There He Is
Man in a House beneath a Cliff by Shitao.
I love how abstract this is yet, the scene is perfectly straightforward when you stop and look at it.
Another Look
Landscape: A Man Looking at a Waterfall, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian.
The first time someone told me to look at Chinese paintings up and down instead of across, it made seeing the whole image so much easier.
Preferring Art to War
Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk Emperor Huizong, 11th cantury, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Emperor Huizong is the one of the most famous of the Song Dynasty emperors. He followed the Taoist religion and was known to be a fine artist, poet, and writer who surrounded himself with others who shared his interests. His interests in things artistic led to his downfall when his army, such as it was, was easily overtaken and he was replaced as emperor by the Jin forces.
World Economy
Welcome the World Famous Brand Name by The Luo Brothers, 1993-94.
The Luo Brothers draw their inspirations from the modern world and Chinese propaganda images and combine the two to make statements about China's "modernization" and all that it entails.
Influence from Afar
Chinese Wallpaper design, 18th century, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Chinese produced wallpapers that were made for export, primarily to Europe in the 18th century as part of the movement known as Chinoiserie, in which Chinese porcelains, and in this case wallpaper, were collected and displayed. They were beautiful objects in themselves, but also prized because they were expensive and difficult to obtain.