Product Description
The fine arts of China are often ignored by the Western world, from jade tablets, painted silk hand scrolls and fans to ink and lacquer paintings and calligraphy. Art in China offers a novel look and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Chinese art, including art found in tombs to the state-controlled art of the Mao Zedong era. 130 photos, 65 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Art in China (Oxford History of Art Series)
Beautifully illustrated, delightful and extremely informative.This book is a marvelous supplement to the typical art history text books.

Good introduction to the arts of China
I like the author's approach to writing an introduction to the arts of China. Instead of trying to touch at least all of the major artists/works from all of the major periods (which in the case of China would mean touching very many things in a very cursory way), the author focuses on the context for which works were produced. Some of them were meant to be "art" from the start, some were not. This offers ample opportunities to examine how some works influenced other later in history. Overall, I think the ideas presented are some of the most gripping I have found in Chinese art history books. The book includes recent discoveries and scholarship and uses Pinyin romanization (two great features - not all recently-published books do).

Currently the best short introduction to art in China
While not the easiest to read, Clunas's book is currently the best short modest-sized introduction to art in China. The title "Art in China" (not "Chinese Art") is intentional, for Clunas is one of the rare Occidental authors on this subject who transcend the limitations of their background and succeed in communicating some of the subtlety and complexity of the subject, so remote from Western tastes, but no less beautiful and profound.

For example, he points out that while Western art has concentrated on painting, calligraphy is the most esteemed art form in China. Furthermore, from its earliest beginnings, Chinese aesthetics has placed little emphasis on illusionism and perspective, even regarding these as juvenile and distracting from artistic self-expression. (In this respect, the Chinese anticipated "modern art theory" by centuries.) The very term "Chinese Art", he maintains, is a Western invention, since the art work in China was, until recently, never divorced from its political, religious or decorative functions. (That is to say, it was not "museum art" isolated from its context and consciously regarded as art.) Because of these characteristics, art in China has been little appreciated in the West.

Clunas's probing book should be read slowly-- and re-read. The illuminating text gives a relatively sophisticated and sympathetic account of art in China, unlike many books, which are simply naive, provincial and as full of trivial dates and abstractions as they are lacking in insight. The representative works, drawn from all periods of Chinese history--including modern times--are superb and well chosen, and the pictures are excellent, considering the book's modest size. I especially enjoy the full-page color reproduction of Guo Xi's masterpiece "Early Spring" which equals, if not surpasses, the finest landscape paintings of the Dutch golden age (of course, not in illusionist technique, but in sheer expressive and evocative power as it unveils a mysterious fantastic landscape reflecting an interior, as much as an exterior, reality).

My only complaint is that there is only one book on "Art in China" in the Oxford History of Art series, while there are at least 30 on Western art in the same series. One book covers Western art for a 25-year span (1920-45), but 5,000 years of high art in China--in painting, jade, ceramics, lacquer, porcelain, calligraphy and sculpture--gets only a single volume! Talk about provincialism! Certainly, this is no fault of Dr. Clunas, whose work seems all the more commendable in the midst of the naive insularity and ethnocentrism with which it has unfortunately been grouped.

BRILLIANT!!
In researching information regarding Sung Dynasty scrolls and artists, Ifound this book to be a most generous indeed. The author provides clear, precise information without the clutter of person guesses. He provides a wonderful assortment of pictures and resources. Clear, clean photographs of artifacts providing the reader with primary documentation .This is a MUST for anyone studying the Arts and Artists of early China. Thank you Craig Clunas!

challengingbook
This is a challengingwork.

He realizes 5 standpoints. He writes "What is historically called art in China, by whom and when?". Really,I feel it rather reflect unconsciousattitude of 20th centurycollectors and scholars.

