Anime

Japanese word for cartoon and animation. In Japan, anime refers to any and all animation or cartoon - regardless of the genre, style, or nation of origin. Outside of Japan the word anime has come to refer specifically to animation of Japanese origins, or animation of a particular style.

The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917, and production of anime works in Japan has since continued to increase steadily. The characteristic anime art style emerged in the 1960s and spread internationally in the late twentieth century, developing a large domestic and international audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, by television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the internet and is classified into numerous genres targeting diverse broad and niche audiences.

While it is clear that the word anime derives from a western term, there is some debate as to its exact origin. One very common interpretation is that it comes from the French term for cartoon, "dessin animé", which translates literally to "animated drawing". However, others believe it's simply a contraction of the word "animation" as pronounced in English.

The full word for animation in Japan is "animeshon" which follows the English pronunciation, not the French one. Combined with the fact that Japanese have a habit of incorporating English words into their language much more often than other western languages, this makes a strong case that "anime" is actually the short form of the Japanization of the English word "animation."

There is much controversy as to whether or not the label "anime" can be extended to non-Japanese animation that looks like Japanese animation. Whether or not the label can be extended to non-Japanese animation depends largely on the technical definition of anime that one chose to accept.

Antoni Gaudi

Born on 25 June 1852 in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. His father and both his grandparents were boilermakers, and as Gaudí himself recounted, he learned his special skill in dealing with three-dimensional space by observing boilermakers at work. Another key fact in the architect's childhood was his delicate health which forced him to spend long periods convalescing at home. There he spent many hours contemplating nature, drawing lessons that he was to apply later in his architecture.

After starting his secondary education at the Escolapian School in Reus, Antoni Gaudí moved to Barcelona in 1869. In the Catalan capital he completed his schooling and after meeting the entrance requirements in 1873 enrolled in the Provincial School of Architecture. Although an indifferent student he showed early indications of genius, opening the way to collaboration with some of his lecturers. After gaining his architect's diploma in January 1878, Gaudí set up his own firm.

Gaudí's rise to be one of the most outstanding architects of the first Modernista generation was meteoric. In the final decades of the nineteenth century when he completed the Güell Palace he was already one of the most famous architects in Barcelona. This work saw the end of Gaudí’s first youthful phase, marked by a personal revision of Gothic and Muslim architecture and including buildings like Casa Vicens, El Capricho, the Güell Estate buildings, the crypt of the Sagrada Familia, the School of the Teresianas and the Episcopal Palace in Astorga. From 1890 onwards Gaudí perfected his understanding of architectural space and the applied arts, giving his work unique and unsuspected qualities that stood out from the other Modernist architecture of his day.

In 1914 he abandoned all other work to concentrate on the Sagrada Familia. Aware that he would not live to see it completed, he did his best to leave it at an advanced stage for coming generations. In fact, Gaudí was only to see one of its towers in its final form. On 10 June 1926 the architect died from injuries suffered after being run over by a tram. Two days later he was buried at the Sagrada Familia.

The Discovery of Glass

Natural glass has existed since the beginnings of time, formed when certain types of rocks melt as a result of high-temperature phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes or the impact of meteorites, and then cool and solidify rapidly. Stone-age man is believed to have used cutting tools made of obsidian (a natural glass of volcanic origin).

According to historians, Phoenician merchants transporting stone actually discovered glass in the region of Syria around 5000 BC. The merchants, after landing, rested cooking pots on blocks of nitrate placed by their fire. With the intense heat of the fire, the blocks eventually melted and mixed with the sand of the beach to form an opaque liquid.

The earliest man-made glass objects are thought to date back to around 3500 BC, with finds in Egypt and Eastern Messopotamia. In the third millennium, in central Mesopotamia, the basic raw materials of glass were being used principally to produce glazes on pots and vases. The discovery has been coincidental, with calciferous sand finding its way into an overheated kiln and combining with soda to form a colored glaze on the ceramics. It was then, above all, Phoenician merchants and sailors who spread this new art along the coasts of the Mediterranean.

