THE FRACTAL CHARACTER OF THE CHINESE BRONZE AGE ART

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Famous representational and religious bronze vessels of the blossoming Chinese Bronze Age (about 2200 – 700 BC) were made by casting molten bronze into molds composed of several ornamental panels. The latter were prepared with abstract design based on highly schematized animal face (taotie), sometimes with schematic dragon bodies added, and consisting of several orders of hook-to-full spiral elements. The largest, 1st order elements are often covered by arrays of smaller, 2nd order elements, and larger arrays of these, by 3rd order arrays. Linear and/or branched arrays of 3rd order spirals cover spaces and fields between higher order elements, as well. The three-tier design, with a semiregular distribution of different orders dictated by a compromise between the rules of abstraction and zoomorphism, unity of principles over three orders of importance, as well as maintenance of inclusivity condition, and statistical self-similarity of the design, imparts to the Chinese Bronze Age art a fractal character. This character has been preserved and even further intensified over a considerable time span.

Original languageEnglish
JournalSymmetry: Culture and Science
Volume34
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)87-104
ISSN0865-4824
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Symmetrion. All rights reserved.

    Research areas

  • abstract spiral-based patterns, Anyang period of Shang dynasty, bronze vessels, Chinese Bronze Age art, fractal character

ID: 371552052