His work fills in the hitherto unexplored social and economic contexts in which painters worked, revealing the details of how painters in China actually made their living from the sixteenth century onward.

Discusses the economic, political, and social conditions of artists in China, describing their place in its hierarchical structure

Complete with an Introduction by James Gurney, the author of Dinotopia, this guide introduces not only the techniques of oil painting but also the underlying principles of figure drawing. A series of images by the Old Masters includes 32 pages in full color, featuring paintings from the Italian, Dutch, Spanish, French, and British schools. "A masterly exposition." — Liverpool Daily Post.