The oldest fragments of glass vases date back to the 16th century BC and were found in Mesopotamia. Hollow glass production was also evolving around this time in Egypt, and there is evidence of other ancient glassmaking activities emerging independently in Mycenae (Greece), China and North Tyrol.

Dale Chihuly

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country at the University of Wisconsin.

In 1968, Dale Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the "Venini" factory in Venice, Italy. While in Venice, Chihuly observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. 

After an automobile accident in 1976 in which he lost the sight in his left eye, Chihuly relinquished the gaffer (chief glassblower) position and turned over that position to William Morris. Utilizing Morris' substantial talent and physical strength, Chihuly developed the large scale, multi-colored forms known as the Macchia series.

His work is included in over two hundred museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including seven honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chihuly has created many well-known series of works, among them the Baskets, Persians, and Seaforms, but he is also celebrated for large architectural installations. In 1995 he embarked on the multi-faceted international project, "Chihuly over Venice," which involved working in glass factories in Finland, Ireland and Mexico, with the resultant sculptures installed over the canals and piazze of Venice.
 
Chihuly’s lifelong affinity for glasshouses has grown into a series of exhibitions within botanical settings. His garden exhibition was first presented in 2001 at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. 
In 2005, Chihuly exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London, and at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida in both 2006 and 2007. An exhibition at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania opened in May, 2007.

What Are Crystals?

A crystal is a hard, solid substance made of molecules that bond together in specific patterns to form an interesting shape that has straight edges and flat surfaces. Not all crystals have the same shape, there are actually lots of different kinds of crystals, and each kind has its own special shape. Beautiful crystals are used for jewelry, like diamonds or emeralds. Crystals are often transparent, which means that you can see through them sort of like you can see through glass. Other kinds have beautiful colors.

What a crystal is made of actually depends on what kind of crystal it is - for example, salt and snowflakes are actually formed out of different kinds of crystals. Snowflakes are made from crystals formed by frozen water. Salt crystals are formed by some chemical elements which join together in a crystal shape. Crystals can be formed in several different ways. Most crystals are formed through evaporation. Some types of crystals are formed from melted rock in the earth: When the hot rock cools gradually, it will sometimes form crystals. Geodes are round rocks that are formed when bubbles are trapped in the melted rock. As the bubbles cool down, crystals grow inside of the bubble of rock.

As a crystal grows, the pattern that makes it a certain shape will be repeated over and over, so the crystal will always keep the same shape as it gets bigger. The chemical elements that a crystal is made of are what tell the crystal what shape it will be. A lot of crystals might seem to look alike, but what elements the crystal is made out of will make it a unique shape and color. Even the same element can make different crystals, based on conditions such as temperature and light and what other elements are around.

Shunga

Shunga is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are usually executed in woodblock print format. Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means picture of spring which is a common euphemism for sex.

Shunga were produced between the sixteenth century and the nineteenth century by ukiyo-e artists, since they sold more easily and at a higher price than their ordinary work. Shunga prints were produced and sold either as single sheets or—more frequently—in book form. Shunga was also produced in hand scroll format, called kakemono-e. This format was also popular, though more expensive as the scrolls had to be individually painted.

It is thought that shunga were initially inspired by illustrations in Chinese medicine manuals. Zhou Fang, the great T'ang Dynasty Chinese erotic painter, is thought to also have been influential. He, like many erotic artists of his time and place, tended to exaggerate the size of the genital organs, a common shunga topos. While the literal meaning of the word, 'shunga,' is significant, it is in fact a contraction of shunkyū-higi-ga, the Japanese pronunciation for Chinese sets of twelve scrolls depicting the twelve sexual acts that the crown prince had to carry out as an expression of yin yang.

Following the aesthetics of everyday life, Edo period shunga varied widely in its depictions of sexuality. It was enjoyed by all social groups in the Edo period, almost all ukiyo-e artists made shunga at some point in their careers, and it did not detract from their prestige as artists. Thinking about shunga as a kind of medieval pornography is misleading.

