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Issues of Authenticity in Chinese Painting
Leading scholars present dissenting opinions to theories expressed in "Along the Riverbank and examine the methods by which Chinese painting is analyzed and interpreted.
317 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 1999
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March 14, 2025
Chang Dai-Cheng (Zhang Daqian), who was arguably the greatest Chinese painter to come along in centuries. Before his death in the early 1980’s, Chang had painted countless masterpieces, was known as the Chinese Picasso, was a renown seal carver and poet—not to mention one of the most successful art forgers in modern history! About twenty-five years ago, there was a symposium at the MET devoted to a possible Chang-forgery that had infiltrated their own collection! The famous Riverbank —attributed to Dong Yuan.
In China, to copy the work of the Old Masters is not considered a strictly criminal activity as it would be by the curators at the MET. In an article from 1999 in the NYTimes, Holland Cutter writes that,
Authenticity means different things in different cultures. In Western art, the original -- the unique object, the genius creator -- is everything. And a conceptual, even legal understanding of the distinctions between the original and a copy, and a copy and a forgery, is clear cut. In Chinese painting, by contrast, tradition predominates over individuality (though that is also prized). And the concept of authenticity, of what constitutes the genuine article, is more nuanced.
And:
As a medium, ink-and-brush painting on silk or paper is evanescent, and relatively few early examples survive. As a result, Chinese artists, in what amounts to a kind of centuries-long collective archiving process, have copied and recopied revered works, and many of these copies have come to be regarded as masterpieces in themselves.
This reminds me of the Shrine at Ise, a kind of Ship of Theseus, where identity remains even if the original object is lost.
++
This book is a masterclass in connoisseurship and Chinese art history. Highly recommend it! I especially loved the way the academics referenced the others in their essays, tackling their assertions head-on--like a trial. If only I could have been a fly on the wall during the symposium.
In China, to copy the work of the Old Masters is not considered a strictly criminal activity as it would be by the curators at the MET. In an article from 1999 in the NYTimes, Holland Cutter writes that,
Authenticity means different things in different cultures. In Western art, the original -- the unique object, the genius creator -- is everything. And a conceptual, even legal understanding of the distinctions between the original and a copy, and a copy and a forgery, is clear cut. In Chinese painting, by contrast, tradition predominates over individuality (though that is also prized). And the concept of authenticity, of what constitutes the genuine article, is more nuanced.
And:
As a medium, ink-and-brush painting on silk or paper is evanescent, and relatively few early examples survive. As a result, Chinese artists, in what amounts to a kind of centuries-long collective archiving process, have copied and recopied revered works, and many of these copies have come to be regarded as masterpieces in themselves.
This reminds me of the Shrine at Ise, a kind of Ship of Theseus, where identity remains even if the original object is lost.
++
This book is a masterclass in connoisseurship and Chinese art history. Highly recommend it! I especially loved the way the academics referenced the others in their essays, tackling their assertions head-on--like a trial. If only I could have been a fly on the wall during the symposium.
Displaying 1 of 1 review