A piece of artwork can sometimes be difficult to interpret and to understand what the artist was truly trying to get through to the viewer. A review helps gives a new insight to the artwork, allowing the viewer to appreciate the art in a different light.

When you view the pieces of artwork in “The Art of Dissent in 17th-Century China: Masterpieces of Ming Loyalist Art from the Chih Lo Lou Collection”, you feel a sense of serenity about them. The paintings are so gentle looking; you would not expect any turmoil to be happening behind the scenes. In Holland Cotter’s review of The Art of Dissent in 17th-Century China: Masterpieces of Ming Loyalist Art from the Chih Lo Lou Collection, he gives us historical information about the time period of when the painting was created. These serene paintings and poems do anything but echo the events of the 17th century in China. The Manchus were invading and the Chinese were forced to choose between the old regime or the new regime. Many artists stayed loyal to the old regime, committing suicide and dying with the old regime, or starving themselves as a mean of peaceful protest. Suddenly, the fine lines of the Chinese artwork don’t seem serene anymore.

When the paintings are obvious to what the artist was trying to get through, the reviews help to confirm what you were thinking. In Karen Rosenberg’s review of Ingres at the Morgan, she explains each of the expressions on the person being painted’s face. The portrait of Guillaume Guillon-Lethière shows that he is a confident man and very well off by the clothes he wears in the portrait. Rosenberg’s historical information about Guillon-Lethière confirms our interpretation of this artwork.