The Upright Brush: Yan Zhenqing's Calligraphy and Song Literati Politics Contributor(s): McNair, Amy (Author) |
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ISBN: 0824820029 ISBN-13: 9780824820022 Publisher: University of Hawaii Press OUR PRICE: $28.50 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 1998 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Artists, Architects, Photographers - Art | Techniques - Calligraphy - Art | Asian - General |
Dewey: 745.619 |
LCCN: 97039661 |
Physical Information: 0.62" H x 7.07" W x 9.98" (0.86 lbs) 198 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453) - Cultural Region - Chinese - Ethnic Orientation - Chinese - Religious Orientation - Buddhist - Religious Orientation - Taoism |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: In the history of Chinese calligraphy, few are more famous than the eighth-century statesman Yan Zhenqing (709-785). His style is still taught today as a standard, and Chinese bookstores the world over stock inexpensive reproductions of his works for sale as copybooks. Yet Yan's style cannot be called conventionally attractive. Correct, severe, serious, forceful are terms habitually applied to describe his writing--rarely has his calligraphy been called graceful or beautiful. How, then, did Yan earn such an eminent place in the history of art? In The Upright Brush, Amy McNair argues for the political rather than purely aesthetic basis for Yan Zhenqing's artistic reputation. She shows how his prominent position was made for him in the eleventh century by a handful of influential men who sought to advance their own position by associating themselves with Yan's reputation for uprightness. Equating style with personality, they adopted Yan's calligraphic style as a way to clothe themselves in his persona. Sophisticated, informed, and intelligent, The Upright Brush illuminates an episode (one of many) in the history of Chinese culture where the creative reinterpretation of the past was used for contemporary political means. It will be eagerly welcomed by all scholars of Chinese culture and history, as well as by those interested in the making and reading of art. |
Contributor Bio(s): McNair, Amy: - Amy McNair is professor of Chinese Art at the University of Kansas. Her previous publications include Donors of Longmen: Faith, Politics, and Patronage in Medieval Chinese Buddhist Sculpture. |