From Chang'an to Athens: A Journey Through Chinese and Western Art and Archaeology (Volume 1, 2, and 3)

Author: Wang Zi Yun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This travelogue covers a long period, being a compilation of the author's multiple travels and research. For instance, the travel to Western Europe dates back to the 1930s, and half a century has passed since then, seemingly long forgotten. However, art differs from the ever-evolving natural sciences. The millennia-old masterpieces in art museums worldwide become more precious with age, remaining eternal models and sources of inspiration. On the other hand, some artworks seen half a century ago may no longer exist today, and masterpieces in art museums may also be replaced or lost. Such cases are even more common domestically, especially in grottoes, temples, and tomb carvings. The relics and artifacts visible in the 1940s and 1950s have been destroyed in countless numbers after the "ten-year catastrophe." Although this is merely one in a thousand or ten thousand of the national artistic treasures the author once saw but can no longer today, this alone demonstrates that decades of records are not only not outdated but even more valuable. This travelogue covers a long period, being a compilation of the author's multiple travels and research. For instance, the travel to Western Europe dates back to the 1930s, and half a century has passed since then, seemingly long forgotten. However, art differs from the ever-evolving natural sciences. The millennia-old masterpieces in art museums worldwide become more precious with age, remaining eternal models and sources of inspiration; even modern and avant-garde artists draw inspiration and references from the masterpieces of renowned artists in art museums. On the other hand, some artworks seen half a century ago may no longer exist today, and masterpieces in art museums may also be replaced or lost. Such cases are even more common domestically, especially in grottoes, temples, and tomb carvings. The relics and artifacts visible in the 1940s and 1950s have been destroyed in countless numbers after the "ten-year catastrophe." Although this is merely one in a thousand or ten thousand of the national artistic treasures the author once saw but can no longer today, this alone demonstrates that decades of records are not only not outdated but even more valuable.