Chinese Art

World of Art

by Mary Tregear

At a time when interest in China has never been greater, this revised edition of Mary Tregear's survey of the Chinese visual arts should be welcomed by art lovers, students and travellers alike. Generously illustrated and readable, it covers not only bronzes, jades, calligraphy and painting, but also Buddhist sculpture, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, lacquer, garden design and architecture. For the revised edition, all Chinese names, places, and terms have been romanized to current international usage. Throughout, information has been updated in view of recent finds, and the book contains new illustrations, a revised introduction and a new final chapter on 20th-century art. A chronology of Chinese historical periods is included, together with six maps.

Genres: Art, China, Art History, History, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 review, this nice, compact, if sorely lacking little art history of the oldest civilization on the planet suffices nicely in certain respects. The narrative moves back and forth between painting and ceramics, with all-too-brief bits on architecture and other plastic arts. Moreover, the focus is definitely on the arcane periods, with the last three centuries wrapped up in a few very brief chapters. That's the books flaw. For all its great discussion of classical Chinese artists and their works, with a profundity of plates, modern art gets the bamboo shaft. Despite that gripe, it is otherwise a fine work.

[Olivio Sarikas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice book to read. Lots of interesting details about chinese visual arts and their history. At some moments you wish there would be a bit more visualization, like a timeline or more often showing maps to give you a better idea where things are happening and which regions these art genres occupied in their time. But it's a fun read

[vuhumên · Rating 4 out of 5]

هنر چینی به گمانی کهن‌ترین رسم باقی‌مانده در جهان است و با پیوستگی عجیبی در طول تاریخ حفظ شده و بر خلاف غرب که ظهور و افول مکتب‌های کلاسیک را تجربه کرد، دستخوش تغییرات گاه به گاه و بنیادین نشد.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty good brief history for a nation with such deep, ancient roots. I wish it couldn't have longer and a little less pedantic. I also wish books like this kept images in line with the text so the reader doesn't have to flip pages to remember what the author is referencing.

[sam howie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While now becoming dated and missing any genuine insight to the contemporary movements, it is nonetheless still a great introductory text to Chinese art history.

[Neil Crowle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reasonably comprehensive study of the topic, although being brief it couldn't do justice to everything. It is a great introduction if you are looking for some basic information.

[michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

i returned this to the library halfway thru reading and it was kinda boring so idk

[Fateme Keykha · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب مفیدی بود و یه نمای کلی از هنر چین دستم داد. ترجمه خوب و قابل‌فهمی هم داشت. فقط کاش تمام تصاویر رنگی بودن.

[ReadingWithMoses · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't anticipate this work going into a great bit of detail considering its short length, so I wasn't too disappointed with it. This book is a decent introduction to the concepts written.

[Cherry Lemonade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that covers everything considered art in China, including Neolithic pottery. I had the good fortune of using this as a textbook while I took Asian Art. Easy to read and understand for artists, art history lovers, and history buffs. You won't regret picking up this book. The book is nicely laid out and flows in chronological order with amazing pictures!

[Mafi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boa leitura para quem nao sabe mto sobre a Arte Chinesa. :)

[Tammi Owens]

FALSE

[Lian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful book on Chinese art complete with photographs that work well and help to explain the finer points on of the fantastic descriptions on the Chinese artistic period styles.