East Asian Art & Architecture: Background Information

Includes biographical entries.

A cross-cultural perspective on the art of Japan, China and Korea, focusing on the use of materials. The introductory discussion on the three cultures is followed by an investigation of a range of different materials, their function and style, and the decorative and manufacturing techniques applied to them. The chapters include silk, paper, lacquer, wood, stone (jade, soapstone, etc.), ivory, metalware, porcelain, stoneware and earthenware.

This book deals collectively with the history of modern art in Asia, with an introduction on cross-disciplinary issues, and essays on China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines.

Chinese Art is a guide to the meanings behind the hundreds of common motifs and symbols found in all forms of Chinese art.

The book explains essential cultural symbols and also contains many articles on Chinese beliefs, customs, arts and crafts, food, agriculture, and medicine.

This work catalogues hundreds of symbols in Chinese artistry, and describes each of their meanings.

Unlike the majority of books that examine Korean art from broad, sweeping perspectives, Korean Patterns is a closer look at traditional patterns on the Korean peninsula over the centuries. Specifically, Korean patterns and their use in classic food, clothing and shelter are examined in this watershed design resource book, the perfect addition to your artistic library.

With more than 200 colour plates, and for the first time available as a study in English, this volume explores the vast heritage of Korean ink brush painting, providing a rich panorama of information that stretches across the entire spectrum of Korean art - including painting, pottery, calligraphy and literature, which will have wide appeal, not least to art lovers and students of Korean Studies.

Beginning with a brief but insightful explanation of the development of symbols throughout Japanese history, the book looks at thematic motifs encountered in both the classical fine arts and the applied arts. Nearly every symbol is illustrated with fine examples of art and design from major public and private collections, offering the reader a wealth of visual information to enrich the expert commentary on each subject.

Discusses the mythology of Japan, its origins in Shintoism and Buddhism, and the gods, spirits, men, and animals that appear in the many legends and stories.

With essays by Monica Bethe, Mary M Dusenbury, Shih-shan Susan Huang, Ikumi Kaminishi, Guolong Lai, Richard Laursen, Liu Jian and Zhao Feng, Chika Mouri, Park Ah-rim, Hillary Pedersen, Lisa Shekede and Su Bomin, Sim Yeon-ok and Lee Seonyong, Tanaka Yoko, and Zhao Feng and Long Bo Color was a critical element in East Asian life and thought, but its importance has been largely overlooked in Western scholarship.