Scholar and Painter - Multidimensional Comparison of Ming Dynasty and Italian Painting History in the 15th and 16th Centuries

Author: Li Wankang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Laozi said: "All things are born together, and I watch their return. Things come and go, each returning to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness, stillness is called returning to destiny, returning to destiny is called constancy, knowing constancy is called enlightenment. Not knowing constancy, forgetting the source, is calamitous. Knowing constancy embraces all, embracing all is impartial, impartiality leads to kingship, kingship leads to the heavens, the heavens lead to the Dao, and the Dao leads to longevity, free from danger throughout one's life."
You have long heard of the brilliance of Renaissance art, but how much do you know about the elegance of Ming Dynasty painting? The distinction between Confucian scholars and painters marks the separate paths of Eastern and Western art. So, what exactly was the state of painting art in the 15th and 16th-century Ming Dynasty compared to the Italian Renaissance? Then, let us compare the fine arts of the East and the West!
This book aims to answer: Why did the painting art of the 15th and 16th-century Ming Dynasty and the Italian Renaissance appear as it does today? This is a puzzling and captivating question. Guided by this question, the book examines and compares the different relationship models between painters and consumers in the Ming Dynasty and the Italian Renaissance during the 15th and 16th centuries. From political, economic, and intellectual perspectives, it analyzes layer by layer, delving deeper to answer the comparative question of why art manifests in this way.
The book opens with the question and closes with its answer. In between, continuous analysis and inquiry form the narrative. Thus, the book presents its reasoning in a smooth and interconnected manner, with a grand scope yet full of intriguing interest.