Visual Culture in Communist China

Figure 1 Liu Haisu. Huangshan Sky Wonder. Ink and color on the paper. Source: http://www.lhsamb.com/portfolio/%E9%BB%84%E6%B5%B7%E4%B8%80%E7%BA%BF%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%87%E8%A7%82

The painting above is one of the most famous paintings of Liu Haisu. It is called “Huangshan Sky Wonders.” Liu Haisu made this painting in 1976. The painting is about a famous landscape in China which is Mount Huang. Liu Haisu was very interested in Mount Huang, in his older age. He went to Mount Huang for over five times in order to admire the majestic mountain, and he painted over ten drawings. “Huangshan Sky Wonders” is the most famous one. Many kinds of materials are used in this painting. He used ink and brushes first to get the basic contour. Then he used azurite, cinnabar and white powder combined with a special way of painting called “Po Mo.” Its literal meaning is using the ink and spread them on the paper. This kind of technique would create a feeling of blurring for the viewer. People who saw this painting would feel that Mount Huang was tremendous. This kind of painting technique was developed by Liu Haisu and has been thriving since 1976. In the painting, we can see that different bright colors are used like red and blue. These two colors would not appear in the traditional “Shan Shui” painting. The old painting would use colors like grey, black and white. Liu Haisu combined his experience learned when he was in Europe. Like in his old oil painting, he would use lots of bright colors. It is a big leap over the old traditional “Shan Shui” painting. Liu Haisu is in the frontier of combining the western art style with old traditional Chinese painting. He used to have an oil painting in his early years. He combined Vincent van Gogh and Matisse to create his oil painting. “Huangshan Sky Wonders” is his first painting that did not use his most familiar oil painting. He used ink and color on paper. The size of this painting is 134.1cm x 69.3cm. It is relatively small compared to those “Shan shui” paintings. However, its techniques of “Po Mo” would still give the viewers a feeling of awe to the gigantic Mount Huang.

Reference

1. Shao Xiaofeng, Liu Haisu’s contribution to “Po Mo”, Xing Lang, http://collection.sina.com.cn/cjrw/2018-10-08/doc-ihkvrhpt0024451.shtml
2. http://www.lhsamb.com/portfolio/%E9%BB%84%E6%B5%B7%E4%B8%80%E7%BA%BF%E5%A4%A9%E5%A5%87%E8%A7%82

Fu Baoshi was born in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province in 1904. He lived in a particularly turbulent time in Chinese history that can be characterized by widespread devastation and identity loss. Baoshi was just a child when Chinese Imperialism was overthrown and the Chinese Republic was established. “He subsequently witnessed the divisive warlord era and Communist rebellion of the 1920s, the Japanese invasion and occupation of eastern China from 1937 to 1945, and the Communist Revolution and establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949” (Cohn, Don J., Art and AsiaPacific, Iss. 79). Baoshi’s stlye can be recognized as a revival of earlier traditions of realistic depictions that made greater use of color and ink wash that represent a shift away from the evolution of Chinese art that focused a great dependency on monochromatic, calligraphic brushwork (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Baoshi studied art in both China and Japan and drew a lot of influence from the West. He stressed the importance of an artist being emotionally and physically present in his art and he achieved this by often working while inebriated. Baoshi is recognized as one of China’s great individualist masters (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Bibliograpy:

Fu Baoshi
Cohn, Don J. Art and AsiaPacific; New York Iss. 79, (Jul/Aug 2012): 106-107.

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/fu-baoshi

RAINING, DROWNING AND SWIMMING: FU BAOSHI AND WATER
Clarke, David

Zeng Fanzhi, 面具系列第十六号, Oil on canvas, 1994. Artnet.

http://www.artnet.com/artists/zeng-fanzhi/mianjuxiliedishiliuhao-meRjwZrh8PjW-Ev-YqVczQ2

Zeng Fanzhi, born in 1964, is a contemporary Chinese painter who grew up in Wuhan in the Hubei province (Shiff, 2010). Having grown up during the Cultural Revolution, a time where there was constant struggle, Zeng turned to painting as to escape and also portray the troubles going on in China. He attended the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts where he became fascinated with Western art, in particular German Expressionist painting (Artnet). In his works, Zeng comments on the adverse economic and societal effects that the Revolution had on China as many dealt with issues of identity and loss. His works reflect both Western and Eastern styles as he reveals his observations and experiences, while remarking on Chinese tradition and Westernization (The Art Story). Pictured above is one of Zeng’s paintings from his Mask Series, where he depicts various natives in masks which come to represent ‘loss, alienation, and the whitewashing of Asian identity’ (The Art Story).

Bibliography:

“Zeng Fanzhi” Artnet.

“Zeng Fanzhi: Overview and Analysis” The Art Story.

Shiff, Richard. Zeng Fanzhi. Hatje Cantz, November 30, 2010.

Cai Guo-Qiang is an artist who practices multimedia works, including drawing, installation, performance, and video works. Cai now works out of New York City, but was born and began focusing on artwork in Quanzhou, China. He is widely known for his works with explosives and gunpowder, that he first started doing in his hometown, but have become famous around the world allowing him to be known as “The artist who paints with explosives.” A lot of his pieces have allowed him to take on awards such as the 7th Hiroshima Art Prize in 2007 and the 20th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 2009. In addition to this, he also was in charge of the special effects for The Beijing Olympics in the summer of 2008. in 2013, Cai traveled to Brazil, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where he did a tour of his explosive art works and ended up being the most visited exhibition by any living artist, gathering around a million people to see it. Cai mentions that his use of gunpowder has not always gone smoothly however. At a young age he discussed how he lit up his canvas and his grandmother came to his rescue, put it out, and taught him how to be more careful while using such a dangerous medium. This being said, He has put a lasting impact on performance and installation pieces and is continuing to do so in honor of his grandmother.

sources referenced:

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/cai-guo-qiang-explosive-art/index.html

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Feng Zikai was born November 9, 1898 in Tongxiang in the Zhejiang province. As well as being a Chinese painter, Feng was also known for his work as a music teacher, essayist, and translator. Feng went to school at the Zhejiang First Normal College where he studied Western painting and music. In order to learn more about the Western style of art, Feng then went on to study at Kawabata Painting School in Tokyo, Japan. While here, he discovered the style of manga art.

