In the Forbidden City and other palaces around Beijing, Emperor Qianlong (r.1736-1795) adorned the walls and ceilings with monumental paintings featuring images of architecture, gardens, people, and faraway places. The imperial painting academy, with the help of some European missionary painters, utilized Western perspectival illusionism to create visually striking images that carried deep meaning for Qianlong. These unprecedented scenic illusion paintings not only provide new insights into the influential emperor of imperial China, but also reflect the way Chinese art incorporates and domesticates foreign ideas.
In her book Imperial Illusions, Kristina Kleutghen thoroughly examines all surviving examples of the Qing court phenomenon of “scenic illusion paintings” (tongjinghua), which remain inaccessible within the Forbidden City today. These works were produced during the height of early modern cultural exchange between China and Europe, but have received little scholarly attention. With rich illustrations, Imperial Illusions offers the first comprehensive investigation into the aesthetics, culture, perception, and politics of these illusionistic paintings that were essential to Qianlong’s world.
KristinaKleutghenisassistantprofessorofarthistoryandarchaeologyatWashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis.
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