Brilliant Strokes Chinese Paintings from the Mactaggart Art Collection

Tour this breathtaking full-colour collection representing 500 years of Chinese painting techniques and methods.

BACK COVER Baimiao (plain drawing), shuanggou (double outlines), gongbi (meticulous drawing), xieyi (jotting down ideas), and mogu (boneless, such as images rendered in washes with no contours), are just some of the painting techniques used by Chinese artists. This book accompanies the landmark exhibition, Brilliant Strokes: Chinese Paintings from the Mactaggart Art Collection, created and exhibited by the University of Alberta Museums. The paintings span a period of five hundred years—from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. Brilliant Strokes is the product of initial research conducted on a small fraction of the Chinese paintings in the Mactaggart Art Collection at the University of Alberta. Art enthusiasts and readers intrigued by Asian art are invited to linger among the lush images portrayed in these pages. FRONT FLAP “In addition to appreciating the artistic skills of these painters, we may learn something about their aspirations, emotions, and inner visions through these works.” —Ka Bo Tsang, from the Introduction “As the new owners of these important works of art held in public trust, the University of Alberta will ensure that gatherings of scholars continue to take place so that new research, interpretations, and comments can add to the body of knowledge on Chinese painting. Brilliant Strokes is our modern-day version of these gatherings and provides an excellent introduction to the paintings in the Mactaggart Art Collection.” —Janine Andrews, Executive Director, University of Alberta Museums from the Foreword BACK FLAP Ka Bo Tsang is curator of Chinese Painting at the Royal Ontario Museum. Exhibitions she has curated include: More than Keeping Cool: Chinese Fans and Fan Paintings (2001–2002), Touched by Indigo: Chinese Blue-and-White Textiles and Embroidery (2004–2005), Heaven or Hell: Images of Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Deities and Immortals (2006–2007), and Trade Winds: Chinese Export Wares from the 8th to 20th Centuries. Dr. Tsang has published internationally on symbolism in Chinese art and on her research into the Royal Ontario Museum’s collections.