Rocks As Art: A Chinese Tradition from Antiquity to the Contemporary

For over a millennium, China’s social elite have been collecting and displaying rocks chosen for their aesthetic appeal and spiritual power. Embodiments of cosmic force and vital energy, rocks serve as a focus of meditation when placed in a garden or a residential interior. They can engender thoughts about travel through mountains or the paradisiacal lands of the immortals. They can also become a collector’s friend. The artistic resonance of stones is reflected in the Chinese concept that a garden without rocks is not beautiful and a room without rocks is not elegant. Cultural meanings of stones, their manners of display, and the criteria by which they are judged will be discussed by looking at examples of collected rocks, their presence in Chinese paintings, and how they have inspired other art forms.

This program is supported by the Sandra Cohen Bakalar ‘55 Fund, Davis Museum Endowed Fund for International Cultural Programming, and Wellesley College Friends of Art at the Davis.