CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY
-Best Reference Book on Connoisseurship and Valuation
Wei Yang’s Guide to Chinese Painting and Calligraphy (2 volumes, Nankai University Press, 2022) is now the standard reference for the appreciation and appraisal of Chinese painting and calligraphy prior to 1911. Focusing on connoisseurship, art criticism, valuation criteria and market trends, it discusses issues fundamental to the identification, dating, ranking and authenticity of classical Chinese fine art. It provides original, workable guidelines for valuing classical Chinese painting and calligraphy. General topics include medium, format, painting techniques, classical scripts, inscriptions, seals and market trends. Most of the book covers biographies and artistic analysis, in chronological format, of 293 leading painters and their representative paintings. For each artist, the author explains their style, subject matter and evolution over time, as well as market appreciation and recent sales results.
Overall, this guide aims to remove the mystery from understanding and appraising classical Chinese painting and calligraphy and to guide the reader through a comprehensible system of professional judgment.
The only reference book you need if you wish to:
1) develop a competent expertise in classical Chinese painting and calligraphy by following a guided, systematic study of Chinese art history
2) learn Chinese art traditions, visual aesthetics, craftsmanship, connoisseurship and the Chinese evaluation criteria from the perspective of a trained Chinese art historian
3) understanding the Chinese art criticism and master the qualitative ranking criterion essential in the appraisal of classical Chinese fine arts
4) find immediate references or information on important Chinese painters of different dynasties, such as biography, artistic affiliation, important works, signature and seal styles, forgery issues and market desirability.
Topics introduced in the book may not answer every question you have concerning a credible evaluation of a classcial Chinese painting and calligraphy, they will certainly form a solid foundation for advancing your expertise, sharpening your newly minted unique skills in the appraisal of modern and contemporary Chinese painting and calligrapny or serving as an effective Chinese art expert witness for litigation
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MEMOIR
-It takes a village to raise a child
Wei Yang’s memoir (in Chinese), Desert Bloom (Shazaohua de gushi) 沙棗花的故事 (Beijing Publishing House, 2021), is a heart-warming testament to the amazing people who made possible her journey from the difficulties of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) to a career in China, education abroad, and new achievements in the United States. Like others, Wei Yang faced many challenges, beginning with failure in the college entrance exam when she was 16. But owing to the love and support of others, she built a career in art education in China, earned degrees and honors abroad, worked in academia, and founded a successful art appraisal practice in America.
This book solutes to the old African proverb: "It takes a village to raise a child." It offers beautifully-drawn vignettes of family devotion, kindness of friends and support from mentors—in many walks of life and from many cultures.
Being grateful is beautiful.
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ARTICLE: FIVE MISTAKES
-"Five Mistakes in Appraising Premodern Chinese Paintings," ARM E-Journal 5, no. 1 (2021): 58-62.
Abstract: This article discusses the complexities of traditional Chinese painting, cultural traditions and visual aesthetics. It comments on how to avoid the five most serious errors in assessing the value of classical Chinese paintings. Some of these problems are particular to Chinese painting, but most crop up in other forms of valuation.