Art in the Tomb /Art at Court/Art in theTemple/Art in the life of the Elite /Art in the Market-Place

Followingrecentsearching environment ofartifacts; lifetime of painters,art-market, patrons, etc., as"Painter's Practice" by J.cahill,Mr. Clunas searched relationsof arts-makers and the society. Thisapproach is interesting and very suggestive. It may be the first tryamongsuch cheap and popular booksabout "Arts in China". For suchcharacter, I feelit should not be an elementary textbook.

Calligraphywas more focused than M. Sullivan's book"The Arts of China"inthe chapter "Art in the life of the Elite".Short columnsexplain words and technical terms vividly. It is worth to buy itonly forthem. Bibliographical essays(231-237 p.) are very useful.Plates andfigures are all fine. There is few inadequateitem. Fig 83and 87 showsas we appreciate inmuseums, i.e.shows itshandscrollformat.I thinkthe author make effort to showsurroundingtextileof paintings and theformat in somefigs.

As an avocat d'diable,I noticesome. The gongof Fig. 49is not 8th century. Dragons and a beast should be genuine 8thcentury items. The gongis regarded 12-13th centuryJapanese artifact.The item of Fig. 82 may not be a representative workby Tang-Yin.

BothC. Clunas and Michael Sullivanedited catalogues of Sir AlainBarlowCollection(now in Sussex College). (ref. The Barlow Collectionof ChineseCeramics, Bronzes and Jades: an Introduction, The University of Sussex,1997/Nov.) Sullivan did in1963 and 1974. Clunas didin 1997. They mighthave share common intellectual environment according OrientalCeramicSociety, England. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Inspiring book
I'm so glad I came across this book - my head is full of new ideas and techniques to try.

I can't see giving it 2 or 3 stars because the authors don't hold your hand the whole way - they definitely give you enough information to get into your studio and make some cool new collagraph plates.

Great pictures of the process, too.

Wonderful and inspiring
I'm just beginning to explore collagraphy and was looking for an introductory text.I got so much more.This is a marvellous book.The images are stunning and the approach--conversations with artists about their techniques--informative and inspiring.Highly recommended.

Weak
The book is pretty poor in explaining techniques.Does give a laundry list of materials but you could walk down a craft store aisle and have the same list.A disappointing purchase.

a good book on printmaking 3.5 stars really
I've been looking this book over for about a month now. My first impression was that it wasn't all that detailed or give hands-on instruction in making collagarphs. However, after reading through more of it, I find it is way more detailed than I first thought. It does give some instructions (though sometimes less than clear), and seems to invite you to try out and experiment. A few times that I've asked people about materials for working with collagraphs, I've gotten the responses: "you'll just have to experiment" or "you'll have to try it out." So I think this book not being as specific in some instances may be inherent to the process.

If I could, I would have given the book 3.5 stars. I didn't go with 4-5 because there are a few places where the detailed examples and instructions by the author are unclear, there are some terms and materials used that are really from Britain and difficult to translate to what their equivalents are here in U.S. and a few places where the book is a bit sloppy in terms of page references and index listings. Really a publishing issue, but minor.

Overall, a good overview and instruction book on collagraph printing.

Great artists; not a step-by-step guide
I agree that this book is a mixed bag. If you like collagraphs, then it's a no brainer - buy this book. The art is very creative and inspirational. However, if you don't know what collagraphs are, or how they are made, or don't know what "carborundum" means, then you'll need to take a class or read other books first. Otherwise it's hard to piece together how each artist created their work.

I loved this book; I bought it in Cambridge, England in the store where one of the authors, Brenda Hartill, was showing her collagraphs (the ones made with seaweed patterns were gorgeous). I read it once on the plane home and was a bit baffled. However, after I'd figured out how collagraphs were made I got a lot more out of it the second time around.

For step-by-step instructions, get "Collagraph Printmaking" by Mary Ann Wenniger and "Collagraph Printmaking" by Donald Soltenberg. Both are affordable on the used market; the latter is shorter but very concise and clear. (The out-of-print "The Complete Collagraph" is no more helpful, imo, and used copies are way over priced.)
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