In 1922, Feng returned to China and began working as a teacher in Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Chongqing. The 1920’s was also when Feng began publishing his woodcut illustrations in newspapers and journals all around China, and became famous for the illustration’s sharp social commentaries. Because of this work, Feng became known as the “father of Chinese cartoons”(Oliver Krischer, ArtAsiaPacific, The Hong Kong Museum of Art, http://artasiapacific.com/Magazine/80/TheArtOfFengZikaiFengZikai.) Feng died September 15, 1975, but his works remained popular long after his passing, and are still highly viewed to this day (Lambiek, Feng Zikai, Comiclopedia, https://www.lambiek.net/artists/f/feng_zikai.htm.).

Feng Zikai. Spring Breeze. Ink and color on paper. 20th Century. Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Image Source: http://www.cguardian.com/en/AuctionQuery.html.

References:

Krischer, Oliver. ArtAsiaPacific. The Hong Kong Museum of Art. http://artasiapacific.com/Magazine/80/TheArtOfFengZikaiFengZikai.

Lambiek. Feng Zikai. Comiclopedia. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/f/feng_zikai.htm.

Image Source: http://www.cguardian.com/en/AuctionQuery.html

Chen Yifei was a realist oil painter who lived from 1946 to 2005. He is famous for his timeless depictions of Suzhou, in Jiangsu province, as well as Chinese women in antique costumes. Chen studied art in high school, and in his late teenage years, began catching the attention of Chinese officials for his propaganda work which often glorified soldiers of the Communist party or portrayed grand images of Mao Zedong. He was soon considered a leading artist at the state-financed Shanghai Institute of Painting and was one of the first artists from the People’s Republic of China to be granted permission to study art in the United States. He had success with his exhibitions in the United States, notably with his solo exhibition at Hammer Galleries in 1983 triggering a sensation in the art-world of New York. Most people believed that his work neither fit into the mold of Chinese nor Western art, but was more multicultural, with a blend of romantic realism and impressionism. Critics often said that, whatever the style or theme of his art, the common link between all of his work is a commitment to beauty (Song 2013). In the early 1990s, Chen began to expand his artistic range to include film and fashion. He directed a movie and two artistic documentaries depicting the experiences of Jews who came to Shanghai during World War II. He also created a fashion brand called Layefe, selling high-end clothing and home furnishings. Chen passed away in 2005 while working on his film, ‘Barber’ (Song 2013). Some critics say that he turned increasingly commercial toward the end of his life, and was denounced for capitalistic behavior at points.

Figure 1. Chen Yifei. Five young women playing flutes. Oil on canvas. “Chen Yifei.” Qing Dynasty Ceramics, Porcelain | China Online Museum. Accessed January 20, 2019. http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-chen-yifei.php.

“Chen Yifei.” Qing Dynasty Ceramics, Porcelain | China Online Museum. Accessed January 20, 2019. http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-chen-yifei.php.

“Chen Yifei.” Wikipedia. November 15, 2018. Accessed January 20, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Yifei.

“Chen Yifei (陈逸飞).” Razor Tie Artery Foundation Announce New Joint Venture Recordings | Razor & Tie. March 17, 2012. Accessed January 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20120317144455/http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/History-of-Shanghai/History/Historical-Figures/200810/31-952.html.
Song, Yuwu. “Chen, Yifei (1946-2005).” In Biographical Dictionary of the People’s Republic of China, by Yuwu Song. McFarland, 2013. http://libproxy.union.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/mcfpeoples/chen_yifei_1946_2005/0?institutionId=5120

Qi Baishi was born November 22, 1863, in the Hunan Province of China and died September 16, 1957, in Beijing. Qi Baishi was self-taught in the ways of poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and was very active towards the end of his life. When he was younger, he was a carpenter, as he came from a lower class. (Qi Baishi, Encyclopædia Britannica) He was well versed in simple, sketched compositions, using bright colors and vigorous strokes, expressing love and nature. Qi Baishi theorized that “paintings must be something between likeness and unlikeness.” (Likeness & Unlikeness : Selected Paintings of Qi Baishi) He focused on smaller things such as shrimp, frogs, crabs, and insects, instead of vast landscapes. In 1953, Qi Baishi was elected to the president of the Association of Chinese Artists and was very active until the end of his life. He served as honorary president of the Beijing Academy of Chinese Painting for a brief time. (Qi Baishi, Encyclopædia Britannica)

Photo of Qi Baishi

Qi Baishi’s Painting Called Three Frogs

• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Qi Baishi.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Nov. 2018
• “Qi Baishi.” Britannica Online Academic Edition 24 Oct. 2018. Web.
• Qi Baishi. Likeness & Unlikeness : Selected Paintings of Qi Baishi. 1st ed. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1989. Print.
• Photo portrait of Qi Baishi in 1956, Picture, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi_Baishi
• Qi Baishi, Three Frogs, Painting, 20th Century, Hong Kong, https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/qi-baishi-1863-1957-three-frogs-5574189-details.aspx