Import From China - Chinese Artwork

by xiaming

Article by Peter Poll

I not too long ago discovered myself in need to have of some kind of artwork in 1 area of my household subsequent an extreme bout of decorating. Following visiting a neighborhood wholesaler, I discovered they were offering some paintings imported from China. The style was abstract symbols with lively colours, oil on canvas. I saw that they also integrated facts of the artists and provinces in China from which they originated.

The price tag for the paintings ranged according to mount dimension but was from as minor as five GBP. I am under no illusion about the truth that these paintings are additional than likely mass-produced in a factory, but the reality was I nonetheless liked the seem of them. They were not listed as 'original', but 'hand-painted' Chinese art.

According to analysis on the World-wide-web, China has been mass-producing copies of renowned will work of art for many decades, generally to the tourist market place. Duplicate painters will are living and get the job done in tiny studios, operating several, many hrs. They are hardly ever on fixed wages and are far more normally paid out by the completed painting.

A browse on the World wide web these days finds a variety of internet sites advertising and marketing original Chinese artwork for sale, and offered by means of online purchasing. They give operates of art that are a person-off and not copied, and usually retail at a lot far more pricey charges. They promote the two oil-on-canvas and ink pictures drawn onto rice paper, generating substantially of the simple fact that they are selling only first pieces and not exploiting any of the artists in anyway.

It is clear, although that these sites also make a point of belittling the mass-created copies described before, and that most likely includes the factory hand-painted canvases I had been searching at in the Wholesalers. Nevertheless there are a lot of department shops all-around the globe that have show right after show of prints of well known works of art,! framed watercolour prints and photographic prints either on canvas or powering glass and in wooden frames.

All prints of other artists' works and all, no doubt, performed on an assembly line, in all probability generated in the thousands. So why is the hand painting of oil-on-canvas in a factory looked down upon so a lot? Is it the apparent exploitation of artwork pupils, or frequent staff used to do the paintings, the long hrs that they are forced to function for minimum pay out? Or is it simply the blatant copying of other functions of artwork?

Now, I am no artwork connoisseur - I can't manage to be - and I would not knowingly get a copy palmed off as an unique, but if the style is a mass-developed abstract of original design and style, and is produced rapidly and efficiently, and I like the way that piece of artwork has been carried out, or the way the artwork will compliment the area I want to hang it, what does it make a difference how significantly it value or how it was made, so very long as it looks proper.

Chinese Artist Disappears into His Surroundings

Now you see him, soon you won't. Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin is known locally as 'the invisible man', because of his habit of painting himself into his surroundings. Liu has vanished into many nooks and crannies around Beijing—his latest location... the intricate doorway of a traditional courtyard house, a typical sight in Beijing. 37-year-old Liu says his art represents the state of humanity. [Liu Bolin, Artist]: "Now my art is cultural, it represents the diminishing humanity in today's society. I use my art to be retrospective on culture, the environment and fast economic development." It took three assistants and four hours of painstaking stillness to finish the process. 15-year-old student Meng Yunan says she didn't notice Liu at all until she saw him move. [Meng Yunan, Student]: "I think it's very odd. I didn't notice a man was standing there so I was surprised when he moved. I also think the colors are very beautiful." Each of Liu's works carries a message. He said his transformation into a part of Beijing's ancient architecture demonstrates the importance of accepting new forms of art, while at the same time preserving the old. But not everyone appreciated his perspective, including one Taoist. "It is quite surprising to see this. I do not understand the art, painting color onto your body. But after looking at it for a while, you can see that the colors are blending with the building. In Taoism, everything in nature is considered beautiful so I suppose his ...

Video Rating: 5 / 5

The Arts of China, Fourth edition. Expanded and Revised. (An Ahmanson Murphy Fine Arts Book)

For the fourth edition of his much-heralded The Arts of China, last published in 1984, Michael Sullivan has thoroughly revised and expanded this classic history of Chinese art from the Neolithic period to the 1990s. He draws on archaeological discoveries in the last two decades of the twentieth century that have enriched scholars' understanding of both prehistoric and ancient Chinese civilizations. At the same time, research on more recent dynasties has led to fresh interpretations of well-documented historical events and artworks. Also, China's dramatic opening to the outside world since the 1980s has triggered an explosion of contemporary Chinese art, on which Sullivan is the foremost Western authority.
Written in the engaging and lucid style that is Sullivan's hallmark, The Arts of China is readily accessible to general readers as well as serious students of art history. Discussing more than three millennia of Chinese artistic endeavor, Sullivan introduces not only artworks, but also the social, political, religious, and philosophical contexts in which they were created.
This fourth edition has more than 380 illustrations; many are new and nearly half are in color. With this edition Sullivan has abandoned the Wade-Giles system of romanization in favor of the official Chinese Pinyin, now widely accepted by Western readers. These improvements assure that The Arts of China will remain the most comprehensive and widely read introduction to the history of Chinese art.

List Price: $ 70.00 Price: $ 28.86

The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century (Asian Security Studies)

The Chinese Army Today is a comprehensive study of the Chinese military, examining its ground forces in a level of detail not found in any other contemporary works. This new, revised edition has been fully updated to take account of recent changes in the institution.

In 1999, the military modernization program of the Chinese People's Liberation Army increased in intensity and achieved a focus not seen in the previous two decades. Based primarily on actual Chinese sources, this book details these changes and puts them in the context of the many traditions that still remain.

