Illustrated History of Chinese Art (Exquisite Edition)

Author: Bo Songnian, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-11-01
Features:
Ten thousand years ago, our ancestors left traces of beauty on rocks, as if created by deities. Several well-diggers accidentally discovered the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, which had been sleeping underground for two thousand years, unveiling the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion is hailed as the "Heavenly Running Script," and its collection journey is like a legendary tale. From houses and shops to scholars, farmers, artisans, and laborers, Along the River During the Qingming Festival offers a glimpse of the prosperity of the capital of the Song Dynasty in Bianjing. The Four Great Masters of the Yuan Dynasty, the Four Great Literati of Jiangnan, the Four Painters of Early Qing Dynasty, and the Eight of Yangzhou have all left their mark on history. In 1917, at the age of 55, Qi Baishi settled in Beijing. His works were sold at half the price of ordinary painters and remained unsold. This prompted him to reflect on his art, leading to a dramatic turning point in his lifelong artistic career. In 1980, the second National Youth Art Exhibition was held at the National Art Museum of China, where the 2-meter-tall Father caused a sensation. Given the large size, it was usually used to depict revolutionary leaders, but the subject of this portrait was an ordinary farmer.
The chronological arrangement of this book follows the timeline, from ancient times to the 1990s, selecting over 100 representative and influential events in the long history of Chinese art. It covers various categories such as painting, sculpture, crafts, calligraphy, and more, outlining the trajectory of Chinese art development and showcasing its brilliant creativity and great achievements. Each event is generally presented on two pages, with the year of occurrence marked in the upper-left corner of the combined page. Some events with more extensive content are exceptions. The boxes contain biographical information about the artists and relevant knowledge related to the thematic events. The two colored horizontal bars provide explanations of artistic techniques and craft technologies. Each image is accompanied by detailed annotations, introducing the dimensions and collection status of the works.
This book stands out with the following features:
1. A three-dimensional writing approach, where each art event is elaborated on from its historical background, main content, the artist's creative intent, aesthetic and historical value, providing readers with a comprehensive and holistic understanding.
2. A "point-to-surface" narrative, where detailed analysis of the thematic event is supplemented with linked knowledge, such as other artists of the same school or other works on the same theme, thereby broadening the reading perspective.
3. A substantial number of images, totaling over 500, with important artworks not only presented in full but also enlarged to allow for detailed observation.