Screen of Kings is the first book in any language to examine the cultural role of the regional aristocracy ndash; relatives of the emperors ndash; in Ming dynasty China (1368ndash;1644). Through an analysis of their patronage of architecture; calligraphy; painting and other art forms; and through a study of the contents of their splendid and recently-excavated tombs; this innovative study puts the aristocracy back at the heart of accounts of Chinarsquo;s culture; from which they have been excluded until very recently. Screen of Kings challenges much of the received wisdom about Ming China. Craig Clunas sheds new light on many familiar artworks; as well as work that have never before been reproduced. New archaeological discoveries have furnished the author with evidence of the lavish and spectacular lifestyles of these provincial princes and demonstrate how central the imperial family was to the high culture of the Ming era.Written by the leading specialist in the art and culture of the Ming period; this book will illuminate a key aspect of Chinarsquo;s past; and will significantly alter our understanding of the Ming. It will be enjoyed by anyone with a serious interest in the history and art of this great civilization.
#2707260 in eBooks 2014-08-07 2014-08-07File Name: B00MSYS05S
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. True to the BluesBy Doctor MossIrsquo;ve always been a fan of Johnny Winterrsquo;s music; but I never knew much about his life before reading this book and watching the documentary; Down Dirty. Irsquo;d recommend both to anyone who has been a fan of Winterrsquo;s music. The book in particular will add the kind of depth to your experience of his music that knowing where it comes from can add.Mary Lou Sullivan was Winterrsquo;s friend; not just his biographer. And she wrote with Winterrsquo;s cooperation mdash; he even wrote an approving Foreword to the book. In it; he says; ldquo;To whitewash my life would have been horrible.rdquo; And Sullivan didnrsquo;t cover up the bad parts mdash; the drug and general health problems; Winters regrettable treatment of some of his bandmates and the women in his life; and the nightmarish treatment of Winter himself by at least one of his managers (Teddy Slatus).Sullivan writes more like a friend; telling her friendrsquo;s story; than like a dispassionate journalist. I think that gives the book an emotional dimension that you donrsquo;t find in ldquo;just a biography."The book is organized into three parts. The first covers Winterrsquo;s childhood and early part of his career. He was born into an upper middle class family; and both he and his brother Edgar were encouraged to pursue music. Their dad sang in a barbershop quartet. Johnny learned to play ukulele; among other instruments; and listened to the family collection of pop songs (maybe explaining Winters early recording of ldquo;By the Light of the Silvery Moonrdquo; that Irsquo;ve always wondered about).Of course; there was Winterrsquo;s albinism. He was picked on; bullied; and that sense of simply being different gave him the personal challenges of youth that his familyrsquo;s comfortable economic situation didnrsquo;t.Rock and roll was making its mark as Johnny grew up; and; although he was always drawn to the blues; he followed it. That tension between the commercial appeal of rock and Winterrsquo;s lifelong love of the blues is a theme throughout his career.Winter went seemingly from nobody to famous musician suddenly. He joined or put together local bands for a while; like most; but when he broke he broke big. But the rockstar life seems to have undone him. Sullivan gives Winterrsquo;s own account of the drugs; groupies; and the fast pace. He went from aspiring Texas bluesman to rockstar rubbing elbows and other things with Janis Joplin; jamming with Jimi Hendrix; hanging out at the same clubs as the Stones; the Doors; . . . all the gods of sixties and early seventies rock and roll.Parts one and two of the book are divided by Winterrsquo;s seeking treatment for heroin addiction in 1971 and a pretty long hiatus from recording while he was trying to get himself turned around. Quitting cold didnrsquo;t work; and Winter found what he thought was the solution in methadone.For a while; Winter was able to devote himself to the blues; as hersquo;d always wanted. His collaborations with Muddy Waters in the 70s revived both their careers and really helped Winter to establish himself as a blues musician. To his great credit; I think; he tried to do similar projects with other older blues musicians who had never been paid what their work was worth. His work with Waters; and their personal relationship; was one of the highlights of Winterrsquo;s life. Sullivan conveys the passion both Waters and Winter felt for their