Fabergé Egg

A Fabergé Egg is one of a limited number of jeweled eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé and his company from 1885 to 1917. The most famous of the eggs are the ones made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers, often called the 'Imperial' Fabergé eggs.
The House of Fabergé made about 50 eggs and 43 have survived.

The first Fabergé egg was crafted for Tsar Alexander III, who had decided to give his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna, an Easter Egg in 1885, possibly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal.
It is believedthat the Tsar’s inspiration for the piece was an egg owned by the Empress’s aunt, Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, which had captivated Maria’s imagination in her childhood. 
Known as the Hen Egg, the first Fabergé egg is crafted from gold. Its opaque white enameled "shell"

opens to reveal its first surprise, a matte yellow-gold yolk. 
This in turn opens to reveal a multicolored gold hen that also opens. 
The hen contained a minute diamond replica of the imperial crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended, but these last two elements have been lost.

Empress Maria was so delighted by the gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a "goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" and commissioned another egg the next year.
After that, Peter Carl Fabergé was apparently given complete freedom for the design of future imperial Easter eggs, and their designs became more elaborate. 
According to Fabergé family lore, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take—the only requirement was that each contains a surprise. 
Once Peter Carl Fabergé had approved an initial design, the work was carried out by a team of craftsmen.

After Alexander III's death on November 1, 1894, his son Nicholas II presented a Fabergé egg to both his wife, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, and his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna. 
Eggs were made each year except 1904 and 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War.

The Imperial eggs enjoyed great fame, and Fabergé was commissioned to make similar eggs for a few private clients, including the Duchess of Marlborough, the Rothschild family and the Yusupovs. 

Katana Sword

Historically, katana were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords that were used in feudal Japan, commonly referred to as a "samurai sword".

At the end of the 14th century due to the “Tokugawa shoguns regulations”, the katana was effectively standardized. However the 200 years of fighting before had seen a decline in the quality of the swords made as mass production was more important than the quality. As a result some of the old methods of sword making were lost. The katanas made in the years to come were never able to surpass the quality of the old swords.

The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan, and some historians have said that katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history.

The katana is generally defined as the standard sized, moderately curved Japanese sword with a blade length greater than 60 cm.

The relatively peaceful times which Japan entered was accompanied by the creation of a higher quality of the katana. They were called Shinto - “new sword”. During the 16th -17th centuries sword smiths tried to rediscover the old techniques as the Shinto blade was stayed inferior to the old Tachi (Koto) blades.

Inrō

inro, Japanese inrō, is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects and worn on the girdle. Because traditional Japanese garb lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from the obi, or sash.These objects, probably originally imported from China, were used as containers for seals and medicine. About the 16th century they were adapted by the Japanese for holding tobacco, confections, and other small items and became a part of the traditional Japanese male costume.

Inro are generally oval or cylindrical in section and usually measure 5 cm in width and from 6.4 cm to 10 cm in length. They have two to five compartments. The compartments are held together by a cord that is laced through cord runners down one side, under the bottom, and up the opposite side. The inro is secured by a bead (ojime), and kept from slipping through the kimono sash by a netsuke, a small carved object at the end of the cords.

Early inro were made of a variety of materials, including wood, ivory, and bone and were usually covered with plain black lacquer. After the middle of the 17th century the more elaborate techniques of carved, painted, and gold lacquerwork were commonly used, making these objects some of the finest examples of Japanese craftsmanship in the Tokugawa (Edo) period (1603–1867).

