China Books
The
Three Perfections: Chinese Painting, Poetry, and Calligraphy
1975 - Michael Sullivan
What do the Chinese write on their paintings? Why do they write on
them? In this newly revised volume--now illustrated in color--Michael
Sullivan provides a lucid and engaging analysis of the intimate relationships
among painting, poetry, and calligraphy in Chinese culture. The fundamental
unity of writing and painting is shown to be an ancient, though still
valid, concept in China. Twenty-six luminous reproductions of celebrated
works of art illustrate key aspects of this superb union of literature
and the visual arts. |
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The
Painter's Practice
1994 - James Cahill
What do the Chinese write on their paintings? Why do they write on
them? In this newly revised volume--now illustrated in color--Michael
Sullivan provides a lucid and engaging analysis of the intimate relationships
among painting, poetry, and calligraphy in Chinese culture. The fundamental
unity of writing and painting is shown to be an ancient, though still
valid, concept in China. Twenty-six luminous reproductions of celebrated
works of art illustrate key aspects of this superb union of literature
and the visual arts. |
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Sacred
Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet
1999 - Steven Kossak
Beautifully illustrated catalogue of artworks from a exhibition of
more than sixty of the finest Tibetan works from museums and private
collections around the world. Dazzling paintings on cloth and other
objects, many unpublished, dating from the eleventh to the fifteenth
century are brought together in this book for the first time. |
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Garden
Plants of China
1999 - Peter Valder
This amazing book covers over 400 plants found in typical Chinese
gardens. There is much text about specific plants symbolic in Chinese
art and culture so it's not a boring read for non gardeners. Includes
color photographs, history, information on native habitat, and cultural
suggestions. Highly recommended. |
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Chinese
Symbolism and Art Motifs
1989 - Charles Alfred Speed Williams
The Eight Immortals, the five elements, the dragon, phoenix, yin
and yang -- representatives of these important cultural symbols are
pervasive in Chinese art and architecture. Without an understanding
of their significance, Asian art cannot be fully appreciated. Originally
published in Shanghai in 1941, this is the standard reference for
students of China and Chinese culture. With over 400 illustrations,
it not only explains the essential cultural symbols but also contains
articles on Chinese beliefs, customs, arts and crafts, foods, agriculture
and medicine. This is an indispensable guide to the Middle Kingdom's
artistic and architectural wonders. |
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Summit
of Treasures: Buddhist Cave Sculpture of Dazu, China
2001 - Angela Falco Howard
The Buddhist cave art of Dazu (Sichuan province of China), has received
little attention relative to other Buddhist grotto art in China.
This is the first English-language publication of this monumental
sculpture, dating from the Song dynasty and inspired by the tenets
of Esoteric Buddhism. Using brilliant color photographs and detailed
line drawings, Howard analyzes the caves in the didactic order intended
by their creators, explaining their iconography and symbolism and
the underlying meanings of both the individual elements and overall
design. |
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Taoism
and the Arts of China
2000 - Stephen Little
This book brings together an amazing collection of art from one of
China's most ancient and influential traditions. More than 150 works
of art from as early as the late Zhou dynasty (fifth-third century
b.c.) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) are displayed. Many of these
works are paintings that show the breathtaking range of style and
subject that makes the Taoist heritage so rich. Sculpture, calligraphy,
rare books, textiles, and ritual objects are also represented. Lavishly
illustrated with over 150 color images, this volume affords a sweeping
view of an artistic terrain that until now has received too little
exposure in the West. |
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Chinese
Glazes
1999 - Nigel Wood
This major work on Oriental ceramics and glazes by a leading authority
on Far Eastern pottery traces the development of Chinese glazes and
glazing techniques from antiquity to the modern era. Nigel Wood describes
how glazes were made, provides an analysis of their composition,
and shows how they can be duplicated today with common raw materials
available in the West. Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred
photographs--one hundred in full color. Examples of the Chinese arts
as found in pottery ranging from simple earthenware jars excavated
at Neolithic sites to exquisitely designed dishes found in imperial
tombs. Also show are examples of modern Western wares that use these
remarkable glazing techniques. |
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Buddhism
1995 - Peter Valder
Another very good and easy-to-use reference book on Buddhism. Covered
is the evolution of Buddhist representations, Iconography, the Buddha
and the great Buddhas, other major Buddhas, defenders and guardians
of the Buddhist law, groups of deities, and divine beings and deified
historical figures. Highly illustrated and covers three thousand
manifestations of the Buddha in Asia and provided different names
and attributes by which they are known in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Tibet, S.E. China, China, and Japan. |
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The
Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art
2003 - John C. Huntington
Featuring approximately 160 of the aesthetically finest and most
powerful masterpieces of Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan, Chinese, and
Mongolian art produced over the past thirteen centuries, the catalogue
includes many works published for the first time. It highlights the
extraordinary artistic accomplishments of esoteric Buddhism and at
the same time leads the reader to understand the intrinsic function
of these exquisite works. In this in-depth contextualization of the
art works, the complex world of Himalayan Buddhist art has been explicated
beyond aesthetic appreciation to a germane understanding of its innermost
meaning and its service in the pursuit of Enlightenment. |
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