The Reception of Chinese Art from the Early 17th Century to 1767

The Reception of Chinese Art from the Early 17th Century to 1767

Date: 12 April 2012 (Thursday)
Time: 5:00pm
Venue: Room 2.38, Main Building, HKU

This seminar examines the European reception of Chinese landscape painting as expressed in English language texts. By analyzing how the major early English writings of various kinds described, interpreted, and theorized Chinese landscape painting, I aim to explore the historical pattern of how Europeans understood Chinese landscape painting in the course of cross-cultural interaction in the 17th and the 18th centuries. Examining texts by John Nieuhof (1618-1728), Jean-Baptiste Du Halde (1674-1743), and John Knox (1720-1790), the seminar charts the variety and lineage of European views on Chinese art in the early stages of interaction.

Speaker: Kwok Yin Ning Elaine (PhD Candidate, Department of Fine Arts, HKU)