英文摘要 |
In this study, I focus on three English writers, William Anderson (1842-1900), Herbert A. Giles (1845-1935), and Laurence Binyon (1869- 1943), whose books on East Asian painting were published during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. Many researchers have investigated the historiography of the East Asian art history, but only limited attention has been paid to developments at the turn of the 20th century. Most publications deal either the art history of China or Japan, with only limited attention paid to the relationship between the two. Anderson published The Pictorial Arts of Japan in 1886. Even though this book was on Japanese painting, the author's discussion established a new way of viewing the East Asian religious figure painting and greatly influenced later writers. Relying on both documents and art works, Anderson approached writing his book in a manner similar to that of today's art historians. Moreover, comparing Anderson and Giles, we find that Westerners living in Japan and China employed different research methods when writing about East Asian painting histories. I consider the major reason for their distinctive means of studying was due to the differing availability of ancient paintings in different areas. Binyon represents another type of writer. When he published his book, Painting in the Far East, in 1908, he had no experience of traveling in the East Asia. This paper will also probe the issue of the type of materials available to overseas Westerners. I consider whether materials from China and Japan were of different natures, and what were the key elements influencing Western writers' approaches to East Asian art histories. |