Three Perfections: Chinese Paintings, Poetry, and Calligraphy FROM THE PUBLISHER
What do the Chinese write on their paintings? Why do they write on them? In this newly revised volume -- now illustrated in color -- Michael Sullivan provides a lucid and engaging analysis of the intimate relationships among painting, poetry, and calligraphy in Chinese culture.
As early as the ninth century, art historians recognized that in China "writing and painting have different names but a common body." The fundamental unity of writing and painting is shown to be an ancient, though still valid, concept in China. The evolution of this basic idea is traced through the ages and its survival documented to the present. Twenty-six luminous reproductions of celebrated works of art illustrate key aspects of this union of literature and the visual arts.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
This book was published in its orginal form by Thames and Hudson (1974), reprinted in 1980 by George Braziller, and is here presented with revisions. The author (emeritus, St. Catherine's College) is an expert on Oriental Art. He investigates what, and why, the Chinese write on their paintings, analyzing the sources of this custom in Chinese culture. The volume includes 26 reproductions of works of art illustrating key concepts. Paper edition (unseen), $17.50. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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