Public Lecture by Peter Sturman
Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present: “Emotion and Belonging — A New Look at Literati Aesthetics in China,” 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.
In November 2018, Su Shi’s (1037–1101) Old Tree, Rock, and Bamboo, one of the most famous Chinese paintings “never seen” suddenly emerged into public view and sold for an extraordinary sum of money at a public auction in Hong Kong. Peter Sturman, Professor of Chinese Art, Department of History of Art and Architecture at UCSB, recounts the importance of this singular painting and presents new research that helps shed light on the very beginnings of what is known as literati painting in China. Behind the quirky image of Su Shi’s twisted tree and strange rock is a sophisticated iconography that draws from ancient philosophical ideals and communicates with the artist’s closest friends. Su Shi’s work represents the start of a longstanding tradition of painting by scholar-officials that came to dominate much of China’s recent history, and its indirect influence in works of art produced in late imperial China and modern times.
In conjunction with the SBMA exhibition Bamboo, Rocks, and Old Trees: Chinese Calligraphy and Literati Painting, on view March 24 – June 23, 2019.
This event is sponsored by Friends of Asian Art.
Free
Reserve tickets at the Museum Visitor Services desk, or online at tickets.sbma.net
Location:
Mary Craig Auditorium
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
1130 State Street, Santa Barbara