What does the work of art have to do with the living environment? How does artists engage with constructing their surrounding worlds? How to read Chinese paintings through the prism of environmental realities? This course examines the possibilities of art by considering its engagement with or alienation from the living worlds and beyond. It challenges the dualist views of culture and nature by instead examining the interconnections among human bodies and other living organisms or non-living things. It will consider current pressing issues of Anthropocene, climate change, eco-aesthetics and the dark sides of the ecosystems, as well as the economy and politics of scales relative to the views of the local, global, and planetary spaces. Besides reading a set of interdisciplinary literature on relevant topics, we will focus on examples and case studies of Chinese paintings throughout history.

Lecture for undergraduates, graduates welcome

Image:Xu Biing, The Suzhou Landscripts, 2003-2013. Materials: Lithograph print in two colors from 35 plates on Entrada Natural Rag paper (Image from xubing.com)

HISTART Distribution Requirements: Medieval, Early Modern, Asia