History of Christian Art in China

Author: Gu Weimin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book is a comprehensive history of Christian religious art in China written by a Chinese author. It includes stone carvings, murals, and temple architecture from the Tang and Yuan dynasties across China; churches and stone relics left by Franciscan friars of the Roman Catholic Church in Beijing, Yangzhou, Quanzhou, and other places during the Yuan Dynasty; Western religious paintings brought by Jesuits during the Ming and Qing periods, including oil paintings created by them in Macau and Beijing, as well as woodblock engravings with Chinese-style designs printed in China; the artistic activities of Jesuit painters in Chinese imperial courts and the transmission of Western perspective techniques to the East; ancient church buildings in places like Macau, Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou during the Ming and Qing periods, including churches, seminaries, fortresses, cemeteries, and the murals within them, among others. Most of the materials in this book come from the author's field research and photography. The author strives to systematically organize these valuable historical records and present them to the readers. Through this book, readers can learn about the unique wisdom and craftsmanship of ancient European missionaries who came to China and Chinese Christians, how Westernized Christian art evolved in the East, and how this art that blends Eastern and Western characteristics is not only a precious historical legacy of the Chinese nation but also enriches the treasure trove of the world's Christian religious art history. This book is a comprehensive history of Christian religious art in China written by a Chinese author. It includes stone carvings, murals, and temple architecture from the Tang and Yuan dynasties across China; churches and stone relics left by Franciscan friars of the Roman Catholic Church in Beijing, Yangzhou, Quanzhou, and other places during the Yuan Dynasty; Western religious paintings brought by Jesuits during the Ming and Qing periods, including oil paintings created by them in Macau and Beijing, as well as woodblock engravings with Chinese-style designs printed in China; the artistic activities of Jesuit painters in Chinese imperial courts and the transmission of Western perspective techniques to the East; ancient church buildings in places like Macau, Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou during the Ming and Qing periods, including churches, seminaries, fortresses, cemeteries, and the murals within them, among others. Most of the materials in this book come from the author's field research and photography. The author strives to systematically organize these valuable historical records and present them to the readers. Through this book, readers can learn about the unique wisdom and craftsmanship of ancient European missionaries who came to China and Chinese Christians, how Westernized Christian art evolved in the East, and how this art that blends Eastern and Western characteristics is not only a precious historical legacy of the Chinese nation but also enriches the treasure trove of the world's Christian religious art history.