Facing China: Truth and Memory in Portraiture.

"Facing China: Truth and Memory in Portraiture" by Richard Vinograd is a comprehensive study that goes beyond the traditional definition of portraiture in China. The book explores the social, cultural, and ritual contexts that shaped various forms of identification in Chinese portraiture. It examines ancestral and commemorative portraits, portraits documenting foreign relations, literati painters' involvement in the portraiture process, the communication of bodies through portraits, and the critical reflections and agency of portraiture. The book covers a wide range of time periods and uses unexpected juxtapositions to highlight thematic affinities. It is accessible to readers with varying levels of knowledge in Chinese history and will be of interest to art historians and those interested in the negotiation of identity and personhood in visual culture. [Extracted from the article]