A History of Far Eastern Art: 5th Edition [Hardcover]

Sherman E. Lee (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 5th edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0133933989
• ISBN-13: 978-0133933987
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive, flawed survey of the subject, March 10, 2002

By 

Joe the Critic (San Jose Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Far Eastern Art (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

I'm reading this book for an Asian Art class, and I find it has both significant strengths and significant weaknesses.

Its major strength is the integrated approach: Sherman Lee organizes the book chronologically and thematically, rather than geographically. Instead of writing a section on Chinese art and a section on Indian art, Lee organizes his material by stage of development (Stone Age pottery) or by cultural movement (Buddhism), for example tracing the development of Buddhist styles in India, the adoption of those styles in China, Japan, and S.E. Asia, and the eventual synthesis of the Indian influences into local styles incorporating indigenous themes. Lee writes eloquently and even passionately about his subject, letting us know which cultures, styles, and artworks he admires. He covers a vast amount of cultures and time periods, easily enough material for dozens of books.

The book does have significant flaws, however. Most frustrating are the black and white photos (presumably a cost-saving measure). Roughly 90% of the images in the book are black and white, and they cannot do justice to most of the subject matter. A second weakness is Lee's writing style, which is sometimes more eloquent than comprehensible. At times I had to reread a section several times in order to figure out what Lee was trying to say. He sometimes seemes to be addressing himself to an audience of art critics who are already familiar with the material, rather than students encountering it for the first time. He will tell us that a particular art work is hieratic in style, or is an example of Daoist style, without explaining why. Also the thematic, rather than chronological, approach means that some topics are fragmented into parts of different chapters. The material on Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Tang Dynasty seemed especially disjointed. The sections on China in particular need more development: Lee provides only a single page of text on the historically pivotal Qin Dynasty, and does only a fair job explaining the influences of Confucianism and Daoism.

One alternative text that deserves consideration is The Art of East Asia, edited by Gabriele Fahr-Becker. Almost of the photographs are in color, and the text is both more comprehensive and more comprehensible than Sherman Lee, in particular the section on China. The text is written by several different authors, one for each region, which has both advantages and disadvantages -- it avoids the fragmentation of Lee's approach, at the expense of integrating it all into one consistent framework. The key disadvantage of The Art of East Asia (compared to Sherman Lee's History of Far Eastern Art) is that it doesn't include India, which contributed some of Asia's most impressive sculptures, and whose religions had tremendous influence on the rest of Asia.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No where is there such a broad base of expertise, October 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of Far Eastern Art (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

Sherman Lee guides us through the ages and territories of the Far East in this study. A study of art following a wonderfully coordinated common theme - ritual and religion. Most noteable is the progress of Buddhism from its origins in India, through Southeast Asia, into China, Korea and finally Japan. Respectable discourse on other arts are included in the tour. Good reading and a great survey of the arts of the Far East.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I find this text to be accessible and interesting., February 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of Far Eastern Art: 5th Edition (Hardcover)

I used this text in college, in a course on the subject. It pained me immensely to have to sell it back, but I was even more poor then than I am now, and needed the $50. I am now planning to purchase a new copy of it. This book is beautiful. It is full of simply amazing images, the text is clear, concise and accessible. Out of 10 years of undergraduate and graduate studies, I remember this text more fondly than almost any other. My thanks to the author for writing it.