Chinese Art & Culture

by Robert L. Thorp and Richard Ellis Vinograd

Book Overview

Chinese Art & Culture is a refreshingly clear look at the oldest and most productive continuous artistic tradition on earth. From 7,000-year-old Neolithic potmaking and jade-carving cultures to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0130889695
• ISBN13: 9780130889690
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Length: 440 Pages
• Weight: 2.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.4" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

concise synopsis of 3500 years of art

If you need a concise synopsis of 3500 years of art.. this is it! Mind you, it's not 5 pages, and can't be used as a cheat sheet, but it gives an overview of the various art forms that characterize Chinese life. It thoroughly fulfilled my purpose.

A great survey on Chinese art!

This is a great book for a serious survey of Chinese art and also for common readers interested in Chinese art and culture. The first six chapters by Robert Thorp deal with the period between the Neolithic and the Tang, and the rest of four chapters by Richard Vinograd cover from the Song to the 20th century. Both scholars offer succint yet comprehensive historical and cultural backgrounds, and also the images are discussed in terms of important concepts and themes in Chinese art, rather than traditional categories of architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts. This approach works effectively in avoiding any imposition of the art historical concepts derived from European tradition, and also enable readers to be fully engaged in the subject. When comparing with other survey books on Chinese art, it takes a middle path between the traditional style of _Arts of China_ by Michael Sullivan and an intense and provoking style of _Art in China_ by Craig Clunas.