Contents: Western World; Eastern Asia; The Tope at Sanchi; The Tope at Amravati. Illustrated.

This volume contains a series of six lectures revolving around Chinese art entitled: introduction; bronzes and jades; stones and ceramics; calligraphy and painting; painting; and a short dissertation on the Chinese dynasties. Copiously illustrated.

This volume discusses the history of Indian and Indonesian art, written by the Keeper of Indian and Muhammadan art in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. It is divided into six parts on the following: pre- Maurya; Maurya, Sunga, early Andbra and Scytho-Parthian (Ksatrapa); Kusana, later Andbra and Gupta; early medieval, medieval, Rajput painting and later arts and crafts; Kasmir, Nepal, Tibet, Chinese Turkistan and the Far East; farther India, Indonesia and Ceylon. With 400 illustrations on 128 plates and 9 maps.

No contemporary artist has succeeded so thoroughly in blending classical Chinese art and modern abstract art as Cao Jun, who has exhibited widely in China, as well as at the Louvre. Accompanying an exhibition at the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, this volume presents the art of Cao Jun for the first time in the United States. Featuring the artist's early wild animal paintings, to his landscapes, to recent explorations of space depicted abstractly, the book also showcases Cao Jun's calligraphy and ceramics. Essays by Chinese and American scholars examine Cao Jun's art, showing how it is deeply rooted in the experience of nature and how it portrays our place within nature. The essays demonstrate also the way in which Cao Jun's art brings together classical Chinese painting with modern abstract forms akin to those of Western art. Yet Cao Jun's art foregoes simply fusing these traditions; it employs the techniques of Chinese ink and brush painting and uses ink- and color-splashing to produce abstract forms.

This thought provoking study of the development of architecture, and the impact of architectural models on this evolution, in southeast Asia, draws for its early examples primarily from surviving Hindu-Buddhist monuments in Cambodia and Java. Dumarcay argues that, despite the fact that individual physical locations may merit innovation, new construction nevertheless tends to be constrained by pre-existing architectural models, appropriate to the new situation or otherwise, which are held within the collective conscience of a given culture. This tendency may further be strengthened in the event that an insecure regime seeks to employ architectural monuments to aggrandize its political position. The inappropriate use of models may also occur when architectural styles are transplanted from one culture into another. A break from the models of the past-and thus true innovation-may develop only when a master builder both has sufficient confidence in his own artistic vision and works within a context that allows him the freedom to express this vision.

From the Han Dynasty to the end of the Ming, illustrated in a series of 192 examples, selected and described. The object of this volume is to furnish the collector with a series of representations of some of the finest examples which are known to exist in this country.

For over forty years, Tadashi Suzuki has been a unique and vital force in both Japanese and Western theater, creating and directing many internationally acclaimed productions including his famous production of The Trojan Women, which subsequently toured around the world. An intergral part of his work has been the development and teaching of his rigorous and controversial training system, the Suzuki method, whose principles have also been highly influential in contemporary theater. Paul Allain, an experienced practitioner of the Suzuki method, re-evaluates Suzuki's work, giving a lucid overview of his development towards an international theater aesthetic. He examines Suzuki's collaborators, the importance of architecture and environment in his theater and his impact on performance all over the world. The Art of Stillness is a lively, critical study of one of the most important and uncompromising figures in contemporary world theater.

The catalogue for the groundbreaking exhibition at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, Nomads and Networks presents an unparalleled overview of the sophisticated culture of pastoral nomadic populations who lived on the territory of present-day Kazakhstan from roughly the middle of the first millennium BCE to the early centuries CE. Focusing on material from the Altai and Tianshan regions, Nomads and Networks explores the specific conditions of mobile lifeways that resulted from particular ecological conditions in the steppes and high valleys of Inner Eurasia. Highlights of the exhibition are grave goods from the burial mounds at the site of Berel and gold mortuary ornaments from Shilikty, Zhalauli, and Kargaly. Attesting to a sophisticated decorative art flourishing among these nomadic populations, the objects skillfully combine older iconographic traditions of animal style in the steppe with more recent influences from foreign cultures--most notably Persia and China. Contributors include Nursan Alimbai, Nikolay A. Bokovenko, Claudia Chang, Bryan K. Hanks, Sagynbay Myrgabayev, Karen S. Rubinson, Zainolla S. Samashev, Soren Stark, and Abdesh T. Toleubaev. Cover photograph (c) Bruce M. White, 2016

