Asian Art in the Art Institute of Chicago - Hardcover

Elinor L. Pearlstein; James T. Ulak

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810919168 ISBN 13: 9780810919167

Publisher: The Art Institute of Chicago Publications Dept, 1993

Synopsis

For more than seventy years, The Art Institute of Chicago has stewarded one of the most remarkable assemblages of East Asian art in the United States. Renowned collections of ancient Chinese bronzes and jades, Japanese woodblock prints and early Buddhist paintings, and Chinese and Korean ceramics all contain masterpieces that exemplify the peak of these venerable, sophisticated art forms. Scroll and screen paintings, stone sculpture, and metal-work illuminate other facets of the cultures of China, Korea, and Japan.
In offering some eighty works of art to serve as a centerpiece of this outstanding collection, this volume focuses on brilliant points within a vast and varied cultural landscape. The authors follow routes of inquiry suggested by areas of particular depth or by single works of eminent quality.
A clay armored-guardian figure reveals the luxury of the tombs of Tang-dynasty aristocrats; a host of devotional images convey a range of religious expression, from the divine compassion and worldly elegance of Chinese Buddhist sculptures to the stern intensity in the painted visages of Japanese Zen patriarchs; and woodblock prints by revered Japanese masters provide glimpses into the tea houses and theaters of the Yoshiwara - the pleasure district of old Edo - celebrating its most popular actors and esteemed beauties.
In elucidating the contexts and aesthetic qualities of these works, the authors relate recent discoveries, retell ancient stories, and help us to see objects of enduring beauty from fresh perspectives.

About this title

From Library Journal:

A round of applause is due Robert Hashimoto and the photography staff of the Art Institute of Chicago for lifting the quality of the images in this book far above the level usually dismissed as sumptuous. Painstaking attention to clarity of focus and lighting are combined with novel point of view and supplementary detail shots to give the 80 objects from China, Japan, and Korea a sense of life that lifts them off the page. Particularly noteworthy are pictures of ceramics and sculpture that elsewhere are often flattened by poor lighting and shallow depth of field. Although 12 short essays offer some insight into the specific objects pictured, the book is neither a text on Asian art nor a comprehensive catalog of the Art Institute's holdings but a vivid view of a disparate group of masterpieces. Recommended for libraries with strong Asian art collections.
- David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Art Institute of Chicago Publications Dept
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0810919168
• ISBN 13: 9780810919167
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 152
• Editor: Peter Junker