PARTING of the SHORE : Chinese paintings of the early and middle Ming Dynasty, 1368-1580 in this invaluable book James Cahill again shows that the world of Chinese painting is by no means the exclusive preserve of the specialist but welcomes art lover everywhere, layman and scholar alike. This is the second in a projected series of five volumes on Chinese painting of the later period, that remarkable age of creativity which extends from the thirteenth into the twentieth century.
The book highlights the lives and work of almost 50 artists. It tells of the Ming continuation of major features already evident in the Yuan-the use of past traditions, the effects of historical events and circumstances on developments in painting, the further evolution of the scholar-amateur movement--and also discuss several new aspects of Chinese art. There is more emphasis here on local schools and traditions ad on the relationship between the social and economic status of the artists and their painting styles: between the patterns of their lives and the pictures they painted.
The generous selection of 149 plates, including 14 in full color, presents both notable paintings never before reproduced and more familiar works viewed in a new light. The paintings include landscapes, figures (notably several from the extraordinary hand scroll "beggars and Street Characters," long a popular favorite), birds, flowers, trees, and insects.