Statues, paintings, and masks—like the bodies of shamans and spirit mediums—give material form and presence to otherwise invisible entities, and sometimes these objects are understood to be enlivened, agentive on their own terms. This book explores how magical images are expected to work with the shamans and spirit mediums who tend and use them in contemporary South Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bali, and elsewhere in Asia. It considers how such things are fabricated, marketed, cared for, disposed of, and sometimes transformed into art-market commodities and museum artifacts.

Noted for its magnificent architecture and extraordinary history, the Yuanming Yuan is China's most famous imperial garden. The complex was begun in the early 18th century, and construction continued over the next 150 years. Chinese historians, and many Chinese in general, view the garden as the paramount achievement of Chinese architecture and landscape design. This text provides a comprehensive study of the palatial garden complex and a tour of its architecture and history. Wong begins by inspecting the garden's physical appearance and its architectural elements. He discusses the origin and evolution of these structures and the aesthetics of their design and arrangement. He refers throughout to maps and original models of individual buildings and other existing gardens of the Ming-Qing period, including the well-preserved Yihe Yuan and the Chengde Summer Mountain Retreat in Rehe. The book also explores the activities and daily life of the royal household.

Artistic Detachment in Japan and the West takes up the notion of artistic detachment, or psychic distance, as an intercultural motif for East-West comparative aesthetics. The work begins with an overview of aesthetic theory in the West from the eighteenth-century empiricists to contemporary aesthetics and concludes with a survey of various critiques of psychic distance. Throughout, the author takes a highly innovative approach by juxtaposing Western aesthetic theory against Eastern (primarily Japanese) aesthetic theory. Weaving between cultures and time periods, the author focuses on a remarkably wide range of theories: in the West, the Kantian notion of disinterested contemplation, Heidegger's Gelassenheit, semiotics, and pragmatism; in Japan, Zeami's notion of riken no ken, the Kyoto School's intepretation of nothingness, D. T. Suzuki's analysis of the function of no-mind, and the writings of Kuki Shuzo on Buddhist detachment. "Portrait of the artist" fiction by such writers as Henry James, James Joyce, Mori Ogai, and Natsume Soseki demonstrates how the main theme of detachment is expressed in literary traditions. The role of sympathy or pragmatism in relation to disinterest is examined, suggesting conflicts within or challenges to the notion of detachment. Researchers and students in Eastern and Western areas of study, including philosophers and religionists, as well as literary and cultural critics, will deem this work an invaluable contribution to cross-cultural philosophy and literary studies.

This two-volume work, a unique product of scholarship and photography, presents a view of Indian Art that is believed to be most comprehensive ever undertaken. Its text volume approaches the subject in close detail and in a rapidly moving and entertaining form of exposition. While the second volume contains the photographs.

The art of Hinduism constitutes one of the world's great traditions, as alive today as when the first images of Hindu gods were fashioned out of stone more than two thousand years ago. George Michell's invaluable survey looks at the entire period, covering shrines consecrated to Hindu cults as well as works of art that portray Hindu divinities, semidivine personalities, and mythological narratives.

Michell outlines the development of Hinduism and the principal iconic forms of its pantheon (the symbolic basis for Hindu religious architecture), and explains the system of royal patronage that led to the construction of so many temples and the commissioning of their attendant works of art. Then, in a broad chronological sweep, he demonstrates artistic continuities down to the present day in the different regions of the country, confirming the vibrancy of the visual world of Hinduism. The illustrations include Mamallapuram and other great temples, profound and beautiful works of sculpture such as Shiva dancing the eternal dance of creation and destruction, and exquisite paintings of the loves of Krishna.

