"Beauty & the Beast - New Aspects of Ming and Qing Paintings" by Dr. Yeewan Koon

Saturday, 10 October: The Beauty – Women in Chinese Art

How is feminine beauty represented in art? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but “the eye” is also a socio-cultural construct. This lecture will consider the role of women in Chinese paintings, focusing on the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dr. Koon will be covering the figure in gendered spaces, the coding of landscapes as feminine, and way that images of women (an often marginalized genre of Chinese art) help to construct ideas of both femininity and masculinity.

Saturday, 17 October: The Beast – Eccentric Artists in the 18th Century

Beginning with the 17th century artist, Shitao and his “Ten Thousand Ugly Dots to Make Mi Fu Cry”, this lecture will examine the ways by which individuality and eccentricity were explored by the so-called Yangzhou Eccentrics in the 18th century. While individuality or eccentricity are often understood as forms of inherent talent, this lecture will open the parameters and look at how artists were influenced by external forces such as the market place, body politics, and intimate connections including love and friendship.

The speaker
Dr. Yeewan Koon is an Assistant Professor in the Fine Arts Department at the University of Hong Kong. Her previous research includes the use of art in Chinese diplomacy, Qing dynasty Guangdong collectors, and 18th and 19th century paintings including Luo Ping’s “Ghost Amusement Scroll”. Currently, she is investigating the art of Su Renshan (1814-c.1850) and the role of anger in Chinese painting.