Chinese school; Qing Dynasty, 19th century.

Chinese school; Qing Dynasty, 19th century.
"Portrait of a literate person".
Watercolor on paper glued to cardboard.
Presents faults.
Measurements: 57 x 40 cm.
Male portrait in watercolor. The clothing and his beard suggest that it is the representation of a scholar. Under the Qing, inherited art forms flourished and innovations occurred at many levels and in many types. High levels of literacy, a successful publishing industry, thriving cities, and Confucian emphasis on cultivation nurtured a lively and creative set of cultural fields. By the late 19th century, the national artistic and cultural worlds had begun to reconcile with the cosmopolitan culture of the West and Japan. The decision to remain within the old forms or to welcome Western models was now a conscious choice rather than an unquestioning acceptance of tradition. Classically trained Confucian scholars. The Qing emperors were generally skilled in poetry and often skilled in painting, and they offered their patronage to Confucian culture.