Curator of Asian Art and Chief Curator at Cornell University's Johnson Art Museum Ellen Avril presented "Cherishing the Past: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy from the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art" on Sept. 17 in the Emerson Gallery. The talk was the first of three scheduled in conjunction with a trio of related exhibitions of Chinese art currently on view.
This talk focused on seven pieces from the Cornell collection representing four centuries of Ming and Qing calligraphy and painting. The images - Buddhist subject matter, an intimate view of nature, calligraphy of the scholar-gentleman and landscapes - were popular at the time.
Avril explained that these examples represent the methods and approaches that comprise traditional Chinese art of two divergent schools, that of professional artists and that of the literati or amateur scholar-officials. She went on to show how to look for the meaning in the work of the literati which is characterized by a subtle and nuanced aesthetic.
The three exhibitions considered together present a conversation about current trends in Chinese art, globalization and artistic identity, and definitions of traditional and contemporary culture. On Saturday, October 4, at 3:00 p.m. Associate Professor of Art History Stephen Goldberg will present "Dislocating the Center: Contemporary Chinese Art Beyond National Borders." Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs of Skidmore's Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery Ian Berry will present "Ai Weiwei: Fairytale" on November 1 at 3 p.m. Berry is also consulting director of the Emerson Gallery. Both talks take place in the Emerson Gallery and are free and open to the public.
This talk focused on seven pieces from the Cornell collection representing four centuries of Ming and Qing calligraphy and painting. The images - Buddhist subject matter, an intimate view of nature, calligraphy of the scholar-gentleman and landscapes - were popular at the time.
Avril explained that these examples represent the methods and approaches that comprise traditional Chinese art of two divergent schools, that of professional artists and that of the literati or amateur scholar-officials. She went on to show how to look for the meaning in the work of the literati which is characterized by a subtle and nuanced aesthetic.
The three exhibitions considered together present a conversation about current trends in Chinese art, globalization and artistic identity, and definitions of traditional and contemporary culture. On Saturday, October 4, at 3:00 p.m. Associate Professor of Art History Stephen Goldberg will present "Dislocating the Center: Contemporary Chinese Art Beyond National Borders." Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs of Skidmore's Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery Ian Berry will present "Ai Weiwei: Fairytale" on November 1 at 3 p.m. Berry is also consulting director of the Emerson Gallery. Both talks take place in the Emerson Gallery and are free and open to the public.