Inrō, like the ojime and netsuke they were associated with, evolved over time from strictly utilitarian articles into objects of high art and immense craftsmanship.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol (born Aug. 6, 1928, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S. died Feb. 22, 1987, New York, N.Y.) U.S. artist and filmmaker. The son of Czech immigrants, Warhol graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, in 1949. He then went to New York City, where he worked as a commercial illustrator. Warhol began painting in the late 1950s and received sudden notoriety in 1962, when he exhibited paintings of Campbell's soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles, and wooden replicas of Brillo soap-pad boxes. By 1963 he was mass-producing these purposely banal images of consumer goods by means of photographic silk screen prints; he then began printing endless variations of portraits of celebrities in garish colours. The silk screen technique was ideally suited to Warhol, for the repeated image was reduced to a dehumanized cultural icon that reflected both the supposed emptiness of American material culture and the artist's emotional distance from the practice of his art. Warhol's work placed him in the forefront of the emerging Pop art movement in the United States. As the 1960s progressed, Warhol devoted more of his energy to filmmaking. His underground films are known for their inventive eroticism, plotless boredom, and inordinate length (up to 25 hours). Throughout the 1970s and until his death he continued to produce prints depicting political and Hollywood celebrities, and he involved himself in a wide range of advertising illustrations and other commercial art projects. He was one of the most famous and important American cultural figures of the late 20th century, and the effects of his conceptions of art and celebrity continue to be felt.

Portrait Painting

Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. The term is usually applied to the depiction of human subjects. In addition to painting, portraits can also be made in other media such as etching, lithography, photography, video and digital media.

The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and private persons, or they may be inspired by admiration or affection for the subject. Portraits are often important state and family records, as well as remembrances.

Historically, portrait paintings have primarily memorialized the rich and powerful. Over time, however, it became more common for middle-class patrons to commission portraits of their families and colleagues. Today, portrait paintings are still commissioned by governments, corporations, groups, clubs, and individuals.

Portrait art has taken many forms; variation in styles and tastes has contributed as much to portrait art as to other modes of artistic expression. The Egyptians made sculptured monuments that were idealized portraits of their monarchs intended to grant them immortality. Such ideal likenesses were painted onto sarcophagi of lesser persons as well.

Master painters such as Pollaiuolo and Piero della Francesca excelled at the profile view. The Flemish and German masters developed the three-quarter and frontal portrait types, which allowed greatly increased contact between subject and viewer and enhanced the illusion of vitality. These conventions were soon adopted generally. The powerful equestrian portrait was developed in Italy. Verrocchio's sculpture of Bartolomeo Colleoni is an outstanding example of this genre, whose major practitioners also included Donatello, Titian, Uccello, Velázquez, and Bernini.

The portrait subject was eventually revealed at full length by such masters as Holbein, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, thereby increasing enormously the compositional possibilities. The Italian mannerists Bronzino, Pontormo, and Parmigianino expressed a cold splendor in their studies of the aristocracy. 

Trinket boxes

A trinket box is also known by other terms such as jewel case or casket and has been used from the medieval times on the dressers. 
These are small boxes that are embellished on the top in a variety of designs and have a hollow space or concealment when opened.
These small boxes are perfect to keep jewels and other trinkets.
The adornments on the top of the trinket boxes vary according to the designers and clients whims and fancies.
From gold to iron, all metals have been used to create trinket boxes. Other materials that have been used to make these jewel cases are wood, paper mache, stone, ivory and porcelain.

Since the 17th century onward, there has been a spurt in the production of trinket boxes since the Limoges Box was introduced in France.
As it was manufactured by the King’s own kilns, it became a rage with the nobility.

The spread of porcelain ware, art of enameling and Art metal ware gave a further impetus to the popularity of trinket box manufacturing.
Most popular trinket boxes have been classified as Art Metal wares and were created in cast metal and antimonial lead and later electroplated in silver, gold, copper and even ivory. In the late 19th century,
trinket boxes were a necessity on the vanity cases and dressers of women all over the world.

The most popular trinket boxes and probably the most expensive were created for the Russian Tsar from 1890s to early 1900s.
These exquisite gold and precious gems studded trinket boxes are better known as Faberge Eggs. Crafted by the royal jeweler, Carl Faberge, each Easter egg shape box was presented to the Tsarina every year.

