The Chinese Artist Grows Old: Aging and Creativity

"As an abundant compendium of translated classical Chinese texts concerning the symbiosis of life experience and creativity, Jason Kuo's The Chinese Artist Grows Old: Aging and Creativity is a valuable resource for scholars, teachers, artists, and curious readers alike. It also revives the classical Chinese genre of cultural writing called 'brush notes, ' by which Kuo's commentaries link the historical excerpts but do not over-determine their meanings. The result, which combines fluid translations and transcriptions of classical Chinese texts alongside original artworks, is a sort of exhibition tour, in which Kuo enables readers to have a direct conversation with the past as much as with him."

- Michael J. Hatch, Associate Professor of Art History, Trinity College, and author of Networks of Touch: A Tactile History of Chinese Art, 1790-1840

"The Chinese Artist Grows Old: Aging and Creativity is a significant addition to the growing literature on the intersection of art and aging. It concisely introduces a diverse range of artists-spanning almost one thousand years-and provides rich context by drawing on contemporaneous literature. Generously illustrated, it is a welcome contribution that will support the development of a more international perspective on the idea of late artistic style."

-Peter L. Doebler, Kettering Curator of Art, Dayton Art Institute

"In The Chinese Artist Grows Old: Aging and Creativity, Jason Kuo has written, with tremendous erudition and critical insight, a fascinating account of how Chinese artists-poets, calligraphers, and painters-from the imperial past to our own time strive to create works of art as they age, often overcoming illness and many other associated difficulties. The book is a major contribution to the current debates in art history and literary studies on late and old-age style.

-Hanwei Wang, Professor of Art History, Nanjing Normal University; author of Studies on the Calligraphy of Dunhuang Documents in the Southern Dynasties