Political map of China, 2001: Courtesy of The General Libraries,The University of Texas at AustinArt of any culture can be classified in a variety of ways, for example by materials, chronology or themes illustrated by the artifacts. All of these are to some degree exclusionary. Traditional approaches to Chinese art have tended to focus exclusively on either temporal developments in art, or on a genre or material such as painting, bronzes or porcelain. We have opted for a thematic approach so that aspects of Chinese culture may be examined as they are reflected in its art.
The three main themes will be:
Temporal, Spatial, and Cultural.
We have chosen to place Chinese art in six locations, aiming to be as comprehensive as possible while presenting the art in its functional setting. Through these six environments a strong connection between the artist, the product and the user can be made, thus enabling the objects to illustrate that society and for their roles in that society to be examined.