Orientations is a bimonthly magazine published in Hong Kong since 1969 and distributed worldwide. It is an authoritative source of information on the many and varied aspects of the arts of East and Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East, from the latest scholarly research to market analysis and current news.
Originally conceived as a publication devoted to travel and the culture of ‘the Orient’, the magazine evolved into a scholarly journal on art, architecture, and archaeology over the past decades as the rest of the world became better acquainted with the region. Orientations brings readers stories of interesting people, amazing places, and incredible art collections.
Now available in both print and digital, Orientations is an essential addition to any library.
HIGHLIGHTS
Street vendors were a popular painting subject in both the Song dynasty (960–1279) and the subsequent Yuan dynasty (1272–1368), the transition of which marked the dominion of the Mongol empire over China.
The Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) is often regarded as the most wealthy age of ancient Chinese empires, and Tang art elaborately demonstrates the dynasty’s cultural diversity.
The reign of Qianlong (r. 1735–96) marked the most glorious period in the long history of jade production in China. The stable imperial power and unprecedented prosperity created an environment in which jade carving could flourish.
Trained in Chinese painting and calligraphy at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art), Wang is well versed in classical aesthetics and literati idealism, but remains conscious not to let tradition limit his creativity.
The significance and relevance of the art of writing compellingly lends this subject to the opening presentation in this gallery. Calligraphy is omnipresent in East Asia, where writing systems are crucial.
Karlin was by no means the first woman to travel around the world alone, but according to Barbara Trnovec, curator of the archive of materials and documents Karlin accumulated during the course of her journey at the Celje Regional Museum in Slovenia, she was one of the first women to travel on her own for such an extended period.
In 1954, the Japanese oil painter Hagiwara Hideo (1913–2007) turned to woodblock printmaking after falling ill with tuberculosis. Right from the start his prints were abstract in style, which made his reputation abroad as well as in Japan.
Contemporary artist Zheng Chongbin (b. 1961, Shanghai) has turned Chinese painting inside out, focusing on its materials and surface, the performance and process of painting.
Xie Jinglan (1921–95), nicknamed Lalan, was an artist who paved her search into spirituality through the oeuvre she composed, choreographed, performed, and painted.
The exhibition ‘Vanishing Beauty: Asian Jewelry and Ritual Objects from the Barbara and David Kipper Collection’, on view at the Art Institute of Chicago from 19 June to 21 August this year, showcased the extensive collection of jewellery as well as ritual objects from the Himalayas and other Asian regions to be gifted to the museum by Barbara Levy Kipper.