Monday, November 21, 2016
4:00 PM
Bunche Hall 10383
The muban multi-color printing process, perfected in the early 17th century, allows for vivid, finely-detailed prints that closely mimic painting. Though the Ming Dynasty is largely seen as woodblock printing's "golden age", this centuries-old art form continues to thrive in China's contemporary art scene as today's artists experiment with new subject matter, techniques, and applications. Guest speaker David Barker will give an introduction to the history of color woodblock printing in China as well as the Muban Education Trust's work preserving the Chinese woodblock printing tradition.
David Barker is a graduate of Goldsmiths', University of London 1961-66. He studied Chinese at the People's University, Beijing and at Leeds University in the 1980s. He retired from the post of Reader in Printmaking at the University of Ulster in 2005, to take up the voluntary post of Secretary to the Trustees, The Muban Educational Trust 2005-2015. He is currently the Senior Research Fellow in the Muban Educational Trust 2015. His work includes many books and journal articles published in the UK, USA and China. He is currently working to complete a Chinese-English-Chinese Glossary of Woodblock Printmaking Terms. He is Honorary Professor of Printmaking in the China Academy of Fine Arts and a Member of their International Exchange Committee.
Presented as part of "Gardens, Art and Commerce in Chinese Woodblock Prints", an exhibition of rare books and pictorial prints on loan from collections in China and the U.S. at the Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens, on view through January 9, 2017.Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies, UCLA Confucius Institute