SEP 2015

VOLUME 46 - NUMBER 6

In the collection of the Met is an unusual pair of handscrolls by the Qianlong emperor. Shi-yee Liu discusses the implications contained in these works, in which Western-style painting is embedded in a typical Chinese format. Fan Jeremy Zhang considers the material culture of Ming princely courts in Hubei province. Far removed from the centre of power, they were active patrons and consumers of art, fostering styles that were imitated throughout the empire.

Ankeney Weitz assesses the continuities and transformations in Zao Wou-Ki’s painting before and after he travelled to France in 1948, using surviving artworks, scattered records of his career, and exhibition reviews. Rachel Parikh explores the iconography of a small group of 18th–19th century patakas from Rajasthan depicting a composite form of Hanuman and Bhairava. Uranchimeg Tsultemin introduces three Mongolian artists whose work, on view at the Venice Biennale, is closely linked to tradition but also revealing of new directions.

Paintings by Soga Shōhaku from the Feinberg Collection, recently gifted to Harvard Art Museums, are the focus of Katherine Brooks’ enquiry into this artist’s oeuvre. In our interview, ceramicist Zhao Meng discusses his work and his vision for a new ceramic centre in Hangzhou of which he is the director. We round up this issue with a commentary by André Alexander, Pimpim de Azevedo and Yutaka Hirako on the urgent need for preservation of the imperilled architectural heritage of Leh Old Town.

FEATURES
Shi-yee Liu. Containing the West in the Manchu Realm? Emperor Qianlong’s Deer Antler Scrolls
Fan Jeremy Zhang. The Art of Ming Dynasty Princely Courts in Hubei
Ankeney Weitz. ‘Infused with the Best Essence of China’: Zao Wou-Ki’s Early Career
Rachel Parikh. A Tail of Power: The Role of hanuman in Tantric Worship
Uranchimeg Tsultemin. Tradition and Transition: Mongolian Artists at the Venice Biennale
Katherine Brooks. ‘A School unto Himself’? The Formation of Soga Shohaku (1730-81)
PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
Jane Casey. Book Review: Bodies in Balance: the Art of tibetan Medicine. edited by Theresia Hofer
Christian Luczanits. Book Review: The Cultural Monuments of Tibet: The Central Regions by Michael Henss
Siddhartha V. Shah. Exhibition Review
London Auctions - Spring 2015
Tiffany Beres. Beijing Auctions - Spring 2015
Christie’s hong Kong Auctions - Spring 2015
INTERVIEWS
Carving out a New Tradition: An Interview with Zhao Meng
NEWS
News
In and Around the Galleries
Parcours des Mondes
COMMENTARY
Andre Alexander, Pimpim de Azevedo and Yutaka Hirako. Standing at a Crossroads: the Struggle to Preserve Leh Old Town