Flora and Fauna in Focus

Adopting an ecological perspective, Shing-Kwan Chan's dissertation examines how the Chinese painter Ju Lian (居廉, 1828–1904) reconsidered and represented historically undervalued natural subjects in his bird-and-flower paintings from late-Qing Guangdong, China. The research explores how Ju Lian’s empirical methodologies and innovative techniques were not only informed by Sino-Western exchange, but also marked a significant convergence of artistic practice and scientific observation. Supported by the Princeton Digital Humanities Fellowship, Shing-Kwan investigates how data-driven tools can enrich traditional art historical methods. Specifically, he is building a database related to Ju Lian's paintings, using the data to perform analyses like correlation matrices and network mapping to uncover new patterns and relationships within the Guangdong art world.