Lin Shen_Discernment Through Art I: Ten Lessons on Art and Fake Authenticity_Hong Kong & Macau Limited Edition

Author: Lin Shen Publisher: Bright Light Culture Size: 150mm x 210mm Pages: 176 ISBN: 978-988-8820-38-2 Publication Date: May 2023 [Synopsis] With the poetic and insightful touch of a humanist scholar, Cambridge-educated Lin Shen guides readers through the castles, cultural heritage sites, museums, metropolises, films, and literary worlds of Europe, Britain, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, seeking to offer solace to our restless era. This series has garnered praise from a diverse group of esteemed individuals, including renowned Hong Kong designer Kan Tai-keung, American philosophy professor Wang Wei-hsiung, Taiwanese cultural scholars Chiu Te-liang and Yip Yin-cheong, artist Sampson Wong, and critic Tang Heng-chiang! Examining art through a lens of discerning taste, following the natural flow, and concerning elegance and morality, we find precedents both East and West. In Chinese culture, there's the saying, "What kind of propriety is this?" while philosopher Wittgenstein believed ethics and aesthetics to be one and the same. Lin Shen begins with a narrative woven from the story behind a French oil painting, constructing an artistic discourse that uses sensibility to fill the gaps, distinguishing the fitting from the grotesque, the orthodox from the absurd. Join us in exploring positive forms of life in this grand era, seeking truth, unmasking falsehood, breaking free from dualities, and shining brilliantly. [Endorsements] "I am deeply moved by this Hong Kong author's dedication to establishing his life's work through writing... Reading it feels like traveling with the author across Europe, listening to his guidance on art and architecture, which broadens one's appreciation and inspires new perspectives for discerning authenticity and judging beauty and ugliness." - Kan Tai-keung (Ink Painter, Designer, Artist) "The author's extensive references showcase his broad knowledge, skillfully balancing the refined and the popular, ancient and modern, East and West... The central concept of 'fake authenticity' is profoundly meaningful and thought-provoking." - Wang Wei-hsiung (Professor of Philosophy, California State University) "Not only does he gracefully navigate the erudite discussions of art theory, but he also traverses the classics of both Chinese and Western cultures. More commendably, this is not mere ivory tower musing; it is a masterfully executed work, born from countless hours spent in European museums and historic residences, observing countless paintings. It truly embodies the spirit of traveling ten thousand miles and reading ten thousand books, capturing serendipitous insights." - Chiu Te-liang (Associate Professor and Acting Director, Graduate Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) "A bewildering array of insights, truly astonishing... The learned author inevitably leads one to contemplate from an unfamiliar perspective or scenario. The question of authenticity versus forgery, discussed repeatedly in the book, is precisely the conundrum of our times." - Yip Yin-cheong (Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) [Author Biography] Lin Shen (San Lam) is a Hong Kong writer, theoretical criminologist, thinker, and novelist. Born in Hong Kong, he earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Law and has held positions as a visiting scholar at the same university and an honorary fellow at the University of Hong Kong. His scholarship spans literature, history, philosophy, sociology, and aesthetics. He advocates for the development of original thought and has introduced innovative concepts such as "orthodox games" and "fake authenticity," earning acclaim both within and beyond academic circles in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. His debut work quickly became a bestseller at Eslite and Prologue Bookshop in Hong Kong. The concept from his novel "The Other Ones" was adapted into a short film, and he has also authored collections of essays, which are held in the libraries of institutions such as the Academia Sinica and various universities in Taiwan. Abandoning law for literature amidst the societal currents, he retreated to Europe to dedicate himself to writing.