CURRENT RESEARCH
The Arts of China: Jonathan Hay, Hsueh-man Shen, Michele Matteini With three China specialists on the faculty, the Institute is a leading center for the study of the art and archaeology of China, particularly for the period from the fourth century to the present. Chinese art and archaeology is a major strength of the University. Complementing the IFA’s faculty, two specialists of earlier periods of Chinese archaeology, Lillian Tseng and Rod Campbell, are on the faculty of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, and are also affiliated faculty of the IFA. 20 Institute of Fine Arts Annual 2014 - 2015
Jonathan Hay
Jonathan Hay teaching his lecture course How to Look at Chinese Paintings. Photo credit: Marvin Trachtenberg.
Although known for my work on Early Modern painting and decorative arts, during the last few years I have concentrated on a much earlier period, the tenth century. I will soon complete a short book on the polymath, Guo Zhongshu (928-977). Guo was a paleographer, calligrapher, and painter who also participated in major architectural projects. Guo attracted my attention because a more detailed account of his life and achievements can be written for him than for any Chinese artist before the year 1000. This study is a spin-off from a larger book project, provisionally entitled Murderous Times: Chinese Painting, 886-976. Recent archeological discoveries and my own archival research are making it possible to write a preliminary history of this crucial but little understood period. The book will reconfigure our understanding of the origins of Song painting. Since this is a long-term project, some parts of the research are appearing as articles. I have
not abandoned the Early Modern period, however. For the last several years I have been part of an interdisciplinary team of seven scholars writing a collectively authored study of a transformative sixteenth-century figure, Xu Wei (1521-1593). Xu was not only a major painter, but also a calligrapher, dramatist, and poet of the highest importance. Alongside these historical research projects, I continue to publish theoretical essays whose purpose is to contribute to a new epistemological framework for art historical interpretation in general. A study of the city of Beijing ca. 1450 (in press) proposes an ecological approach to the study of urban form. An essay on the concept of ornament (in press) takes issue with the prevailing assumption that ornament has a phenomenological reality. A recently published essay on copying argues that the practice of Chinese painting entails cyborg technologies of different kinds. A forthcoming essay reconceptualizes the image in quantum terms as an entanglement of instantly seized impact image and immersive imagescape. All my articles and essays are posted on my faculty page for downloading as they appear. Hsueh-man Shen
Currently I am completing a book titled Authentic Replicas, which explores the idea and practice of reproduction in the making of Buddhist art and material culture during the middle periods. Drawing upon various examples ranging from manuscripts, woodcut prints, reliquaries, votive plaques, to wall paintings and sculptures, I reconsider the relevance of such art historical concepts as originality and authenticity within the Chinese context.