Chinese Inheritance Figure Painting [Upper Middle Lower] Fine

Author: Ji Jianghong, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Figure painting is the earliest of the three major genres of traditional Chinese painting (the other two being landscape painting and flower-and-bird painting). It is a symbol of the independence and maturation of Chinese painting art. Figure painting encompasses diverse content and broad themes, including historical paintings, folk paintings, portraiture, and court ladies' portraits, among others. In terms of techniques, it includes fine-line colored painting, monochrome line drawing, ink-wash painting, and freehand brushwork. Masters from various dynasties, such as Gu Kaizhi, Yan Liben, Wu Daozi, Li Gonglin, Tang Yin, Qiu Ying, and Chen Hongshou, have left behind renowned masterpieces in this field, each excelling in their own unique styles and setting benchmarks for the ages. These works reflect the social landscapes, customs, and human sentiments of their respective eras. Figure painting is a genre of Chinese painting that directly reflects reality, hence it not only possesses unique artistic value but also holds unparalleled historical and sociological documentary value compared to other genres. To enable to systematically and comprehensively understand the artistic achievements of painters from different periods in their respective fields, the editors have invited experts in Chinese art history, art critics, and researchers of the three major painting genres to compile this series, 《》. 《》 is divided into three volumes, presenting over three hundred exquisite Chinese figure paintings from eight periods—origin, the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang, the Five Dynasties, the Song, the Yuan, the Ming, and the Qing—to readers. Accompanying each painting are concise yet insightful introductions and analyses, offering multi-dimensional and multi-angle interpretations of their meanings. By carefully studying this book, one can gain a more intuitive, comprehensive, and detailed understanding of the essence of these Chinese figure paintings that have been passed down through the ages, relive the artists' creative states of mind, transcend the limitations of time and space, and discover the truth, goodness, and beauty contained within them. This book introduces figure painting, the earliest of the three major genres of traditional Chinese painting, and is organized into eight periods—origin, the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang, the Five Dynasties, the Song, the Yuan, the Ming, and the Qing—tracing the development of figure painting and offering multi-dimensional and multi-angle interpretations of its artistic connotations. The figure paintings collected in this book are diverse in content and themes, including historical paintings, folk paintings, portraiture, and court ladies' portraits, among others, and cover techniques such as fine-line colored painting, monochrome line drawing, and ink-wash painting. Masterpieces from masters across the ages, such as Gu Kaizhi, Yan Liben, Wu Daozi, Li Gonglin, Tang Yin, and Qiu Ying, are gathered here, each excelling in their unique styles and setting benchmarks for the ages. These works reflect the social landscapes and customs of different eras and, in addition to their unique artistic value, possess irreplaceable historical and collectible value.