Mirror of morality : Chinese narrative illustration and Confucian ideology / Julia K. Murray.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murray, Julia K.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Narrative painting, Chinese.

Art and morals--China.

Art and morals.

Art--Political aspects--China.

Art.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, c2007.

Summary:

Mirror of Morality takes an interdisciplinary look at an important form of pictorial art produced during two millennia of Chinese imperial rule. Ideas about individual morality and state ideology were based on the ancient teachings of Confucius with modifications by later interpreters and government institutions. Throughout the imperial period, members of the elite made, sponsored, and inscribed or used illustrations of themes taken from history, literature, and recent events to promote desired conduct among various social groups. This dimension of Chinese art history has never before been broadly covered or investigated in historical context.The first half of the study examines the nature of narrative illustration in China and traces the evolution of its functions, conventions, and rhetorical strategies from the second century BCE through the eleventh century. Under the stimulus of Buddhism, sophisticated techniques developed for representing stories in visual form. While tracing changes in the social functions and cultural positions of narrative illustration, the second half of the book argues that narrative illustration continued to play a vital role in elite visual culture.

Contents:

The social status of narrative illustration in China

Redrawing the concept of Chinese narrative illustration

Early narrative illustration and moral suasion

New strategies for narrative illustration in the post-Han period

Institutionalizing narrative illustration under the Tang dynasty

Turning points and competing values

Later narrative illustration at court : legitimation

Remonstrance, and indoctrination

Narrative illustration outside the court : persuasion, pleasure, prestige, and piety

Epilogue.

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 28. Aug 2019)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-183) and index.

ISBN:

9780824863647

082486364X

9781435675001

1435675002

OCLC:

276359434