Impressive and awe-inspiring

Author: Gao Juyuan, translated by Li Peihua and others
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Between March and April 1979, I was invited to deliver a series of lectures at the Norton Lectures at Harvard University, and the content of the lectures included in this book. Here, I have made only minor revisions and added a few brief explanations. The original intention of these manuscripts (which have now been reorganized into chapters) was not to present a comprehensive history of Chinese painting in the 17th century; regarding the history of 17th-century painting, I have addressed it elsewhere. In my series of books on the history of Chinese painting, the third and fourth volumes will respectively explore the late Ming and early Qing periods. If readers feel lost when suddenly diving into this topic, they can refer to the first two volumes of the series, Mountains Beyond Mountains and Farewell on the Riverbank, to build background knowledge. However, readers do not actually need this background knowledge when reading this book, as its original intention was to be published as a standalone work. The book focuses on the late Ming and early Qing period, i.e., Chinese painting in the 17th century, and through the paintings of that era and related theoretical writings, we further explore some art historical and art theoretical topics.