I don't have any sources for this, so it's almost at the gossip level, but
I went to a lecture on Chinese Art a couple of years ago. The idea that
was most interesting to me was that the artists in China were for hundreds
of years only reproducing the same visual statements, icons really, and
were seeking perfection in reproduction. This is similar to the notion
that primitive people have that retracing the designs of the ancestors
fullfills some kind of connection to the past. Anyway, the artists in
China were not well-respected -- sort of like plumbers, needed but I don't
want my kids to be one. The student class, probably coming from wealthy
families and with the time to contemplate, produced the good art,
innovations in themes and images that people noticed and emmulated. I
don't think they were paid for their work. I guess that noone aspired to
be an artist because they weren't well-thought-of. Sid
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# Sidnie Miller #
# Elko High School #
# College Avenue #
# Elko, NV 89801 #
# 702-738-7281 #
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