Description
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.
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"From the Neolithic to the avant-garde, and through all the brilliant centuries in between, Michael Sullivan's newly revised introduction to Chinese art history is unmatched in its clarity, balance, and sure grasp of the subject. Whether for the classroom student or the casual reader, its remarkable range and elegant style make this book a wonderful way for anyone to begin learning about Chinese art." --Jerome Silbergeld, Professor of Art History, University of Washington, and author of Chinese Painting Style"A concise, comprehensive, and highly readable overview of Chinese art extending from its Neolithic roots down to its modern engagement with the West."--Maxwell Hearn, Curator of Chinese Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and author of Splendors of Imperial China"I have used this text in my class for thirty years. With full revisions and additions reflecting recent archaeology and art historical scholarship, the fourth edition will continue to be the best one-volume history of Chinese art in the English language. No other historian of Chinese art today commands such a wide range of knowledge as Michael Sullivan."--Richard Barnhart, John M. Schiff Professor of the History of Art, Yale University, and editor of Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting"This is the most comprehensive study of Chinese art, giving up-to-date information from the Stone Age to the twentieth century. Professor Michael Sullivan is a leading scholar in this field, and this is an indispensable textbook for all students of Asian art history." --Wang Qingli, Professor of Chinese Art History, University of Hong Kong, and author of A History of Nineteenth-Century Chinese Art
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