Art of the Natural World

Prized for over a millennium by Chinese literati, scholars' rocks - stones sculpted by the elements into evocative, richly textured miniature landscapes - have been objects of contemplation, inspiration, and almost kaleidoscopic beauty. This volume offers a meditation by the noted artist and collector Richard Rosenblum on the philosophy and spirit of Chinese art of the natural world, from scholars' rocks to related objects in wood, metal, and ceramic - as well as such reverse manifestations as works sculpted to replicate natural art. In a style that is at once informal and passionately engaged, Rosenblum discusses the history and use of nature art, and explores some of the wider philosphical issues it raises - about artistic perception, the context of an art object, and the question of what utlimately constitutes a work of art.