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Graphic Arts TO THE TEACHER OBJECTIVES OF THE UNIT: To examine the impact of social and political change on China's visual culture during the twentieth century. To foster discussion of foreign influence during this period. TEACHING STRATEGIES: Students will find the commercial ads closer to their own experience than the political posters. It should be easy for them to compare the ads with western ones and think about what might account for possible similarities and differences in strategy. They might also look for typically "Chinese" or "Western" elements in the ads as they consider the product being sold and the aims of the audience. Students will get more out of the section on political posters if they have some familiarity with the major political events of the twentieth century and the types of messages authorities wanted to convey. The political posters can be treated as a set, with little effort to divide them by period, but a more sophisticated analysis is possible when students understand key stages in the political history of the People's Republic of China, at least in terms of before the Cultural Revolution, during the Cultural Revolution, and since the death of Mao. Students will probably be struck by the contrast between the advertisements and posters in this unit and the paintings in other units. One way to make this material more challenging would be to ask students to identify not the changes but the continuities. Is there anything distinctively Chinese about contemporary graphic arts? WHEN TO TEACH: All of the material in this unit is from the twentieth century. The commercial section focuses roughly on period 1910-40, the political posters on 1930-76, and the contemporary scene covers the period since the death of Mao in 1976. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tgramain.htm (1 of 3) [11/26/2001 11:17:38 AM] Graphic Arts The invention of printing in China during the Tang dynasty led to the development of a new art form, woodblock prints. These included both single sheet pictures intended to be pasted on a door or wall or given away to advertise a product, as well as illustrations in books. Many book illustrations have been shown here, especially in the units on Military Technology, Homes, and Gardens. Throughout the late imperial period, these traditional graphic arts flourished. There were even illustrated manuals on how to paint and illustrated catalogues on where to buy art materials. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, the graphic arts underwent rapid changes in order to adapt to new political and commercial needs. Chinese artists, exposed to Western art and design, incorporated elements of foreign styles into their work. At the same time, with a growing awareness of China’s identity in the world, artists also sought to reinterpret traditional art forms and apply them to new themes. The gradual transformation of Chinese visual culture had an impact on almost everyone in the population, as periodicals reached larger and larger audiences and posters were distributed throughout the country. While looking through this unit, keep the following questions in mind: In what ways did graphic art combine foreign and Chinese art forms and styles? What are some changes you observe in women’s images over the course of the twentieth century? What forces might have triggered such changes? How do the form and content of political posters reflect ideology? How do they change with changes in official policy and political leadership? How are issues of class reflected in both commercial and political imagery? How are the different classes in Chinese society Commercial portrayed and how does that change over the course of the century? What similarities or differences do you see between the work of commercial artists and that of government artists assigned propaganda work? http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tgramain.htm (2 of 3) [11/26/2001 11:17:38 AM] Graphic Arts Political Contemporary http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tgramain.htm (3 of 3) [11/26/2001 11:17:38 AM] Suggested Readings FURTHER READING FOR GRAPHIC ARTS Andrews, Julia F. Painters and Politics in the People's Republic of China, 1949-1979. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1994. Andrews, Julia F. and Kuiyi Shen. A Century in Crisis: Tradition and Modernity in the Art of Twentieth-Century China. New York: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 1998. Berliner, Nancy Zeng. Chinese Folk Art: The Small Skills of Carving Insects. Boston: Little & Brown, 1986. Cohen, Joan Lebold. The New Chinese Painting, 1949-1986. New York : H.N. Abrams, 1987. Evans, Harriet and Stephanie Donald, eds. Picturing Power in the People’s Republic of China: Posters of the Cultural Revolution. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999. Galikowski, Maria. Art and Politics in China: 1949-1984. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1998. Laing, Ellen Johnston. The Winking Owl: Art in the People's Republic of China. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, 1988. Landsberger, Stephan. Chinese Propaganda Posters: From Revolution to Modernization. Amsterdam and Singapore: The Peppin Press, 1995. Minick, Scott and Jiao Ping. Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century. London: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Powell, Patricia. Mao's Graphic Voice: Pictorial Posters from the Cultural Revolution. Madison, WI: Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, 1996. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tgrapref.htm [11/26/2001 11:17:38 AM] Commercial Advertisement Commercial advertising has a long history in China. As commerce developed and competition increased, resourceful merchants had to think of various ways to promote their goods. One of the simplest and earliest methods was to hawk one's wares by shouting in the market. Another possibility was to sponsor entertainment that would grab potential customers' attention. From very early times, vendors also hung wooden signs or colorful flags outside of their stalls as a form of advertisement. For those who were not able to read, such signs were easy indicators of the nature of the shop. What kind of shop do you think the banner on the left advertised? SOURCE: H.K.Fung, Yan du shang bang tu, (preface dated 1931, no other publication information available). ANSWER: Eye medicine shop. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tcommain.htm (1 of 3) [11/26/2001 11:17:40 AM] Commercial Advertisement The Song dynasty (960-1276) saw important developments in the commercial arts. To the right is one of the first advertising handbills that were printed. It included a trademark -- a white rabbit holding a sewing needle -- appropriate for a needle shop. Compare the banner above with the handbill. Can you think of some of the advantages and disadvantages of each? Page advertisement from Jinan Liu’s Fine Needle Shop, Shandong Province, Song SOME THOUGHTS: Handbills can be distributed to a larger number of Dynasty. people. However, colorful banners have the advantage of drawing people in off the street. Furthermore, for those who can’t read, the banners SOURCE: Zhongguo lishi bowu might be more effective. guan, ed., Zhongguo godai shi cankao tulu: Song Yuan shiqi (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe, 1991), p. 109. This section focuses on the commercial advertisements of the Republican Period (1911-1949). This was a time of great social and economic change in China. By the early 20th century many of China's cities had become major commercial, industrial, and trade centers. Wooden placards and flags were still very common in front of shops during this time. The photo below shows a busy commercial district in Beijing in the early 20th century. At the same time, with more and more foreign companies in China looking for markets for their goods, merchants sought new ways to reach a mass audience. This was particularly true in the bustling urban areas along the eastern coast. Advertising agencies in cities such as Shanghai responded to the increase in foreign clientele by demanding artists who had been trained in Western methods. Many Chinese artists went abroad to study Western art and design and returned to apply new ideas to ads for foreign products. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tcommain.htm (2 of 3) [11/26/2001 11:17:40 AM] Commercial Advertisement SOURCE: Wang Xinggong, Zhongguo Chuantong shizhao (Taibei: Yishujia chubanshe, 1994), p.19. Calendar Posters Magazine Ads Book Covers http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tcommain.htm (3 of 3) [11/26/2001 11:17:40 AM] Calendar Posters A new form of advertising that developed early in the 20th century was the calendar poster. Major companies would present these calendars as gifts to their clients at the beginning of the Chinese New Year. These posters usually had a large glossy image in the middle with calendars for one or two years on the sides. While strikingly different in content and style, this method of marketing does have its roots in the tradition of Chinese folk prints [in the guide, below], colorful pictures exchanged at the New Year. The subject matter of such prints usually drew from a body of popular folklore and auspicious symbols. In contrast, calendar posters presented new cosmopolitan images targeted at the growing urban middle class. As you look at some of the examples of advertising posters below, think about the intended audience of these ads. Why do you think images of women were so frequently used in advertising? How do these calendars compare with western advertising strategies? http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/tposters.htm (1 of 7) [11/26/2001 11:17:42 AM] Calendar Posters Colorful calendars such as this were hung in Chinese homes during the New Year celebrations. This calendar shows the zodiac symbols that served as the traditional year names.

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