A talk by Roderick Whitfield, 19th Sammy Lee Lecturer in Chinese Archaeology & Art, and Percival David Emeritus Professor of Chinese & East Asian Art, SOAS
Thursday, November 2, 2006
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
275 Dodd Hall
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095
The Qingming shanghe tu (which is conventionally translated as Spring Festival on the River) is generally believed to have been painted during the Northern Song dynasty (c.a. 907-1127) by the imperial court painter Zhang Zeduan. The scroll, highly celebrated ever since its creation, has been admired for its realistic style and historical detail, and has been the subject of numerous studies throughout its history. The emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911) especially admired the scroll, and commissioned artists to copy its style and composition.
However, the exact origins of the scroll and the intentions of its creator have remained subjects of debate. Today, even the conventional translation of the title has been called into question. In view of the scarcity of surviving records from the time the Qingming scroll was created, it is perhaps understandable that historians, art critics, and connoisseurs have long argued about the identity of the scroll's creator, the date and location of its origin, the meaning its creator intended, and even whether it is authentic.
Roderick Whitfield, Percival David Emeritus Professor of Chinese and East Asian Art, and Professorial Research Fellow, Department of Art and Archaeology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and this year's Sammy Yukuan Lee Lecturer, wrote his doctoral dissertation at Princeton under Professor Wen Fong on the Qingming shanghe tu. Professor Whitfield's dissertation remains the classic detailed study of this very well known and much argued over scroll.
At an international conference on the scroll in Beijing last year, Professor Whitfield put in perspective the many controversies surrounding the Qingming shanghe tu.
Professor Whitield's talk is being presented to the Chinese art history class of Professor Hui-shu Lee. Professor Lee invites students, colleagues, and members of the public to attend this very special session.
Richard Gunde
310 825-8683
gunde@ucla.edu
Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies