Born into a poor farming family and coming of age during China’s century of civil strife; Qi Baishi transformed the elite brush art of China’s literati scholars into a universal art form appreciated by people of all social backgrounds. His distinctly modern art language breaks through class and cultural barriers through use of expressive “carved†brushwork; juxtaposition of vibrant colors against deep and rich ink tones; poetic economy in form and composition; and choice of emotionally resonant subject matter. For these reasons; Qi Baishi’s art is the ideal gateway through which art lovers of any class or culture can learn about the millenia-old tradition of Chinese brush painting. A selection of Qi Baishi’s seal carving―the art of the “iron brushâ€â€•links his origins as an artisan carver to his life as China’s most celebrated calligrapher; poet and painter. The scholarly discipline of calligraphy then forms the basis for our understanding Qi Baishi’s distinctive carved brushwork. In painting; landscapes and figures are two subjects that appear early in Qi Baishi’s career and provide us with an opportunity to appreciate the poetic economy of his brushwork and the universal appeal of his humanist themes. Finally; birds and flowers form the bulk of Qi Baishi’s oeuvre and a chronological selection allows us to explore the development of his unique brush; ink and color language over the span of his productive career.
#3614954 in Books Univ of Hawaii Pr 2007-05-31 2007-05-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .90 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 0824831217264 pages
Review
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Compelling ArgumentsBy Robert H. CommandUniversity of Houston professor Gerald Horne sets forth an intriguing study into the slave trade in the Pacific during the second half of the 19th Century.While setting down a well-documented history of Pacific "blackbirding;" a euphemism for slave trading; Horne also develops an argument that the shortage of cotton and sugar created by the Civil War set into motion a series of events that gives rise to U.S. Imperialism; which eventually extinguishes Hawaii's sovereignty; fosters the White Australia policy and gives rise to Imperial Japan and ultimately; World War II in the Pacific.Almost as intriguing is Hawaii's role in the White Pacific. Horne develops the early ambitions of Kamehameha the Great to become the Napoleon of the Pacific; using the fleet assembled for an assault on Kauai to subjugate Tahiti. These ambitions live all the way through Kalakaua; who successfully argued before the legislature for $30;000 to form a Polynesian confederation.The King sent representatives to Samoa; where the Malietoa; or alii nui; agreed to a confederation between the two kingdoms. However; the arrangement was short-lived as Kalakaua was stripped of his power the following year when he signed the Bayonet Constitution; and a reform party ended the alliance.Hawaii's distaste for slavery was written into the Constitution of 1852; partially on the advice of Alexander Liholiho; nephew of Kamehameha III. During a visit to the United States in 1849; Alexander Liholiho experienced slavery and racism first hand and vowed that it would never take place in the Hawaiian Kingdom.
