Art and Artists of Twentieth Century China

Art and Artists of Twentieth Century China by Michael Sullivan (1996, University of California Press)

The theme of this book is the rebirth of Chinese art in the twentieth century under the influence of Western art and culture, a confrontation between two great traditions that has had momentous consequences for Chinese art.

..After 1900, and far more rapidly after the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the Manchus, Western art came to be seen by many as the expression of all that was useful, progressive, and outward-looking. Since that time, art in China has been one expression of a huge dialectical struggle - or rather two stuggles: between Chinese and Western culture, and between tradition and modernization.

Contrasts in the approaches to painting between traditional Chinese and Western styles: Chinese artists did not seek to accurately depict a scene as to prevserve the timeless truth of the work, such accuracy was positively harmful.

Western style of painting involved preliminary sketches into a deliberately thought-out composition>> Chinese artists did not practice this.

This reflects on the creative values and approaches of the two societies.

Chinese painters were not only skilled in that field, they were also required to excel at poetry and calligraphy, the aim was to unite these "three perfect things" in the work.

The new culture movement/ cultural renaissance.. during the early 1900s. Very much like what was going on in Europe with the denouncing of old painting traditions.. the same was happening with China's art heritage as well as culture! There was a call to the China's youth to take up the struggle and assume responsibility for creating a new culture. New ideas and new emotions could not be conveyed in the old literary language; they needed new forms of expression.

ziwo - "I myself"

...I am the spendour of the moon,

I am the splendour of the sun,

I am the splendour of the myriad stars,

I am the total energy of the Universe.

I run swiftly,

I cry wildly,

I burn fiercely.

I am I!

My ego is about to burst!

- Guo Moruo's "Heavenly Hound"

The time was also inspired by Japanese themes for the search of the so-called kindai-jiga(modern selfhood)