Dr. Kristen Loring Brennan

About Dr. Kristen Loring Brennan

Dr. Kristen Chiem is Contributing Editor for East Asian Art. She earned her M.A. from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research concentrates on late imperial Chinese painting. She is currently Associate Professor of Art at Pepperdine University.

A 14th-century physician climbs Mount Hua.

Wang Lü, Landscapes of Mount Hua (Huashan)

Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan, 1967, oil on canvas — Promoting Mao as a revolutionary leader, this portrait melds Chinese landscape convention with socialist realism.

A-Level: Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route ...

The Master of the (Fishing) Nets Garden in Suzhou, China was originally designed by Shi Zhengzhi, a 12th century official during the Southern Song Dynasty. — Every inch of this contemplative space was carefully crafted—there’s bamboo, patterned paving, and scholar’s rocks.

Master of the (Fishing) Nets Garden

Oracle Bone, Shang dynasty — The writing on these bones is 3000 years old, but scholars can decipher an incredible 40 percent of the characters.

Oracle Bone, Shang Dynasty

Da Ke Ding — Not for everyday use, this ritual bronze vessel is significant in function and in heft. It weighs over 400 pounds!

Da Ke Ding

Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan, 1967, oil on canvas — Promoting Mao as a revolutionary leader, this portrait melds Chinese landscape convention with socialist realism.

Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to ...

Portrait of Sin Sukju, second half of the 15th century, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 167 x 109.5 cm, Goryeong Sin Family Collection, Cheongwon, Treasure no. 613. — Sin Sukju’s attire and posture may be formulaic, but the face is definitely his—wrinkles and all.

Portrait of Sin Sukju

Crown, Silla kingdom, second half of 5th century, gold and jade, excavated from the north mound of Hwangnam Daechong Tomb, 10 3/4" / 27.3 cm high (Gyeongju National Museum, Korea, National Treasure 191) — With its gold branches, this crown evokes a sacred tree. Jade ornaments represent fertility and abundance.

Gold and jade crown, Silla Kingdom

Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuan, 1967, oil on canvas — Chairman Mao is portrayed as a revolutionary leader championing the common people in this work of socialist realism.

Liu Chunhua, Chairman Mao en Route to ...