THE ART OF CALIGRAPHY IN MODERN CHINA

Barrass, Gordon S.

ISBN 10: 0520234510 / ISBN 13: 9780520234512

Published by University of California Press, 2002

About this Item

288pp. Oversize hardback with DJ, VG, index, b&w and color photos and illustrations, interviews, The art of caligraphy in modern China, is a defining feature of Chinese culture, both a means of communication and form of art,

Seller Inventory # w120111955

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE ART OF CALIGRAPHY IN MODERN CHINA
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520234510
• ISBN 13: 9780520234512
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Art
  • China

About this title

Synopsis

Calligraphy is a defining feature of Chinese culture, both a means of communication and a revered form of art. It has changed more dramatically during the half century since Mao Zedong established the People's Republic in 1949 than over the preceding fifteen hundred years. At first the traditional art of calligraphy was transformed into an instrument of political power and protest, wielded on an unprecedented scale. Over the past three decades it has emerged as a more visually exciting modern genre, one that offers fascinating insights into the people of modern China.

For The Art of Calligraphy in Modern China, Gordon S. Barrass interviewed many prominent calligraphers. He focuses on twenty-five individuals who have been key figures in this process and who exemplify its main trends, from the grand tradition to the avant-garde. Lavishly illustrated, this sumptuous book charts the development of these calligraphers and makes their distinctive voices accessible to Western readers for the first time.

About the Author

Gordon S. Barrass served in the British Embassy in Beijing from 1970 to 1972 and then at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, where he spent the next two years developing Sino-British cultural exchanges. He continued to be involved with Sino-British relations over the next twenty years. During the past decade he has made more than fifty visits to China, giving him the opportunity to continue his research and collecting of modern Chinese calligraphy.