Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future: Master Ink Painters in Twentieth-Century China

Yang, Xiaoneng; Essays by: Hong, Zaixin; Shaojun, Lang; Gongkai, Pan; Shen, Kuiyi and Vinograd, Richard; Catologue entries by: Tianmin, Gao; Liya, Hong; Yan, Huang; Jianqun, Luo; Xiaohong, Wang and Yiqing, Zhang

ISBN 10: 8874395388 / ISBN 13: 9788874395385

Published by 5 Continents Editions, Milan, 2010

About this Item

English text.; Hardcover (with dust jacket); 25 x 31.5 cm.; 2.8 Kg.; 440 pages with colour illustrations throughout. Used with minor signs of wear on the exterior of the hardcover. Interior with minor signs of wear. Very good condition overall.; Catalogue from the exhibition held at Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, California from February 17 to July 4, 2010.; Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future examines a crucial point in the development of Chinese ink painting represented by the beautiful and innovative work of four artists, Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), Qi Baishi (1864-1957), Huang Binhong (1865-1955), and Pan Tianshou (1897-1971). With careers spanning more than a century of radical social and political change in China, these artists were instrumental in driving the ancient tradition of Chinese ink painting into the modern era in the face of compelling Western influences. The lavish catalogue iluminates the context in which these artists worked, describes their overall contribution on the history of Chinese art, and highlights their individual ideas and achievements. Xiaoneng Yang defines the historical context in which modern Chinese painting developed, while Richard Vinograd analyses the "alternative modernism" represented by these artists, each of whom worked in the brush-an-ink idiom. All four artists engaged to a greater or lesser degree with Western styles and media, and gave new life to cherished traditions through this engagement. Essays devoted to each artist are followed by individual entries discussing the works chosen to exemplify their achievements. Featuring more than one hundred works of painting and calligraphy by the four artists, the book also includes several portraits by Ren Yi (1840-1895), appendices transcribing the works' inscriptions and seals, a concordance, and a detailed bibliography. Seller Inventory # 962B

Bibliographic Details

Title: Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future: Master...

Publisher: 5 Continents Editions, Milan

Publication Date: 2010

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

About this title

Synopsis:

"Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future" examines a crucial turning point in the development of Chinese ink painting in the twentieth century, a change represented by the beautiful and innovative work of four artists, Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), Qi Baishi (1863-1957), Huang Binhong (1864-1955), and Pan Tianshou (1897-1971). With careers spanning over a century of radical change in China, these artists were instrumental in propelling the ancient tradition of Chinese ink painting into the modern era in the face of compelling Western influences. As a group, their work represents an alternative approach to questions of relevance and modernity. This lavish book illuminates the context in which these artists worked, describes their overall contribution to the history of Chinese art, and highlights their individual ideas and achievements. In his introductory essay, Xiaoneng Yang offers a brief historical background for the evolution of modern Chinese painting. Richard E. Vinograd analyzes the alternative modernism represented by these artists, each of whom worked in the brush-and-ink idiom, confronted the shift toward practices of the West, and gave new life through this confrontation to cherished traditions. The essays devoted to each artist are followed by individual entries discussing their works. Featuring more than one hundred works of both painting and calligraphy by the four artists, the book, which is published to accompany a traveling exhibition, also includes a glossary and detailed bibliography.

About the Author:

Xiaoneng Yang, Patrick J. J. Maveety Curator of Asian Art at Stanford University’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, is internationally recognized as a leading scholar and curator of Chinese art, archaeology, and history. Notable essay contributors to the book include Zaixin Hong, professor of Chinese art at University of Puget Sound, Lang Shaojun, professor at China National Academy of Arts, Pan Gongkai, president of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, Kuiyi Shen, professor of Chinese art at University of California, San Diego, and Richard E. Vinograd, Christensen Professor in Asian Art at Stanford University.