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Essay Subject: Analyzes the prime influences on 20th century Chinese Art. Issues of identity & the relationship of the self to the state are determined primary. Focuses on the works of Xu Beihong & Lin Fengmian.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Analyzes the prime influences on 20th century Chinese Art. Issues of identity & the relationship of the self to the state are determined primary. Focuses on the works of Xu Beihong & Lin Fengmian. Paper Introduction: John Fitzgerald in his essay "The Invention of the Modern Chinese Self" considers ways in which the Chinese developed the concept of self, an idea that was first developed in Europe in modern times. The view taken currently differs from that of the earlier Republican era in Chinese history: In the ethics of late-twentieth century China the naked, new-born self is born a citizen, a little helper and a pillar of society. . . The roles of citizen, little helper and pillar of society into which the child is welcomed today were not known to the child's forebears earlier this century when the identity of the self was up for negotiation along with the rest of the empire (Fitzgerald 25). Issues of identity and the relationship of the self to the state serve Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. His works wereincreasingly subjective, and this fed on his exposure to theexpressionistic side of Western modernism and its use of non-naturalisticcolor to evoke feeling. Clarke also finds that later in hiscareer, Lin began finding ways to integrate tradition with modernism and toproduce a synthesis that discovered similarities and common conceptions: Although Western modernist painting is consciously at odds with earlier Western art it does have certain properties in common with traditional Chinese painting, such as an emphasis on the artist's gesture, the painted mark, as opposed to the represented subject (Clarke 26).Lin was able to tilt in the direction of tradition in his later works andso to allow new Western influences to enter his art. Another similar choice of subject matter is seen in a work by Xu inwhich a warrior prepares to execute a female prisoner as she prays and apainting by Lin with a subject from Chinese opera entitled "Farewell."Again, the Xu painting is clearly naturalistic in style, and it has more incommon with various traditional Western art than with modernist art. Thescene is dark, in keeping with the event taking place. It is a night scene which makes use of light areasto create contrast and to create the lighting effects one would expect tosee on a moonlit night with a hazy sky. The importance of filialpiety was emphasized in the Taiping era in the official text called "APrimer in Verse." The Taipings opposed Confucianism, but in fact theyadopted many elements of Confucianism, as can be seen in "The Way of theFamily": Kinsfolk within the household-- Be cheerful and happy! If one keeps to kingly rule [relying on virtue], there will be order; if one follows the way of the overlord [relying on power], there will be disorder (De Bary, Chin, and Tan 8 ). "Exile from Tradition." Oriental Art (Winter 1993-1994), 22-28.De Bary, Wm. He also learned a good deal abouttraditional Chinese art from Xu Dazhang, his father. Be harmonious and united as one body, Blessings will shower down upon you from Heaven. In the Taiping era, Confucianismprevailed, while by the middle of the next century Confucianism wasrejected in favor of a new and foreign (though modified to the Chinesesituation) Marxist ideology. (De Bary, Chin, and Tan 3 ) The superiority of Confucianism was explained by Yeh Te-Hui, showinghow Confucianism was still strong in the early years of this century afterreformist moves in the 189 s. Fitzgerald says that once the awakened self had been classified as acitizen and once its community had been identified as the Chinese nation-state, the relationship between self and community emerged in discussionsof the stage itself (Fitzgerald 36). The light derivesfrom a flame on a tall candle over the table, and the lighting isnaturalistic. Atthe same time, the posture of the figures is more in keeping withtraditional Chinese images even though the figures are rendered in moredetail. New York: Columbia University Press, 196 .Fitzgerald, John. Confucianism was long the primary influencein Chinese thought, challenged by different strains of religious andphilosophical thought at different times, but hardy enough to persist. The entire work indeed is shaped by sharpangles and geometric forms. For Yeh Te-Hui, Confucianism is anessential element in Chinese life: An examination of the causes of success and failure in government reveals that in general the upholding of Confucianism leads to good government while the adoption of foreignism leads to disorder. A different sort of religious image is offered byLin in "Fire at Red Cliff" in which masks represent the many peoplestanding around the fire in some sort of ceremony, and again the modernisttendencies are strong in this work. The woman'sfigure is representative rather than real, with the body indicated in a fewlines that are not quite proportional. He wrote his Analects as guides for living, and Confucianismwould infuse the writings and thinking of other philosophers, rulers, andreligious leaders through the ages. Works CitedChu, Christina. His human figures are