Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery

Description

Chinese Art is a guide to the meanings behind the hundreds of common motifs and symbols found in all forms of Chinese art. A thorough examination of the diverse usage of natural symbols, colors, numbers, inanimate items and personages, Chinese Art communicates the deeper messages to be found in Chinese decorative art. It is an excellent reference for collectors, museum-goers and students of Chinese art, culture and history.

Patricia Bjaaland Welch, MA, is a former lecturer in Chinese philosophy and art at Boston University and has been a docent for over two decades in prominent museums in Boston, Bangkok, and Singapore. She has written several in-house training manuals for docents and is passionate about bringing people into museums and helping them to appreciate what they are seeing. She is a frequent lecturer on subjects relating to Chinese art and history. An avid collector and researcher, she is also the author of five published works, including Chinese New Year. She currently lives in Singapore.

"This splendid, descriptive guide to the motifs and imagery of Chinese art will be valuable to scholars and students of all things visually Chinese." --Choice "An intelligent yet friendly text by an extremely well-informed and generous author and the result is a book which will be a valued addition to the libraries of all who are interested in Chinese art." --Arts of Asia "An ideal keepsake for collectors and art lovers, Chinese Art explores the meanings behind the plethora of common motifs and symbols found in all sorts of Chinese art." --The Nation