Written by a retired professional military officer who has served in China, the text uses first-hand observation of the Chinese military and three decades of military experience to weave many disparate threads from official Chinese statements, documents, and media reports into an integrated whole. The author also conducts an in-depth exploration into the many forces that constitute the People's Liberation Army.

This is an essential book for all students of Chinese military and security affairs, and highly recommended for students of Chinese Politics, Asian Security, and International Relations and Strategic Studies, in general.

List Price: $ 39.95 Price: $ 32.75

Art in China (Oxford History of Art)

About the Oxford History of Art Series:

"An impressively challenging and ambitious series intended to rewrite no less than the whole history of art in terms of new ideas and new scholarship."--Christopher White, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

"A welcome introduction to art history for the twenty-first century....The best of the past and future."--Robert Rosenblum, New York University

The last twenty years have witnessed profound changes in art history, the greatest of which stem from the social and cultural perspectives now attached to art scholarship. Written by scholars at the forefront of new thinking, many of whom are rising stars in their fields, theOxford History of Art series offers substantial and innovative texts that clarify, illuminate, and debate the critical issues at the heart of art history today. Providing a fresh new look at art that moves away from traditional elitist approaches, the series makes use of new research and methodologies, as well as newly accessible and non-canonical works to offer comprehensive coverage of the art world from archaic and classical Greek art to twentieth-century design and photography, from the artistry of African-American and Native North Americans to the masterpieces of Europe, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Lavishly illustrated and superbly designed, the Oxford History of Art brings new substance and verve to the exciting and ubiquitous world of art.

China boasts a history of art spanning 5,000 years and embracing a wide diversity of images and objects--from jade tablets, painted silk handscrolls and fans to ink and lacquer painting, porcelain-ware, sculpture, and calligraphy. But this rich tradition has not, until now, been fully appreciated in the West where scholars have focused their attention on sculpture, while largely ignoring those art forms most highly prized by the Chinese themselves, such as calligraphy. Now, in Art in China, Craig Clunas marks a breakt! hrough i n the study of the subject. Taking into account all the arts practiced in China, and drawing on recent innovative scholarship, this rich text examines the production and consumption of art in its appropriate contexts. From art found in tombs to the state-controlled art of the Mao Zedong era, Art in China offers a novel look and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Chinese art.

List Price: $ 27.95 Price: $ 7.47

Peranakan Chinese Porcelain: Vibrant Festive Ware of the Straits Chinese (No)

Exuberant, ornate and colorful, Straits Chinese porcelain is a variety of polychrome enameled export ware made to specification in China during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This lovely porcelain was made for the Straits-born Chinese or Peranakan communities in Penang, Malacca and Singapore and was used on festive occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and Chinese New Year.

Peranakan Chinese Porcelain is illustrated with over 800 full-color photographs of these distinctive porcelain types. Supported by text and photographs on many related aspects of the characteristic Straits Chinese culture, such as architecture, dress and cuisine, Peranakan Chinese Porcelain is a wonderful contribution to the history of the Straits Chinese.

List Price: $ 65.00 Price: $ 30.06

Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art

"Written by one of the most important advocates and theorists of contemporary Chinese art, Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art traces the historical roots of contemporary Chinese art and interprets some of the most important events that shaped it over the past three decades. Making serious theoretical claims based on firsthand observations, this book sheds light not only on the unique characteristics of recent Chinese art but also on the growing complexity of contemporary art in general." Wu Hung , Harrie A. Vanderstappen Distinguished Service Professor of Art History and East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and Director, Center for the Art of East Asia, University of Chicago

List Price: $ 39.95 Price: $ 26.33

Chinese Calligraphy (The Culture & Civilization of China)

Chinese calligraphy, with its artistic as well as utilitarian values, has been treasured for its formal beauty for more than three millennia. This lavishly illustrated book brings to English language readers for the first time a full account of calligraphy in China, including its history, theory, and importance in Chinese culture. Representing an unprecedented collaboration among leading Chinese and Western specialists, the book provides a definitive and up-to-date overview of the visual art form most revered in China.

The book begins with the premise that the history of Chinese script writing represents the core development of the history of Chinese culture and civilization. Tracing the development of calligraphic criticism from the second century to the twenty-first, the fourteen contributors to the volume offer a well-balanced and readable account of this tradition. With more than 600 illustrations, including examples of extremely rare Chinese calligraphy from all over the world, and an informative prologue by Wen C. Fong, this book will make a welcome addition to the library of every Western reader interested in China and its premiere art form.

(20081221)

List Price: $ 75.00 Price: $ 47.45

In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix

The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.

List Price: $ 0.99 Price: $ 0.99

BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint

• Vintage
• China
• Red / Gold
• 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high

Chinese painted fancy food basket with carved images of bats of happiness and deer on lid and other Chinese symbols on the bottom rim. Reed handles and red lacquered finish.

Price:

Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set

• Great starter set
• 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
• Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
• Size: 8.5" x 6"
• Made in China

Chinese character writing is a highly evolved discipline that relies as much on artistic craftsmanship, as it does on literary composition. Our basic writing set comes with two brushes, a black ink stick, ink stone and red ink for the "chop" or signature stamp. The ink is made by gently rubbing the ink stick in a small pool of water in the ink stone. This ancient method allows for very little waste. The same bushes and inks may be used both for writing and painting, as the two art forms are so closely linked. Our writing set comes from Shanghai, the literary capital of China. Also available on Amazon from REORIENT, is the traditional rice paper used for painting and writing.

List Price: $ 14.94 Price: $ 14.94