Lihong Liu (University of Michigan)

This study examines the transformation of reverse glass painting from an art of virtuosity to a vernacular form of art from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century during Sino-European encounter. The vernacularization of reverse glass painting, Dr. Liu shall argue, reflected a consumption-driven reinvention of certain literary scenes or popular drama that highlighted the common value of plate glass as a diaphanous spectatorial plane. By examining the interrelationship among technique, medium, and genre, this talk reassesses the material agency and medial effect of clear plate glass which was used to support and spark the theatrical views.