This course will provide an overview of the developments in the visual arts in China from the 19th century to the present day, and will relate them to broader changes in Chinese politics and society. It will look at the ways in which the physical materiality of objects, as well as the social roles of its makers and audiences, changed over this period. A broad range of visual objects will be covered in this course including paintings in different formats and mediums, architecture, graphics and photography. Our fundamental concern will be to examine art’s role in the rapidly changing world of modern China.