Baimiao, shuanggou, gongbi, xieyi, and mogu. These words define unique Chinese painting techniques or methods, each of which is seized by the artists whose work is shown in the exhibition, "Brilliant Strokes: Chinese Paintings from the Mactaggart Art Collection," at the University of Alberta Museums in 2008. These paintings span a period of five hundred years, from the fifteenth century to the twentieth century. Brilliant Strokes, the book, is a stunning accompaniment to the exhibition: art enthusiasts and readers intrigued by Asian art are invited to tour its luminous pages.

Ka Bo Tsang is an art historian specializing in Chinese pictorial arts and calligraphy at the Royal Ontario Museum. She has developed a strong research interest in Chinese culture, textiles, and symbolism. She lives in Toronto. The Mactaggart Art Collection is one of the premiere collections of Chinese art and textiles in North America.

Ka Bo Tsang's profile page

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"Superbly illustrated throughout, "Brilliant Strokes" is a seminal work of scholarship that is both highly recommended for academic Art History collections and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Chinese Art."

'"Brilliant Strokes: Chinese Paintings From the MacTaggart Art Collection" covers 'baimiao', 'gongbi', 'mogu' and other painting techniques used by Chinese artists. While it covers an exhibition created by the University of Alberta Museums and makes for an excellent catalog, it also stands well alone as a survey. Highly recommended for college-level art libraries and for collections in Chinese arts and culture.' – Midwest Book Review, January 2009

"This is the second in a series of publications dedicated to the analysis of a private donation of major Asian works to the University of Alberta. The folios in this edition contain works from the 15th to the late 20th centuries and include pen and ink illustrations of rural scenery, daily pursuits, and court life, as well as cameos of flowers, insects, and animals through the centuries.... The number of works under discussion is quite small, but it is evident that they have been chosen as representational of important schools and epochs of art.... This is a valuable tool as a quick overview of several centuries of Chinese painting." Lisa Arsenault, CBRA, 2009