Chinese Art History

Author: Xie Lijun / Li Beilei (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: Chinese art history is an important component of Chinese cultural history. This book incorporates previous research findings and emphasizes recent archaeological developments, supplementing the gaps in traditional art history with newly unearthed material. For example, it provides a detailed introduction to the artistic features and styles of the newly discovered Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan. It systematically covers painting, calligraphy, sculpture, and applied arts, while also offering in-depth discussions on painting theory and calligraphy theory. Architecture is briefly mentioned in certain chapters to expand the scope of art history. According to the categories of art, it breaks down painting into sub-genres such as landscape, figure, flower-and-bird, and mural painting. In the writing, the text intertwines with ancient literature and artworks, creating mutual permeation and corroboration, and includes additional theoretical chapters to provide readers with a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of art history. Fair and objective analyses and evaluations are given to artists and artworks from each historical period. In the selection of images, efforts are made to ensure comprehensiveness and richness, especially providing readers with a visual impression of lesser-known artists and works. For major figures who bridged past and present, in addition to detailed textual introductions, a representative work is included to help readers gain a deeper understanding of them. While focusing on major art movements in art history, the achievements of ethnic minority art are also given due attention.