Leqi Yu

Architectural painting, or jiehua, occupies a special position in the history of Chinese painting. However, this genre has not attracted the attention it deserves, and the limited scholarship concentrates on the periods of Song and Qing. My dissertation attempts to develop a systematic study of Yuan jiehua, and particularly explores how Yuan jiehua could flourish despite the literati's belittlement and why Yuan architectural painters put emphasis on technical virtuosity. My study focuses on the professional painter Xia Yong (active mid-14th c.), who could bring multiple layers of Yuan jiehua into an integrated entity that involves issues of literati ideals under Mongol rule, the relation between Yuan court painters and craftsmanship, and Yuan's relation to Song jiehua tradition.