Page 13 - A Time and A Place Catalogue, Jorge Welsh

A Time
and A Place

Views and Perspectives
on Chinese Export Art

Introduction

The precise meaning of the terms ‘views’
and ‘perspectives’ was often debated during
the 18th century in an attempt to distinguish
between traditional landscapes and scenery,
and the built environment. These terms became
identified with the concept of the ‘Picturesque’,
an expression used among English aesthetic
theorists and artists to describe the harmonious
combination of different elements that fulfilled
the condition of being agreeable to the eye,
and that were required to create a ‘picture’.1