Artwork
Farmers working and resting, 1955, by Fernando Amorsolo (Filipino, 1892 – 1972), Oil on canvas, Gift of Alexander and Cornelia Calhoun, 2005.99. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Lesson
In groups, students will discuss how artists communicate events and characters by observing and describing scenes in the scroll containing stories of Rama’s youth. Students will compare the context of this scroll’s use with those of scrolls illustrating other epics. Then they will create a biographical scroll from the perspective of a character in the Ramayana (The Life of Rama).
Video
Asian Art Museum Storyteller Miriam Mills tells a story about a gecko from Bali.
Activity
Shadow puppet performances were popular forms of entertainment in Thailand. Create your own shadow puppet and perform a scene from the the Ramayana.
Background Information
Balinese stories are continually told and retold. Tales such as the Ramayana are mainly spread through storytelling, shadow plays, masked dance, chants, and other theatrical genres. Learn more.
Artwork
Bhima (Bima), second of the Pandava (Pandawa) brothers, approx. 1960. Indonesia; West Java. Wood, cloth, and mixed media. From the Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.157.
Background Information
Learn about the basic beliefs of Hinduism.
Video
Explore the ancient kingdom of Angkor, which was one of the most powerful states in Southeast Asia from the 800s to the 1300s. A succession of kings built huge temples that remain in Cambodia today as some of the world’s greatest religious monuments.
Artwork
A demon (buta), 1993, by Duyeh. Indonesia; Cibiru, West Java. Wood, cloth, and mixed media. From the Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.121.
