The late-Ming official Hsieh Chao-che traveled widely, spending most of his career in the provinces. His Wu-tsa-tsu (Five Miscellanies) is a priceless resource on Chinese thought and aesthetics in a period of profound political and social change. Oertling's complete translation of the sections on painting and calligraphy is exhaustively annotated and accompanied by a lengthy interpretive essay. Oertling examines the major critical trends of the age: the orthodox, with its emphasis on direct study of classic works, and the heterodox, which encouraged personal expression and change.
Sewall J. Oertling is Professor of Art History and Chair of the Art Department, State University of New York at Oswego.
