Conversing with the Past: the Value of Copying in Chinese Painting

In the western world “copying” carries a negative connotation, hinting at lack of creativity and artistic talent and it can be synonym with plagiarism and forgery, although Roman copies of Greek sculptures are not seen this way, nor are Caravaggesque painters. In pre-20th century China, copies of old masters’ paintings and calligraphies were regarded as honourable works of art, set apart from forgeries made with the intent to deceive. This attitude can be attributed to one of the pilasters of Chinese thought, that is, the preservation or recovering of the past, motivated not by the intention to repeat it, but to validate change