Galloping through the dynasties: The fascinating history of Chinese horse painting
Author: Hou-mei Sung
Format: Hardback, 240mm x 280mm, 1060g, 188 pages
Published: Skira, Italy, 2022
Published in conjunction with an exhibition opening at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Galloping through Dynasties investigates the history of Chinese horse painting, a subject heretofore not adequately studied. The research has led to new insights into the evolution of Chinese horse painting in both its stylistic and symbolic contents and helps place Chinese horse paintings in their historical contexts through the political and social messages contained within them.
Galloping through Dynasties, organized chronologically, explores the following themes: Celestial Horse and Imperial Horse Portraits in Early China, The Song Aesthetics and New Genres of Horse Painting, Transformation of the Horse Image in the Yuan dynasty, and The Symbolic Language of Horse Painting in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The catalogue offers new insights into not only how the Chinese define horses through their concept of nature, but also how Chinese horse paintings evolved in both their stylistic and symbolic contents and formed a symbolic language to convey political and social messages. The new findings on the historical development of Chinese animal painting filled a major gap and resolved much of the confusion in the symbolic contents.
Dr. Hou-mei Sung has served as the curator of East Asian Art at the Cincinnati Art Museum since 2002. Dr. Sung received a B.A. in foreign languages and literature and an M.A. in Chinese history, both from the National Taiwan University. She also earned a Ph.D. in museum studies from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to coming to Cincinnati, Dr. Sung served as research associate at the Cleveland Museum of Art and a variety of research and teaching positions in museum and academic fields in Asia and throughout the United States, including the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; John Carroll University; Colorado College; Cleveland State University; and Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sung has organized over ten special exhibitions, including Dressed to Kill: Japanese Arms and Armor, Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China, and Galloping through Dynasties. She has nearly sixty publications, including her recent books Galloping through Dynasties, Decoded Messages: The Symbolic Language of Chinese Animal Painting, and Masterpieces of Japan at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Author: Hou-mei Sung
Format: Hardback, 240mm x 280mm, 1060g, 188 pages
Published: Skira, Italy, 2022
Published in conjunction with an exhibition opening at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Galloping through Dynasties investigates the history of Chinese horse painting, a subject heretofore not adequately studied. The research has led to new insights into the evolution of Chinese horse painting in both its stylistic and symbolic contents and helps place Chinese horse paintings in their historical contexts through the political and social messages contained within them.
Galloping through Dynasties, organized chronologically, explores the following themes: Celestial Horse and Imperial Horse Portraits in Early China, The Song Aesthetics and New Genres of Horse Painting, Transformation of the Horse Image in the Yuan dynasty, and The Symbolic Language of Horse Painting in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The catalogue offers new insights into not only how the Chinese define horses through their concept of nature, but also how Chinese horse paintings evolved in both their stylistic and symbolic contents and formed a symbolic language to convey political and social messages. The new findings on the historical development of Chinese animal painting filled a major gap and resolved much of the confusion in the symbolic contents.
Dr. Hou-mei Sung has served as the curator of East Asian Art at the Cincinnati Art Museum since 2002. Dr. Sung received a B.A. in foreign languages and literature and an M.A. in Chinese history, both from the National Taiwan University. She also earned a Ph.D. in museum studies from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to coming to Cincinnati, Dr. Sung served as research associate at the Cleveland Museum of Art and a variety of research and teaching positions in museum and academic fields in Asia and throughout the United States, including the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; John Carroll University; Colorado College; Cleveland State University; and Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sung has organized over ten special exhibitions, including Dressed to Kill: Japanese Arms and Armor, Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China, and Galloping through Dynasties. She has nearly sixty publications, including her recent books Galloping through Dynasties, Decoded Messages: The Symbolic Language of Chinese Animal Painting, and Masterpieces of Japan at the Cincinnati Art Museum.