Methods And Objects

This thesis is an attempt to explore some recent approaches to the history of Chinese Art by Euro-American scholars by examining the major works of Martin Powers and Craig Clunas, who represent the new force of the field. While, as an American, Martin Powers has attempted to interpret the art of the Han Dynasty as a means of political expression as much as from a viewpoint of what it might be understood by a Chinese, The English scholar Craig Clunas has tried to view the visual culture of the Ming Dynasty entirely from a Western perspective. However different their approaches may be, their studies invariably lead them to a systematic consideration of the underlying political and social implications of the objects under examination. Their achievements represent the suggestive efforts that have been made by the scholars of Chinese art in the west to combine apply Western theories and methods to the studying of Chinese material. For this reason, this thesis is also concerned with some aspects of the general developments of Euro-American art history, against which to illuminate the concepts that underlie the art historical work of the two scholars under study. In the meantime, the last chapter of this dissertation is devoted to a critical discussion of the problems rising from such cross-cultural studies as being done by Martin Powers and Craig Clunas.