Illustrated History of Chinese Art

Author: Bo Songnian, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-11-01
Features:
Ten thousand years ago, our ancestors left their mark of beauty on rocks, as if created by the gods. Several well-diggers accidentally discovered the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, which had been sleeping underground for two thousand years, unveiling the "Eighth Wonder of the World." The "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" by Wang Xizhi is hailed as the "Supreme Running Script," and its collection journey is like a legendary tale. From houses and shops to scholars, farmers, artisans, and laborers, the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" offers a glimpse of the prosperity of the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianjing. The Four Great Masters of the Yuan Dynasty, the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan, the Four Painters of the Early Qing Dynasty, and the Eight of Yangzhou have all left their mark on history. In 1917, Qi Baishi, at the age of 55, settled in Beijing. His works were sold at half the price of ordinary painters and remained unsold. This prompted him to reflect on his art, marking a dramatic turning point in his artistic career. In 1980, the second National Youth Art Exhibition was held at the National Art Museum of China, where the 2-meter-tall "Father" caused a sensation. Such a large scale was usually reserved for portraits of revolutionary leaders, yet the subject of this portrait was an ordinary farmer.
This book is organized chronologically, from ancient times to the 1990s, selecting over 100 representative and influential events in the long history of Chinese art. It covers various genres such as painting, sculpture, crafts, and calligraphy, tracing the trajectory of Chinese art development and showcasing its brilliant creativity and great achievements. Each event is presented on two pages, with the year of occurrence marked in the upper left corner of the combined page. Some events, due to their extensive content, may take up more space. The boxes contain biographical information about the artists and relevant knowledge related to the thematic events. The two colored horizontal bars provide explanations of artistic techniques and craft technologies. Each image is accompanied by detailed annotations, introducing the dimensions and collection status of the works.
This book stands out with the following features:
1. A three-dimensional writing approach, where each artistic event is elaborated on its background, main content, author's creative intent, aesthetic and historical value, giving readers a comprehensive and holistic understanding.
2. A "point-to-surface" narrative, where detailed analysis of the thematic event is combined with linked-related knowledge, such as other artists from the same school or other works on the same theme, thereby broadening the reading perspective.
3. A substantial number of images, totaling over 500, with important artworks not only presented in full but also zoomed in on details for closer examination.