ARTH 028. Replication in Chinese Art


The making of duplicates informs a long tradition of artistic productions in China. This course explores diverse modes and technologies of reproduction, bringing into focus the function and cultural value of the copy in the history of Chinese art and visual culture. Through case studies of replications of painting, calligraphy, sculpture, film, architecture, ritual and religious art, we will consider a range of motivations for making copies that often became something more than just mindless imitation, serving as integral components of an artist's training, as acts of piety, as forms of preservation and documentation, as agents of dissemination, and as homage to artists and calligraphers of the past. As we study multiples made from the Bronze Age to contemporary China, we will pay close attention to the different processes of reproduction, examining how technique and material shape not only the duplicate produced but also the varied perception of the practice of copying.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for ASIA
Fall 2023. Lee.
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/art-art-history


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