Showcasing more than thirty ancient bronzes from the exceptional holdings of the Shanghai Museum, this generously illustrated book offers a compelling overview of the beauty of Chinese bronzes and the fascinating traditions surrounding them. These important objects, many of which have never before appeared in an English-language publication, date from the 18th to the 1st century B.C.E. and span numerous dynasties. Highlights of the exhibition include an early thin-wall cast three-legged food vessel (ding) from the Erlitou period, a set of nine bells (bianzhong) from the early Spring and Autumn period, and a beast-shaped wine vessel (he) from the early Warring States period. An accessible essay serves as an introduction to these masterpieces, and sumptuous, newly commissioned photography makes this publication a standout addition to the literature on Asian bronze sculpture. Distributed for the Clark Art Institute Exhibition Schedule: The Clark Art Institute (07/04/14-09/21/14)

This survey, spanning 4000 years, traces the rich visual expression of one of the world's most ancient cultures through the varied arts of India. From the beginnings in the Indus valley, through the masterpieces of Buddhist and Hindu art, to the coming of Islam and the eclectic culture of the Mughal court, the country's artistic history is explored. The author leads the reader through the pantheon of the Hindu gods, the insights of Buddhist mysticism and the complex symbolism of miniature paintings. This revised edition brings the narrative up-to-date, exploring the contribution of 20th-century artists and incorporates a glossary and timeline.

At a time when interest in China has never been greater, this revised edition of Mary Tregear's authoritative survey of the Chinese visual arts will be welcomed by art lovers, students and travellers alike. Generously illustrated and eminently readable, it covers not only bronzes, jades, calligraphy and painting, but also Buddhist sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metalwork, 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 twentieth-century art. An invaluable chronology of Chinese historical periods is included, together with six maps.

This sumptuous book celebrates Eastern elegance as a decorative style and illustrates how it can be achieved in both the East and the West, from the refined craftsmanship of Thai textiles and ceramics to traditional statuary from Burma and the minimalist perfection of a Japanese apartment. Much of "In the Oriental Style" is devoted to innovative Western interiors which draw their inspiration from Oriental design and objects. In this title, a wealth of individual pieces antiques, ornamental screens, lacquerware, basketry and furniture is illustrated and described, showing the enormous variety in decoration that even the simplest objects can bring to a Western home or garden.

For hundreds of years the Bactrian camel ploughed a lonely furrow across the vast wilderness of Asia. This bizarre-looking, temperamental yet hardy creature here came into its own as the core goods vehicle, resolutely and reliably transporting to China - over huge and unforgiving distances - fine things from the West while taking treasures out of the Middle Kingdom in return. Where the chariot, wagon and other wheeled conveyances proved useless amidst the shifting desert dunes, the surefooted progress of the camel - archetypal 'ship of the Silk Road' - now reigned supreme. The Bactrian camel was a subject that appealed particularly to Chinese artists because of its association with the exotic trade to mysterious Western lands. In his lavishly illustrated volume, Angus Forsyth explores diverse jade pieces depicting this iconic beast of burden. Almost one hundred separate objects are included, many of which have not been seen in print before. At the same time the author offers the full historical background to his subject. The book will have a strong appeal to collectors and art historians alike.

Buddhism is the single common thread uniting the Asian world, from India to South-East Asia an through Central Asia to China, Korea and Japan. To guide and inspire believers, innumerable symbols and images were made, beginning in India in the third century BC. This phenomenally diverse tradition includes not only frescoes, relief carvings, colossal statues, silk embroideries and bronze ritual objects but also rock-cut shrines with a thousand Buddhas, the glorious stupas of South-East Asia and the pagodas of the far East, the massive 'mandala in stone' of Borobudur in Java and entire thirteenth-century temple complexes at Angkor in Cambodia. Robert E. Fisher concisely describes all the Buddhist schools and cultures, and explains their imagery, from Tibetan cosmic diagrams and Korean folk art to early Sri Lankan sites and Japanese Zen gardens.