Customer Reviews

A history of Far Eastern art

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

item came quickly and almost brand new condition... first time ordered book from Amazon and I was very pleased... will definetely do more often..

very good condition exactly as seller described. A little bit slow for myself though shipped on time. Anyway it's cool.

After looking at several other books on Asian art, this volume still seems to be the most comprehensive study of the topic. As a beginner, I have found it to be an extremely useful primer. There is a reason by the author, Sherman Lee, was the art historian selected by John D. Rockefeller, 3rd to advise him on his purchases of ceramic, stone, and metal objects from various Asian countries, the collection of which is now housed at the Asia Society in NYC. Lee was then the director of the Cleveland Museum. He was also one of the "monuments men" who categorized and organized artwork after WW II. However, while others worked in Germany, he worked in post WW II Japan under General MacArthur and had access to imperial warehouses, temples, and other sites which were off limits to others.

I was required to use this book as a secondary text for a class on early Asian Cultures at NYU. Along with the material presented in class, this book provided great insight into basics of the Asian culture.

This rather heavy book is perfectly organized chronologically and geographically. It provides great graphical supplement to the study of early Asian art. Many artifacts are portrayed, most with detailed description of their history and origin.

I enjoyed my class greatly and this book provided great help to understanding Asian art. If you are a person who prefers visual aids rather than tons of text and would like to learn the basics of Asian art, I highly recommend this book. The photographs are excellent, and more often then not, actually motivate you to reading the descriptions of the portrayed objects. This book will not make you an expert on Asian art, but you'll be able to schmooze your way through at pretentious cocktail parties without any effort.

Biggest snooze fest, ever. I literally fall asleep when trying to read it. :( It's not very useful for students in that it completely lacks concise and emphasized relevant information. There isn't even a glossary in the back! UGH. Bullet points and summaries, please!

I ordered this book for a great price waaayyyyy below the price in my college bookstore and was very excited about getting it. A few days later I got a message from the sender saying they were cancelling my order because they didn't actually have it in stock. Come on people, get your business together! Since it was too soon to when school was going to start I had to purchase it from the bookstore anyways for double what I initailly order it for...and this isn't a cheep book. I was very disapointed.

Received item within a week. Received updates on its shipping status. Product was in good condition. The whole process was pretty straightforward. There were no surprises...I got what I needed and was very pleased.