R.V. avec l’art de la Chine

China is constantly on the front page of the news, more due to its performances in the textile industries or its space ambitions than for its civilization. This volume from a new collection aims at being an accessible initiation to Chinese art, which can be intimidating by its sheer density. The simple dummy– almost a little «old fashioned» - does not intend to be spectacular and does not multiply images in a half-stamp format. One enters quite easily this panorama that spreads from the Banbi jade disks(3000 B.C.) to the decorative arts of the XVIIIth century (lacquer), including of course the porcelains and paintings of the learned persons. The subject is completed by large chapters on the language and the shape of the temples, with a glossary and a chronological frieze. Modern and contemporary creation are left in the background. This is a shame, for all sems to prove, and not only the recent auctions, that they are going through a true explosion.

• R.V. avec l’art de la Chine by Christine Kontler, Editions du Rouergue, 2007, ISBN : 978-2-8415-6842-0, 18 €.