Yani: The brush of innocence

One of the prodigies of the contemporary art world, Wang Yani had produced 4000 paintings by the age of 6 and now aged 14 has been exhibited in China, Japan, West Germany and the USA. This illustrated volume introduces the reader to every aspect of the remarkable young artist and her work.

This is a catalog of an exhibition, organized by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, of the work of child prodigy Wang Yani, a 14-year-old Chinese girl who began painting at age three and by age four had mastered the skills and themes of traditional Chinese painting. The catalog, which displays work she did from age three to age 12, offers four essays, all excellent and all with helpful notes and references. Most enlightening are the first by Wai-Ching Ho, which details Yani's life and work, and the last by Lynn T. Goldsmith and David H. Feldman, which compares her with other child prodigies in art, most notably Klee and Picasso, and discusses the importance not only of innate ability but of nurture and cultural milieu to the gifted child's artistic development. Enhanced by 77 color plates, this inspiring book will please a wide variety of readers, and, given the very reasonable price, most libraries should acquire it.
- Patricia R. Hausman, Coll. of William and Mary Lib., Williamsburg, Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.