Today numerous equally intricate trinket boxes are available crafted by expert craftsmen that are close replicas of the original boxes in a variety of prices

Snuff bottles

The Chinese began to use snuff bottles to hold powdered tobacco during the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912). Although smoking tobacco was made illegal during that time, snuff was allowed because it was considered a remedy for common illnesses like colds, headaches and stomach disorders.It was carried in a small bottle, like other medicines. It is comparable to the snuff box used in Europe.

Tobacco was introduced to the court at Beijing sometime during the mid to late-16th century. After the Qing Dynasty made smoking tobacco illegal, the use of snuff and snuff bottles spread through the upper class, and by the end of the 17th century, the use of snuff was a social ritual. Eventually, the trend spread to the rest of the country and into every social class. It was common to offer a pinch of snuff as a greeting for friends and relatives. Snuff bottles soon became an object of beauty and a way to represent status— the rarer and finer the snuff bottle, the higher the owner’s status. Snuff bottle manufacturing hit its peak during the 18th century.

The use of snuff died out soon after the establishment of the Republic of China. However, replica snuff bottles are still made, and can be purchased in souvenir shops, flea markets and museum gift shops. Original snuff bottles from the Qing period are highly desirable for both serious collectors and museums. A good bottle is not only exquisitely beautiful but should have a wonderful tactile quality. After all, snuff bottles were made to be held. The most fascinating snuff bottles are those with paintings on the inside of them.

Is Ivory trade legal?

Due to the rapid decline in the populations of the animals that produce it, the importation and sale of elephant ivory in many countries is banned or severely restricted.
On the other hand, legal trade in ivory is shore by the fact that it does not endanger any living species but only harvests the remains of over 10,000- 30,000 years old fossilized mammoth ivory.

Trade in the ivory from the tusks of dead mammoths has occurred for 300 years and continues to be legal.
In the recent years, global warming and intense melting of the tundra has exposed remains of innumerable raw ivory and mammoth bones that are ecological friendly and fill in the gap created by banning the elephant ivory.
Some estimates suggest that 10 million mammoths are still buried in Siberia.

The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to seriously declining elephant populations in many countries.
Owing to the rapid decline in the populations of the animals that produce it, the importation and sale of ivory in many countries is banned or severely restricted.

Mammoth experts believe that the trade in extinct mammoth ivory is a good way of preserving ecological rich material which would have otherwise been ravaged by time and weather,
while over hundreds of tons of mammoth ivory is still lost in Russia due to poor preservation or over exposure due to natural weather conditions.

Mammoth ivory is the only type of ivory that is allowed legally to enter USA and many other countries.
Even conservationists are happy with this trade as it utilizes raw ivory that would have been wasted otherwise and also saves elephants from illegal poaching to cater to the demand of ivory.

"I want to buy ivory, but how would I know it's real?"

There are many items on the Market today being represented and sold as ivory that are actually bone or plastic.

That is why we collected a several methods to help you recognize if the item is ivory or a fake:

* The piece weight: Ivory feels heavy and dense when you hold it in your hand. If the item feels lightweight it's either bone or ivory. Bone can have the exact same weight as ivory. Compare the weight to similar items that you know to be ivory. Moreover, if you see spots or other odd markings, though, it probably isn't ivory.

* Ivory does not have pits or multiple darkened spots, unlike bone.
To test for this, find a pin and heat its tip until it is very hot. then touch it to the surface of the material. The results will show you if it is ivory or plastic.

* Feel the item texture: Ivory is lustrous and has a smooth surface. If the surface of the piece feels rutted and pockmarked, it might not be ivory.

* Synthetic ivory: Use a magnifying glass and look for air bubble indentations or small craters that appear from being poured in a mold. Synthetic Ivory will have grain lines in one direction, but when looking at the opposite angle, you will not see any lines; the ends of the lines on a synthetic piece will make a speckled pattern. This surface is usually the bottom of the piece. 

* The hot pin test: Plastic object dents whenever a very hot object touches its surface. 

* Plastic contains a single line that sticks out and goes around the material until it meets. This comes from the mold that holds the plastic together.

