Professor, Co-Chair

Art, Asian Studies

Tamara Bentley teaches broadly in the arts of China and Japan. Her research concentrates on relationships between visual and literary values in 17th century and 18th century Chinese and Japanese paintings and prints; as well as the international exchange of imagery in the early modern era. She has several articles published on the international circulation of prints in circa 1600 and on printed playing cards. She is particularly interested in issues of comparative print cultures, expanding public markets for art, trade, and the treatment of "otherness" in this era. She recently completed a book for Ashgate Press on the figurative images of the 17th century Chinese artist Chen Hongshou, which will be available in April 2012.

Professor Bentley is the author of a new publication

The Figurative Works of Chen Hongshou (1599-1652): Authentic Voices/Expanding Markets

Through analysis of Chen's figure paintings and print designs, Bentley examines the artist's engagement with the values of "authenticity" and "emotion," which were part of a larger discourse stressing idiosyncrasy, the individual voice, and vernacular literature.

Activities & Interests

Art and International Trade
Print Culture
Art and Markets
Word and Image
Portraiture
Treatments of Emotion

Regular Classes

• AH113/PA117 Introduction to Asian Art
• AH254/PA254 Art of China
• AH255/PA255 Art of Japan
• AH265/PA265 China/Europe/Japan: Art and International Trade 1550 - 1800

Committees & Governance

• FYE Committee
• Curriculum Committee
• GEOC Committee
• I.D.E.A. Space Committee