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Realist Painting and Its Relationship to My Creative Practice Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2010 Realist painting and its relationship to my creative practice Xuning Wang Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Fine Arts Commons Recommended Citation Wang, X. (2010). Realist painting and its relationship to my creative practice. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ theses/122 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/122 Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2010 Realist painting and its relationship to my creative practice Xuning Wang Edith Cowan University Recommended Citation Wang, X. (2010). Realist painting and its relationship to my creative practice. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/122 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/122 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Realist painting and its relationship to my creative practice Xuning Wang M.V.A. The Australian National University This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education and Arts, Edith Cowan University March 2010 ii USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. Abstract This thesis examines the realist art movement from its origins in France in the 1840s to its development in China in the 20th century and its impact on the author as an artist. The thesis reviews the development of realism in France, and traces its impact on Chinese conceptions of realism in the 20th century. The contemporary debates surrounding realism in China are examined and contextualised within the recent history of realism in China. Finally the thesis looks at the impact of realism on the author’s creative practice and a case is argued for the development of realist ideas in a globalised culture and its value as a cross- cultural visual language. iv Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or (iii) Contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for the library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required. Xuning Wang 05 APR 2010 v Acknowledgements Very much thanks to Christopher Crouch, for his disciplined and always friendly supervision, to the fellow academics and students at the Mt Lawley campus ECU for their fraternity and helpful discussion, to Sally Stewart and Susan Williams for their help during my exhibition, to the group of artists who exhibited in the show we called Ummm…the ARTiculate Practitioner, an exciting event I can never forget. Thanks to Jo McFarlane and Kara Jacob for their academic writing support, and to my family for their endless support. vi Contents Use of thesis iii Abstract iv Declaration v Acknowledgement vi Contents vii List of plates ix Introduction 2 Chapter 1 Methodologies 7 Chapter 2 What is Realism? 11 A Definition of Realism 14 The Realist Movement in painting in the 19th century 19 The truth of Realism 20 Subject matter 25 The aesthetic taste of Realism 34 Chapter 3 Chinese Realism in the 20th century 42 Introducing Realism into China 44 The development of Chinese Realism (1949 – 1980) 58 Today’s Chinese Realism 72 Chapter 4 the inspiration and impacts of Realism on my own creative practices 84 4-1. Realism as a personal theory 88 Why is Realism needed? 88 The ‘Third space’ hypothesis 90 4-2. Realism and a personal practice 93 The subject matter for my paintings 93 vii Creating form 96 Aesthetic taste 101 4-3. Who is my audience? 102 The audience as a cultural hybrid of Australian and Chinese cultures 103 The Australian audience 105 The audience in China 107 Conclusion 111 Plates 115 References 158 viii List of Plates All efforts have been made to ensure that owners of the copyright for the following images have been contacted, but if there are anomalies please contact the author. PLATE 01 Gustave Courbet. A Burial at Ornans, 1849-50. Oil on canvas, 315 x 668 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 02 Édouard Manet. Olympia,d.1863. Oil on canvas, 130 x 190 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 03 Edgar Degas. The Morning Bath, c. 1883 Pastel on paper, 40.39 x 67.31cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 04 Gustave Courbet. The Bathers, 1853. Oil on canvas, 227 x 193 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain PLATE 05 Gustave Courbet. Sleep, 1866. Oil on canvas, 135 x 200 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 06 Gustave Courbet. The Origin of the World, 1866. Oil on canvas, 46 x 55 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 07 Gustave Courbet. The Stonebreakers, 1849-50. Oil on canvas, 190 x 300 cm. ix The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 08 Gustave Courbet. The Grain Sifters, 1854. Oil on canvas, 131 x 167 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 09 Gustave Courbet. Charity of a Beggar in Ornans, 1867-68. Oil on canvas, 210 x 175.3 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 10 Jean-Francois Millet. The Sower, 1850. Oil on canvas, 102 x 82 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 11 Jean-Francois Millet. The Gleaners, 1857. Oil on canvas, 83.5 x 111 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 12 Jean-Francois Millet. The Man with the Hoe, 1859-62. Oil on canvas, 80 x 99 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 13 Jules Breton. The Return of the Gleaners, 1859. Oil on canvas, 90 x 179 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 14 William Bell Scott. Industry on the Tyne: Iron and Coal, 1855-60. Oil on canvas. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 15 Hubert Von Herkomer. On Strike, 1891. Oil on canvas. 228 x 126.4 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 16 Ford Maxdox Brown. Work, 1852-65 Oil on canvas, 138.6 x 196 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. x PLATE 17 Honoré Daumier. The Third-Class Carriage, ca. 1862. Oil on canvas. 65 x 90 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 18 Édouard Manet. Concert in Tuileries, 1862. Oil on canvas, 76.2 x 118.1 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 19 Édouard Manet. La Chanteuse des rues (The Street Singer), 1860-62. Oil on canvas, 174 x 118 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 20 Edgar Degas. The Ballet Scene from Robert le Diable, 1876. Oil on canvas. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 21 Édouard Manet. On the Beach, Trouville, 1870. Oil on canvas, 38 x 46 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 22 Édouard Manet. Swallows, 1873. Oil on canvas, 66 x 81 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 23 Édouard Manet. The Execution of the Emperor Maximilian, 1868-69. Oil on canvas, 252 x 305 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 24 Francisco de Goya. The Third of May 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. PLATE 25 Xu Beihong. The Five Hundred Retainers of Tian Heng, 1930. Oil on canvas, 197 x 348 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain. xi PLATE 26 Xu Beihong. Yu Gong Removes the Mountain, 1940. Ink and colour on paper, 144 x 421 cm. The reproduction of this image is in the public domain PLATE 27 Jiang Zhaohe. Poor Woman with Children 1937. ink and slight colour on paper. 110 x 65 cm The reproduction of this image is in the public domain PLATE 28 Jiang Zhaohe.
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