Chinese Art A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery [Paperback]

With over 630 striking color photos and illustrations, this Chinese art guide focuses on the rich tapestry of symbolism which makes up the basis of traditional Chinese art.

Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imageryincludes detailed commentary and historical background information for the images that continuously reappear in the arts of China, including specific plants and animals, divine beings, mortals and inanimate objects. The book thoroughly illuminates the origins, common usages and diverse applications of popular Chinese symbols in a tone that is both engaging and authoritative.

Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imageryis an essential reference for collectors, museum-goers, guides, students and anyone else with a serious interest in the culture and history of China. This splendid, descriptive guide to the motifs and imagery of Chinese art will be valuable to scholars and students of all things visually Chinese. —Choice An ideal keepsake for collectors and art lovers,Chinese Artexplores the meanings behind the plethora of common motifs and symbols found in all sorts of Chinese art. —The NationPatricia Bjaaland Welch, MA, is a former lecturer in Chinese philosophy and art at Boston University and has been a docent for over two decades in prominent museums in Boston, Bangkok, and Singapore. She has written several in-house training manuals for docents and is passionate about bringing people into museums and helping them to appreciate what they are seeing. She is a frequent lecturer on subjects relating to Chinese art and history. An avid collector and researcher, she is also the author of five published works, includingChinese New Year. She currently lives in Singapore. An intelligent yet friendly text by an extremely well-informed and generous author and the result is a book which will be a valued addition to the libraries of all who are interested il“Æ