Abstract

Between 1994 and 2016, several landscape mural paintings from the late Tang dynasty were successively unearthed from Tang tombs. These materials showcased the landscapes after the “transformation of landscapes.” In 2017, the discovery of the tomb of Su Xiaobin, a tombstone with landscape engravings from the fourth year of the Tang Ruizong Chuigong era (688) in Xi’an, Shaanxi, filled the gaps in the physical remains and research of the historical development of early Tang landscape paintings. This discovery is important for understanding the early-Tang landscape aesthetics and achievements and helps clarify the cause-and-effect of the “transformation of landscapes,” providing the significant foundation for reconstructing the history of medieval Chinese landscape painting. This lecture will focus on the landscape murals unearthed from Tang tombs, particularly the newly unveiled stone engravings from the tomb of Su Xiaobin, and combines paintings and the literature on art history to discuss the inception, formation, development, and the cause-and-effect of the landscape transformation during the Tang period.

Speaker Bio

Professor Xilin He is a distinguished professor at Zhejiang University and a visiting professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Prof. He has long been engaged in the teaching and research of Chinese art history and art archaeology. He has published multiple monographs and textbooks, and authored numerous papers. His representative works include History through the lens of Images – Archeological Discoveries of Visual Cultures from Han and Tang and A Brief Compilation of Chinese Art History (co-authored).

Event Information

• Free and open to public
• March 21th (Friday)
• 9:00 – 10:30 PM ET
• Online Streaming via Zoom.

Please note

Advanced RSVP required.
The event will be conducted in Chinese with simultaneous English translation.