darker brown while the posts are a faded or very light red.
The use of both the background structure around Qianlong and the elevated
platform work together to establish him as being in his own grounds and holding
a higher or elevated societal and/or political status over all of the other
figures. As the observer moves their gaze from left to right they can observe
that the jungle or nature in the background begins to gradually fade out. This
may be the case because Castglione seeks to elevate the observers opinion or
perspective on Qianlong therefore, creating a point under which the scenario is
focused -in this case the point is Qianlong. The overall form and style of the
painting aims to enforce the idea of “The Great Unity” by establishing that
Qianlong or the Qian dynasty are symbols or emblems of power themselves.
The Qing's exorbitant
enthusiasm for mounted force moves and chasing rituals was identified with the
line's festival of its non-Chinese habit. The Qing court procured European
elaborate information and strategies essentially to extend authenticity and
glory over the various societies of the Qing Empire.By advancing these
procedures, models, and standards the Catholic craftsmen and researchers in
living arrangement at the Manchu court passed on a message about the
authenticity and comprehensiveness of a tradition that managed on the two sides
of the Great Wall, from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the wilderness of Guangxi.
Robert Thorp stated in his book Chinese Art & Culture that “He soon mastered the academic manner of his chinese
colleagues and proceeded to create a synthetic style that blends a chinese
medium and technique with the Western naturalism, aided by a subtle use of
shading” (Thorp, 262). He was most loved at court, where his still-life works
of art, pictures, and long handscrolls delineating horses in a scene or scenes
of court life marked, cautiously, with his Chinese name Lang Shining were
enormously appreciated. The direction of a typical pictorial language
encouraged the trades that connected King Louis XV of France to the Qianlong
ruler and associated the two rulers' originations of magnificence and
obligation. The scene of European-looking steeds touching calmly in the Mongolian
prairie drives along these lines to central inquiries regarding the spot of
craftsmanship and the earth in realm building. Until as of late, explore on the
baroque has confined itself to the seventeenth and eighteenth hundreds, and to
the parks, royal residences, works of art, writing, and music of Europe.
However present
scholarship on the depiction of the ruler's everyday life, high-positioning
authorities, and noteworthy occasions, just as Manchu values and claims,
doesn't do equity to the pictures of nature that Castiglione made. We should
amend the meaning of baroque to go past specific European cultural zones.
Numerous different types of court craftsmanship had political and ideological
implications, in any event, when not directly illustrative of discretionary or
military occasions. “The large-scale production of Tibetan Buddhist thangka paintings,
sculptures, and ritual objects is a case in point” (Sulivan, 349). Development
of Tibetan strict leaders and Lamaist Buddhist practices was to an extent intended
to guarantee neutral relations with neighboring Tibet and Mongolia. The
centralization of power under the Qing rulers, court craftsmanship enveloped
considerably more than the royal residence in the Forbidden City.
After carefully
analyzing Giuseppe Castiglione, Kazaks offering horses in tribute to the
Emperor Qianlong, it’s interesting to be able to know the history that was
behind it. We found out that Qianlong was a huge part of Castiglione life.
Figuring out the political and social aspect that was surrounding the painting
as it was created. We have analyzed the cultural, traditional, historical, and
the background of Guiseppe Castiglione. Something that was interesting was the
use of different types of horses he used in plenty of his paintings. Also, we
found it fascinating how he implemented the white horses in his tribute to
Emperor Qianlong because white horses signify something bigger in Kazaks
culture. Overall, well painted scroll that signifies more than what is being
presented.