* Bones: Unlike teeth and tusks, bones have tiny canals that run through them to carry nutrients and house nerves and other organic material.

* Bottom of a piece: Since many collectors and dealers look first at the bottom of a piece, genuine ivory will only have the signature of the artist since the grain confirms the pieces authenticity and value.

* Getting the Item Tested by a Professional: To leave absolutely no question about your item, take it to a forensics lab and have it chemically tested by a scientist. The cellular structure of ivory is different from that of bone, but lab equipment is required to determine which is which with finality.

Ivory Carving Throughout Time

Ancient Ivories

 The earliest ivory carvings known were made in the Old Stone Age.
The inhabitants of Europe produced great numbers of ivory, bone, and horn carvings, with nude female figures being the most common subject.
Representations of animals occur most often in the subsequent Magdalenian period.
In Egypt the art of ivory and bone carving was developed in predynastic times.
Large numbers of carved figures of men and women, as well as carved combs, hairpins, and handles, have been found in Egyptian tombs.
Egyptian tombs of later date include carved ivory weapon hilts, furniture and caskets inlaid with ivory carvings.

The Minoans in Crete, and later the ancient Greeks, were noted for their ivory carvings.
The Minoans carved small acrobats and snake goddesses.
The Greeks were famous especially in the 5th century for their chryselephantine statues, often of heroic size, in which the flesh was represented in carved ivory and the
hair and garments in sculptured gold.

Medieval Ivories

Ivory carving flourished under the Byzantine Empire.Christian figures, symbols, and scenes were the subjects most often depicted on ivory book covers, icons, boxes, shrines, crosiers, crucifixes, door panels, and thrones.

In Europe during the reigns of Charlemagne and his successors in the 9th and 10th centuries, elaborately carved ivory book covers, reliquaries, and altarpieces were produced.
In the 13th to the 15th century gothic ivories were chiefly religious, as in earlier periods, but were more for private devotions than ecclesiastical use.

Post - renaissance ivories

During the 15th and 16th centuries, ivory carving was not popular, but in the baroque and rococo periods in the 17th and 18th centuries it again came into vogue, especially in Germany and the Netherlands.
German craftsmen were known for richly ornamented ivories; Flemish craftsmen produced statuettes and other sculpture-inspired ivory carvings.
France again became an important ivory-carving center.

Arabic, Far Eastern, and Other Work

In the Far East the best-known ivories are those of India, Japan, and particularly China.
Indians carved figures of their gods and ornate caskets, often imitating Italian styles. Japanese netsukes, small carved purse toggles, are often made of ivory.
The art still flourishes today; objects created include statuettes, chess pieces, fans, screens, toilet articles, chopsticks, and models of buildings and boats.
The Chinese are world famous for their ivory curiosities, particularly the concentric ivory balls carved one inside the other by Cantonese craftsmen.

Animal meanings in Chinese culture

In Chinese culture, various animals have different symbolic meanings, most of which are used to describe qualities.
Knowing the symbolic meaning of an animal will lead to understanding the hidden message of the artwork.

Frog- Frogs and toads are significant in Chinese culture as symbols of immortality, healing, money, the moon and frivolity.
As a totem the frog is believed to be a symbol of protection for children and it brings pleasant dreams.
Frogs are believed to be a symbol of good luck.

Turtle - The tortoise is a symbol of longevity, with a potential lifespan of ten thousand years.
Turtle is considered as a symbol of wisdom, endurance, wealth and long life.
Due to its longevity, a symbol of a turtle was often used during burials.
A burial mound might be shaped like a turtle, and even called a "grave turtle." Tortoise shells were used for witchcraft and future forecasting.
There are innumerable tales on the longevity of the tortoises and their ability to transform into other forms.

Elephants- In Chinese art, the elephant is a symbol of wisdom and strength.
Elephant is also considered as a sacred animal in Buddhist traditions.
Buddha is often depicted riding an elephant.
These magnificent creatures are also regarded as auspicious figures in Thailand.

