Refers to a period of four centuries in southern Chinese history after the overthrow of the Han dynasty in 220 CE and before the Sui dynasty (ca. 589 CE). During this time, rival clans tried to control portions of the Han empire. Chinese art was influenced during this time by new ideas, especially religious developments. Buddhism, which came to China from neighboring India, had the most profound effect on Six Dynasties art; by the fourth century there was an established category of Chinese Buddhist art. The monastery at Dunhuang in western China preserves notable wall paintings. Monumental sculpture, a tradition brought to China from northern India, became popular, as is evidenced in the massive stone carvings of Buddhist deities in the mountains of Shaanxi and Henan provinces. Wooden pagodas, based on both the stupa of India and the towers of the Han dynasty, were an important architectural development of the period. The native belief systems of Confucianism and Taoism also fostered new subject matter and styles. The Confucian ideal was most popularly expressed in scenes of filial piety while Taoist artists favored landscapes and folk legends. Secular artistic traditions also underwent changes, particularly in the realm of painting. Gu Kaizhi, considered the father of Chinese landscape painting, was active during this period. Noteworthy advances in ceramics in southern China were also made, most notably in the green-glazed stoneware called Yueh-yao or "Yueh ware," a durable ceramic that was eventually exported to places as distant as Egypt and the Philippines. It was during this period that gentlemen-painters and calligraphers and great private art collections first emerged in China. Literary and art criticism also developed.
