A comprehensive catalogue on temple sculptures from North India from the 8th to the 13th centuries, featuring rare stone sculptures from Indian and American museum and private collections. It studies the complexity of diverse forms in a medieval Indian temple as well as fluid functional relationship between different types of forms. It also examines the plethora of forms that grace temple walls and interiors, and studies them as individual, aesthetic objects in a narrowly defined art-historical sense and to place them in a more comprehensive architectural, religious and cultural context.

A catalogue from the first Spanish exhibition of the Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei (China, 1957). It demonstrates the ironic humour of the artist which he unites in the same object with traditional Chinese culture (an ingredient which carries enormous weight in the artistic production of China).

With comprehensive instruction and artist tips and tricks, Special Subjects: Beginning Chinese Brush is the perfect resource for beginning artists. Explore and experience this traditional medium

Special Subjects: Beginning Chinese Brush teaches aspiring artists everything they need to know to get started creating Chinese brush paintings. From choosing brushes to painting techniques, composition, and development, Special Subjects: Beginning Chinese Brush is bursting with valuable skills and lessons to help you learn how to use this traditional medium.

Artist Monika Cilmi guides you through an exploration of a variety of step-by-step Chinese brush paintings, covering basic concepts and techniques, such as different brushstrokes, as well as how to blend traditional methodswith your own personal style. Building on these introductory techniques, you can practice your craft with projects that cover a variety of subjects, including birds, flowers, and traditional landscapes. This is one tool that no artist will want to be without

Crescent Moon introduces the beauty and complexity of Southeast Asian Islamic art and cuture. This large book features major works of art from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, as well as extraordinary works from the National Gallery of Australia. The book reveals the sophistication and splendor of the Islamic courts in the archipelago--royal heirlooms recalling a glorious past enriched by the wealth of spice trade and lavish ceremonies of the life cyce, such as circumcisions, weddings, and funerals, as testimonies of faith and power. The revelation of new art forms in gold, silk, lacquer, porcelain, and stone illustrate the transformations of idigenous motifs and techniques and unique developments in the arts of Islamic Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, a s well as the Muslim communities of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The Edo period in Japan, from 1615 to 1858, witnessed an unprecedented flourishing of the arts. During these long years of peace and relative stability, Japanese culture attained new levels of refinement and distinction. Innovative painting styles such as Rinpa, nanga, Maruyama-Shijo, ukiyo-e, and zenga flourished along with the traditional painting lineages of the Kano, Tosa and Hasegawa schools. With the fall of the shogunate in 1868 and the subsequent Meiji restoration, many painting styles current in Edo were practised along with Western-style oil painting and types that assimilated both Eastern and Western traditions.

This beautifully designed and illustrated catalogue presents the 218 gifts of Chinese art from Ruth and Bruce Dayton to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Ranging in date from the Shang to the Qing, these objects were carefully chosen to form a high-quality and well-balanced collection that encompasses all classical Chinese traditions. They include ancient metalwork, Buddhist arts, lacquer, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, classical furniture and literati objects. Among the highlights are a Warring States inlaid bronze chariot fitting, a large Han bronze horse and a Han bronze money tree, a Song wooden Buddhist sculpture, Ming sutras and Taoist paintings, Sino-Tibetan Buddhist arts, outstanding lacquerwares of the Han, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, Song, Yuan and Ming paintings in the literati tradition, Ming hardwood furniture, and a variety of scholar's objects.

Part of a series of handy, luxurious Flame Tree Pocket Books. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, the covers are printed on foil in five colours, embossed then foil stamped. And they're delightfully practical: a pocket at the back for receipts and scraps, two bookmarks and a solid magnetic side flap. These are perfect for personal use, handbags and make a dazzling gift. This version features the classic Asian masterpiece Hokusai's The Great Wave.

From the beginning of the modern era in 1500 CE, Western history has placed Europe at the center of worldwide political, economic, and cultural dynamism. But long before the European powers began to encroach upon the East, Asia itself was the locus of dozens of empires--some, like the Mongols, legendary. In this gorgeously illustrated, accessibly written volume, experts of art and history analyze the Asian imperial enterprise with an emphasis on the cultural and creative. In seven compelling chapters, plus an informative introduction and conclusion, these essays provide a decisive corrective to old myths about European dominance relative to Asia and show instead the polycentric nature of world power during the past five hundred years. Reaching across a vast swath of the continent, the book brings to life a thousand years of history, from the Khmer empire in Southeast Asia in the early ninth century to the end of Japan's Meiji Period in 1945. It shows how Asian kingdoms dominated global political geography and challenged the states of Europe rather than the reverse, and it provides fascinating insights into the characters, events, and influences that shaped them.

Featuring over 5,500 items ranging from the mid-19th century to the 1960s, A Century of Thai Graphic Design examines the changes in everyday Thai life and culture by studying its printed material.
The first printing machines were introduced into Thailand by missionaries in the 17th century, but printing in general did not really take off until the 1830s, during the reign of King Rama III. Since that time, Thailand has developed a rich library of graphic images using an alphabet unique to the language.
A Century of Thai Graphic Design examines the many facets of Thai graphics, from early newspapers and funeral books, to political propaganda, film posters, children's cartoon books, labels and advertisements for household products.
With the help of the foremost collectors in each particular field, Anake Nawigamune has assembled a collection of words and imagery which provides a visual history that will fascinate designers, historians and all those interested in Thai culture and society.

Calligraphy is a defining feature of Chinese culture, both a means of communication and a revered form of art. It has changed more dramatically during the half century since Mao Zedong established the People's Republic in 1949 than over the preceding fifteen hundred years. At first the traditional art of calligraphy was transformed into an instrument of political power and protest, wielded on an unprecedented scale. Over the past three decades it has emerged as a more visually exciting modern genre, one that offers fascinating insights into the people of modern China.