Artists and Paintings: Painters in Official Histories and Novels

Author: Yan Shanzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book examines the social identity of ancient Chinese painters. To some extent, it can also be considered a study of the value of ancient Chinese painting, exploring why Chinese painters painted, how society viewed them, and how they themselves perceived the art of painting. Through the interpretation of concepts such as "painting," "art," and "painter," the analysis of records of painters in official histories and novels, as well as research on painting appraisals, painting histories, painting theories, and amateur painters (i.e., literati painters), the book concludes that Chinese painting, during its development, differed from Western painting in many aspects due to the involvement of literati, or scholar-officials. This included its aesthetic concepts, taste standards, formal styles, and even the way its history was written. Naturally, the cultural identity and social status of Chinese painters also differed from those of Western painters.