The Art Of East Asia

For centuries, the art and culture of China and Japan have exerted a particular fascination on the West. Items from Imperial China once filled the porcelain cabinets of European courts, and Japanese painting and woodcarving made their way to Europe in the nineteenth century. The impressive illustrations in this volume present the reader with the unique wealth of art forms in China and Japan, forms which have also exerted tremendous influence on Western art: artful ceramics, woodcarvings, small sculptures and bronzes, porcelains and ink drawings from China; and from Japan, temple districts, imperial villas and Zen gardens, ukiyo paintings of the Edo period, the famed No masques, as well as precious textiles and costumes. These are only a few of the many aspects selected by the authors to convey the wealth and unbelievable variety of artistic forms of East Asia. An illustrated glossary and extensive bibliography complete the book.

Gabriele Fahr-Becker studied art history, archeology and philosophy. After completing her dissertation on art nouveau (1970), she increasingly concentrated on the art of East and Southeast Asia. She has organized expeditions and published on these areas since 1987. The editor has made numerous journeys to and within Japan, China and Southeast Asia.