author
Raphaël Petrucci
1872–1917
A French writer and art historian with a deep interest in East Asian art, he helped introduce many Western readers to Chinese painting in the early 20th century. His work blends careful study with a real sense of wonder about artistic traditions beyond Europe.
1 Audiobook
Chinese Painters: A Critical Study
by Raphaël Petrucci
About the author
Born in Naples in 1872 and dying in Paris in 1917, Raphaël Petrucci is identified by major French reference sources as a sociologist, art historian, orientalist, critic, and translator. He is especially remembered for writing about Chinese art at a time when it was still little known to many European readers.
Petrucci is best known for Chinese Painters: A Critical Study and for other writings on Far Eastern art. The prefatory note to the Project Gutenberg edition describes him as one of the most devoted interpreters of the art of the Far East, which helps explain why his books remained of interest after his early death.
For listeners coming to his work today, Petrucci offers a window into how Chinese painting was being studied and explained to Western audiences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His writing reflects both scholarship and enthusiasm, making him an intriguing guide to the history of art.