2025/26

This course explores how concepts of nature were instrumentalised in painting and woodblock prints across a variety of social and cultural contexts in early modern China. From ink monochrome landscape painting to illustrated drama editions, nature defined how early modern men and women engaged with each other but also with political, cultural and religious bodies such as the court, the theatre and the temple. Throughout the course, we analyse representations of landscape, gardens, cities and sites, and their use to legitimise imperial power, construct elitist art historical discourses, alter gender relations and raise the status of an emerging mercantile class living in sophisticated urban centres. In-depth analysis of art objects, critical reading of primary and secondary sources, lectures and presentations will enable critical dialogue, and engage students in a cross-cultural debate with the objective of understanding the early modern condition from the perspective of Chinese art and its discourses.