relationship.Those years; as Sullivan recounts them; seem to have been Winterrsquo;s best years in some ways. He wasnrsquo;t the rock star he had been; but he was doing what he loved; and he was successful. He had the standing to resist the pull from his manager at the time; Steve Paul; toward rock; as he hadnrsquo;t when he was younger. In truth; I gather from what Sullivan can tell us of Johnnyrsquo;s own thinking; that that tension between commercial success and staying ldquo;true to the bluesrdquo; was as much a struggle within Winterrsquo;s own heart as one between himself and his management.Part 3 is pretty dark. All those years; even while Winter was playing the music he loved and attaining the success he sought as a blues player; he was on a very bad road. Sullivan writes that; while most methadone treatments are short term; meant to wean a user off of heroin; Winter really just turned a 2 year heroin addiction into a decades long methadone addiction.By the mid 90s; his playing had deteriorated badly; and he lived in a fog. He was on powerful anti-anxiety medications as well as methadone; not a good mix at all. He had always been always skinny; and now he was skeletal. He had breakdowns. He spent two stretches in the hospital for anxiety treatments. He was a mess that his manager at this point; Slatus; was; according to Sullivanrsquo;s account; trying to milk for everything he could get out of him.There was a four year gap in recording. The over-medication in particular seems to have been what turned the high-energy; creative Winter into the slow-moving; physically decrepit; and musically fogged Winter of the 90s.In assessing Slatusrsquo;s role; we should keep in mind that he and the author had a pretty major conflict. Sullivan says; in the bookrsquo;s Preface; that Slatus became ldquo;threatenedrdquo; by her relationship with Winter and forbade him from having any further contact with her.If Teddy Slatus is the villain of the story; Paul Nelson is a hero. Nelson extricated Winter from Slaterrsquo;s grip; weaned him away from his medications (something that was still going on when this book was published); and got him healthy enough and coherent enough to make a real comeback.Overall the story leaves me with the impression that; as great as Winter was; he was never what he could have been. It wasnrsquo;t just the drugs; it was also that temptation towards commercial success. If hersquo;d been able to play the music he truly loved; the blues; all his life; and had he been able to keep the devil at bay; who knows.Winterrsquo;s comeback was still underway at the time the book was published. It feels a little bittersweet mdash; it was great to see him recover as well as he did; but it makes you wish he had never fallen so far. To her credit; Sullivan doesnrsquo;t cover the bad stuff up. Itrsquo;s not all happy; but Winter says in the Foreword; ldquo;itrsquo;s exactly what happened."1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I was actually disappointed in how this book was writtenBy L. Carmen BickettI was actually disappointed in how this book was written. I loved johnnys language and commentary--he seemed to have a great sense of humor; and it appeared he was raised in a good family. however; I read several excerpts which appeared 2 or 3 times (repeated) in the biol. Im no writer; I keep a journal; but thought the writing was rather weak and could have been a lot better; considering johnny winters great love of blues; his life-long issues of dealing with being an albino (which never; EVER bothered me--I just loved his music); altho I know many people behave in an ignorant manner re issues such as this. I almost think he could have written the book himself; particularly because of his particular dialect which I loved; coming from a large; poor family in Kentucky. I really appreciated his common man appearance. Id loved to have learned more; and I bet johnny HAD more--I just wish somehow he could have told his stories in the manner in which I was told stories by my extended family. he had a very colorful life; and we lost a great; wonderfully-talented musician in the process.15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Great Subject; Poorly Edited BookBy AcupunkThe exciting story of this brilliant and often overlooked musician is marred by repetitive accounts of the same story. A good editor would have trimmed a hundred pages of anectodotes that are recounted identically by several participants. The author will discuss an event; then the next paragraph will feature a quote from Johnny. The next paragraph will have an identical recount of the exact same incident by someone else with no new insights. As you near the end of this book; you find yourself exhausted from having to reread the same thing over and over.
