Frances Wood will lead us through a fascinating history of Chinese illustration—from the invention of printing in the 7th century through to the development of the complex sets of woodblock printing we see today.
Early illustrations were mainly of Buddhist subjects but by the 10th century books of all types, from literature to technological manuals, were widely available: expensive editions were beautifully illustrated whilst cheap chapbooks flooded the other end of the market. Colour illustrations and prints appeared from the 12th century, made from complex sets of woodblocks, most notably the ‘New Year’ prints that decorated houses at that auspicious festival.
Frances Wood studied Chinese at the universities of Cambridge, London and Peking and worked for more than 30 years as Curator of the Chinese collections in the British Library. She has published many books on Chinese history and culture. Frances is a Trustee of Muban Educational Trust.
Booking required.
This talk is part of our series of events associated with our exhibition ‘Revolution, Propaganda, Art: Printmaking in Modern China’ in association with the Muban Educational Trust.
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