Abstract:

"Art appreciation requires an understanding of the medium, the subject matter, and the subtexts inherent in the artists' techniques. In this program, correspondent Paul Solman and art historian Wen Fong visit an exhibit that is emblematic of Imperial China from the 8th century to the 17th. Styles discussed include the Imperial 'propaganda' of the Sung and Ming dynasties; the wild spontaneity of Qwai Su's calligraphy, akin to the action painting method of Jackson Pollock; the intensely personal works of Ni-Tsung; the bourgeois images of Chu Ying; and the subtly subversive imagery of Chu Ta, a prince who became a monk. To Wen Fong, art is the perfect bridge between cultures because everyone can respond to its mystical essence. All one needs to do is look deeply."