Blackwell Reference Online

A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture presents a collection of 26 original essays that explore and critically examine various aspects of the field of Asian art and architectural history. Featuring contributions from both leading scholars and emerging voices, the essays offer the opportunity to engage with the current state of scholarship in Asian art and to discover its rich and myriad diversity. In topics that range from ancient tombs and imperial commissions to coinage and cultural interaction; and from gardens and monastic spaces to performances and pilgrimages, this wide-ranging and insightful collection of essays reveal the wide geographic and temporal range of Asian visual culture.

Issues relating to the art of Korea, Japan, China, and several regions of Southeast Asia are explored, as well as the influences of global and colonial interactions and the UK and US diasporas on Asian art. Written by experts in art history, archaeology, geography, history, and anthropology, the essays are organized around the six critical themes that reflect the current state of Asian art scholarship: Objects in Use, Space, Artists, Challenging the Canon, Shifting Meanings, and Elusive, Mobile Objects. With its multilayered presentation and wealth of thought-provoking new insights, A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture is an important addition to current scholarship that will reshape the way we consider Asian art.