The word for elephant in Chinese is written and pronounced the same as the Chinese word for “sign” or “things to come” therefore people like to pairing elephants with certain symbols to create a kind of pun.
People also use a stone elephant to emphasize the concept of power or strength while an elephant with a vase is interpreted as a sign of peaceful times.
In Chinese, the words for “vase” and “peace” have close pronunciations.
Elephants carrying vases on their backs were featured in parades to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday during the Qing dynasty.

Lions-
Chinese guardian lions or Imperial guardian lion, traditionally known in Chinese simply as Shi , and often called "Foo Dogs" in the West, are a common representation of the lion in pre-modern China.
The lion is considered to be a brave and intelligent animal and thus symbolizes power and majesty.
The Chinese word for lion has the same pronunciation and can be a visual pun or rebus for "teacher", "master", "tutor" or "preceptor".
In Buddhism, the lion acts as a guardian of the faith and a symbol of royal power.
The lion can also represent the Buddha who, among his repeated births, was born 10 times as a lion.
Statues of guardian lions have traditionally stood in front of Chinese Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, temples, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy.
Lions believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits. 

Horses- The horse is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes speed, power and perseverance.
The horse is usually depicted as the bearer of good things.
The horse sign is equated with Gemini. Horse symbolizes energy in Buddhist religion.
This strong animal also played a crucial role in the dominance and development of the Chinese Empire.

Monkeys - The Monkey is the ninth of the twelve-year animal cycle in the "Chinese zodiac". The Year of the Monkey is associated with ninth Earthly Branch symbol.

Reflecting the similar likenesses among humans, monkeys are used in reference to people.

Monkeys are amazing primates swinging our way with messages of intelligence, intensity, and involvement

Symbolic monkey meaning is often deals with animated entertainment, and monkeys are depicted as mischievous figures in myth, legend and lore. In reality, this is true when we observe their behavior.

What is contemporary art?

Contemporary art is art produced at the present period in time. Contemporary art includes, and develops from, postmodern art, which is itself a successor to modern art.

The term "contemporary art" refers to art made and produced by artists living today. Today's artists work and respond to a global environment that is culturally diverse. Working in a wide range of mediums, contemporary artists often reflect and comment on modern-day society. When engaging with contemporary art, viewers consider whether art is challenging or interesting. Contemporary artists may question traditional ideas of how art is defined, what constitutes art, and how art is made, while creating a dialogue with, and in some cases rejecting, the styles that came before them.

Since the early 20th century, some artists have turned away from realistic representation and the depiction of the human figure, and have moved increasingly towards abstraction. In New York City after World War II, the art world coined the term "abstract expressionism" to characterize an art movement that was neither completely abstract, nor expressionistic. Nevertheless, the movement challenged artists to place more emphasis on the process of making art rather than the final product. Artists like Jackson Pollock brought art-making to choreographic heights by dripping paint in grand yet spontaneous gestures. As one critic noted, the canvas was an arena in which to act—"what was going on in the canvas was not a picture but an event." This notion of art as an event emerged out of the movement called abstract expressionism, which greatly influenced the art movements that followed, and continues to inspire artists living today.

Contemporary artists working within the postmodern movement reject the concept of mainstream art and embrace the notion of "artistic pluralism," the acceptance of a variety of artistic intentions and styles. Whether influenced by or grounded inperformance art, pop art, Minimalism, conceptual art, or video, contemporary artists pull from an infinite variety of materials, sources, and styles to create art. For this reason, it is difficult to briefly summarize and accurately reflect the complexity of concepts and materials used by contemporary artists. This overview highlights a few of the contemporary artists whose work is on view at the Getty Museum and the concepts they explore in their work.

Contemporary art can sometimes seem at odds with a public that does not feel that art and its institutions share its values. In Britain, in the 1990s, contemporary art became a part of popular culture, with artists becoming stars, but this did not lead to a hoped-for "cultural utopia". Some critics like Julian Spalding and Donald Kuspit have suggested that skepticism, even rejection, is a legitimate and reasonable response to much contemporary art.