Traités Chinois de Peinture et de Calligraphie

English summary: In China, the treatises on art constitute a considerable portion of the country's literary art and philosophy. Chinese "painting" is primarily defined by the presence of the brush stroke and by its proximity with the art of writing. That is why these two arts - painting and calligraphy - are presented in a parallel fashion.This work offers readers the full translation of the fundamental pictorial and calligraphic treatises of the Tang (7th to 10th centuries) and the...
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English summary: In China, the treatises on art constitute a considerable portion of the country's literary art and philosophy. Chinese "painting" is primarily defined by the presence of the brush stroke and by its proximity with the art of writing. That is why these two arts - painting and calligraphy - are presented in a parallel fashion.This work offers readers the full translation of the fundamental pictorial and calligraphic treatises of the Tang (7th to 10th centuries) and the Five Dynasties (10th century), many of which have never been published in Western languages.This period saw the systematisation of Chinese aesthetic thought, which happened gradually to facilitate the concept of the bond between the artist and his work, while the stylistic forms produced by the latter typically incarnated an ideology, notably that of the ruling power. The assessment of artists and their works was of critical importance and encompassed exacting criteria; material considerations also gave rise to theoretical reflection which subsequently would not be pursued. Art was starting to emerge as a means of personal expression. Yolaine Escande is a sinologist who specialises in Chinese aesthetics, graphic arts, calligraphy and painting. Her latest published books are : L'Art de la Chine traditionnelle, le coeur et la main and L'Art en Chine, la resonance interieure. French description: Les traites sur l'art constituent en Chine une part considerable de l'art litteraire et de la philosophie. La peinture chinoise se definit en priorite par la presence du coup de pinceau et par sa proximite avec l'art de l'ecriture. C'est pourquoi les deux arts, peinture et calligraphie, sont presentes de facon parallele.Le present ouvrage propose la traduction integrale des traites picturaux et calligraphiques fondamentaux, des Tang (VIIe-Xe siecles) et des Cinq Dynasties (Xe siecle), dont bon nombre sont inedits en langues occidentales.Cette periode est marquee par une systematisation de la pensee esthetique : se fait progressivement pour la conception du lien entre l'artiste et son oeuvre, alors que les formes stylistiques que celui-ci produit incarnent generalement une ideologie, en particulier celle du pouvoir en place. L'evaluation des artistes et des oeuvres occupe une grande place et repond a des criteres precis ; des considerations materielles font aussi l'objet d'une reflexion theorique, ce qui ne sera plus le cas par la suite. L'art en tant que moyen d'expression personnel commence a emerger.