History, Culture, Art

《伟大的中国绘画 图解传世珍品及其背后的故事》冯翰林
The 74 Great Chinese Paintings by Hanlin FENG

Introduction:
This book selects nearly 74 fine works of Chinese painting and calligraphy, appreciating the journey from the silk-spitting of spring silkworms during the Wei-Jin period to the grand stone and metal charm of the late Qing dynasty. It opens a proper way to appreciate great paintings through vivid and pleasing illustrations, with an extensive fold-out page presenting the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” and “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains”, allowing you to grasp the overall view while understanding the details. When facing an ancient painting, we inevitably ask questions: Who painted it? When was it painted? What is depicted? Who was it painted for? Why was it painted that way? The answers to these questions are actually embedded in the painting. The information content of ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy is vast, worthy of being called a “silent poem”. When closely studying calligraphy and painting works and understanding every detail, the answers naturally come to light.
This book is arranged in chronological order, inviting readers to follow the author’s explanation route to discover the hidden details within the works and construct the context of Chinese art history from the paintings.
The book avoids lengthy historical material accumulation and analysis, instead opting for a lively and engaging visual explanation of the correct way to appreciate 74 timeless works. It carefully “slices” the long painting scrolls for detailed explanation, not missing any important detail, and guides readers to “read” the works from both macro and micro perspectives. The selected paintings in the book are mostly reliable works that have been passed down in an orderly manner in art history, representing the distinctive painting styles of various eras. It is especially noteworthy that some of the “Tang copies” and “Song copies” in the book not only preserve the rough appearance of ancient works but also leave behind the understanding of earlier works by people from the Tang and Song dynasties, reflecting the artistic characteristics and research value of those eras.
This book not only presents the original works as completely as possible and marks the details that readers should pay attention to with “numbered slices” but also analyzes the paintings themselves and expands on the life of the painter, historical background, stories behind the artworks, and information about the collection locations, making it very suitable for fragmented reading. The book also features a nearly 3-meter, 12-fold extended page that fully presents “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” and “Along the River During the Qingming Festival”, allowing readers to easily grasp the overall view while understanding the intricacies.
About the Author：
Hanlin FENG, a master’s graduate from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, was once a contributor to the catalog of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas, USA, and has published several papers in journals such as ‘Rongbaozhai’.