fullydeveloped, with shadings and muscle tone clearly rendered in a realisticway. . "The Invention of the Modern Chinese Self." The Xu work is indeed much more naturalistic and creates a senseof place that is realistic and well-observed. Perfection is achieved through following the Analects ofConfucius, concerned primarily with the individual's relationship to hisfellow man and to the ethical and moral problems that will ensue, andfilial piety is a major tenet of Confucianism. Sources of Chinese Tradition: Volume II. Xu shows his naturalistic style again in a work depicting a warrior-shaman leading a prayer, and the work is reminiscent of Delacroix in theway it balances the mass of people on one side, each depicted individuallyand fully, against the man leading the prayer on the opposite side, withhis horse and the man holding his horse behind him adding to the weight ofhis side of the frame. Confucianism differs from religioussystems in that it is a philosophy of ethics and morals rather than areligious system in the usual sense, though Confucius derived his ethicaland moral principles from earlier religious and philosophical writings andtraditions. In the painting by Lin, however, modernist tendencies are evident,and the influence of Cubism is also apparent. Xu Beihong showedconsiderable interest in naturalism, based on his father's admonition toobserve nature closely and to paint what he sees (Chu 193-197). Lin Fengmian also shows both Chinese and Western traits in hispaintings. The shift in thinking about the self was part of the process ofmodernization in China and has also been related to a philosophical changein Chinese thought. The author defended Confucian ethical idealsand existing institutions alike. This was art that madea conscious break with academic and realist modes and with the entireRenaissance heritage (Clarke 22). Lin Fengmian's painting, on theother hand, is more stylized, showing certain traditional elements while atthe same time evoking a Western style reminiscent of Mondrian. The works of both Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian go far to explore issuesof self, and the relationship of the self to the state. Clarke notes that for Xu Beihong it was the academic traditionof french art which was the most useful, while Lin Fengmian differed fromXu by becoming involved with Western modernist art. As Fitzgeraldnotes, such exploration was needed after a long period of time during which"the identity of the self was up for negotiation along with the rest of theempire" (Fitzgerald 25). More and more, a Western influence hadcrept into Chinese life, and the reformers had tried to make China morelike the West in certain respects. Theodore, Wing-Tsit Chin, and Chester Tan. This artist studied in a number of foreign countries and learneda good deal about the Western influences that would come to have an impacton Chinese art and Chinese society. He used color to introduce emotional tone into hislandscapes and also used it to create light effects at the same time(Clarke 26). "In Search of Modernism--The Art of Xu Beihong."Clarke, David. The setting itself is also naturalistic, a lake shore with mountainson the opposite side. The view takencurrently differs from that of the earlier Republican era in Chinesehistory: In the ethics of late-twentieth century China the naked, new- born self is born a citizen, a little helper and a pillar of society. The artist would seem to have carefully observed the effectof such lighting and to have reproduced the scene as if he were there. The female figures isrendered in a stylized fashion, but it is still more realistically drawnthan the male figure, shaped by the intersection of triangles and squaresevocative of Western Cubism. Itwould be a major target for the Communist regime after 1949, being seenthen as an unnecessary remnant from the past and as an ideology thatconflicted with the Communist thought promoted by Mao and his followers. John Fitzgerald in his essay "The Invention of the Modern ChineseSelf" considers ways in which the Chinese developed the concept of self, anidea that was first developed in Europe in modern times. Xu Beihong was a vocal advocate for change for Chinese art in thiscentury. China made an intellectual journey from Confucianismto Communism in the century between the middle of the nineteenth centuryand the middle of the twentieth century. The shift was from a Confucianconnection to a particular mode of living embedded in service to aspiritual and philosophical community to a connection more to a nation-state and so to a polity. Lin Fengmian's "The Nude" from 1982 compares with a nude rendering by XuBeihong. Confucius introduced a strong and lasting philosophical system, onethat would have importance not only in China but in Japan and other partsof the world. A comparison of the two artists can be made on similar subject matter. The roles of citizen, little helper and pillar of society into which the child is welcomed today were not known to the child's forebears earlier this century when the identity of the self was up for negotiation along with the rest of the empire (Fitzgerald 25).Issues of identity and the relationship of the self to the state served asbackground and subject for art works early in this century, as can be seenin the works of artists such as Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian. . If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.