Sun Ke National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture of Ukraine CHINESE OIL PAINTING OF THE PERIOD OF CULTURAL REVOLUTION UDC 75.03:75.01:75.021:7.036«19/20»(510)=161.2 Sun Ke. Chinese Oil Painting of the Period of Cultural of the “Cultural Revolution” in art. Before 1979, the Revolution. The process of Chinese oil painting formation main topic of oil paintings, as a rule, was heroism. within the period of 1949–1979 is investigated in the article. Transformations in Chinese art, which was strongly dependent Although realism has been postulated, but in reality, on the political will of the ruling elite during the specifi ed period an exaggeration that ran up to such a large scale due is considered as well. Preconditions and driving forces of the to the fact that it was entirely due to political propa- processes that took place in Chinese society and art in particular ganda, has prevailed in art. are considered. The personal infl uence of political leaders and their environment on the processes of formation and development In the study of Chinese neoclassicism and of stylistic features of Chinese painting is analyzed. The article modern art it is necessary to consider, fi rst of all, is focused on fi gurative and ideological matters and meanings the problems of the principles of realism from the of paintings and their adherence to certain identical topics. It time of the Cultural Revolution to the period of the is shown, that the latter fact has also infl uenced the style and techniques of Chinese oil painting. The relationship between openness reforms in 1979, since this period has had stylistics and ideology in painting works of the studied period is a signifi cant impact on the development of realism in revealed on the example of the analysis of certain typical scenes. Chinese painting at the end of the XX – XXI century. Keywords: China, oil painting, Cultural Revolution, peculiarities Analysis of recent research and publications. of paintings, styles. Сунь Ке. Китайський олійний живопис часів культурної Issues considered in this article were also studied революції. Досліджено процеси становлення китайського by the following authors: C. Dezhen, R. K. Kraus, олійного живопису періоду 1949–1979 років. Розглянуто D. Leese, M. Neglinska, S. Prosekov, O. Rogotch- трансформації у мистецтві Китаю, яке в означеному часо- enko and others. However, it should be accented that вому проміжку було залежним від політичної волі керівної after analysis of their research, we found the blank верхівки. Розглянуто передумови та рушійні сили процесів, що відбувалися в китайському суспільстві та мистецтві зо- gaps in determination of the relationship between крема. Проаналізовано особистий вплив політичних лідерів modern processes in the art of China and the pro- та їхнього оточення на процеси становлення й розвитку cesses in earlier periods of its formation. стильових особливостей китайського живопису. Зосереджено Main study. Nowadays China is actively увагу на образному та ідейному наповненні живописних робіт, їхньому зосередженні на одних темах, що вплинуло також і на involved in the international art space. Oil painting стильові характеристики й художні техніки олійного живопи- clearly refl ects and reveals modern processes in су. На прикладі аналізу деяких, типових для досліджуваного Chinese art as a whole, since it has emerged relatively періоду сюжетів показаний взаємозв’язок між стилістикою recently and can be regarded as a new kind of та ідеологією творів. Ключові слова: Китай, олійний живопис, культурна револю- art. Transformations, which take place in modern ція, художні особливості, стилі. Chinese art and in particular in the oil painting, have Сунь Кэ. Китайская масляная живопись времен куль- deep roots, so it is necessary to study the previous турной революции. Исследованы процессы становления periods of their emergence for better comprehension. китайской масляной живописи периода 1949–1979 годов. Рассмотрены трансформации в искусстве Китая, которое In 1966 a sociopolitical movement of “Great в указанный временной промежуток было зависимым от Proletarian Cultural Revolution” was started in политической воли правящей верхушки. Рассмотрены пред- China. This movement has put China’s economy at посылки и движущие силы процессов, происходивших в the brink of collapse, while total state control in the китайском обществе и в искусстве в частности. Проанализи- ровано личное влияние политических лидеров и их окружения fi eld of art largely deprived painting artidtd of free- на процессы становления и развития стилевых особенностей dom. Within the period of the “Cultural Revolution,” китайской живописи. Акцентировано внимание на образном и for ten years, the tendency of praise and exaltation идейном наполнении живописных работ и их сосредоточении of Mao Zedong, the founder of communist China, на одних темах, что повлияло также и на стилевые характе- ристики и художественные техники масляной живописи. На and his works which were studied and applied uni- примере анализа некоторых, типичных для исследуемого versally in China, prevailed in works of art. During периода сюжетов показана взаимосвязь между стилистикой that period, the works of Mao Zedong became widely и идеологией произведений. available, they role was a kind of religious, and their Ключевые слова: Китай, масляная живопись, культурная революция, художественные особенности, стили. author became for Chinese people not so much the most powerful person as a magnifi cent and sacred Formulation of the objective. In 1949–1979 phenomenon. All the works of that period embodied Chinese art lost its primary importance and became the cult of personality of Mao, which sometimes the main instrument of political propaganda. Social- reached the extremes. which at that time actually ist realism, which was then the main artistic trend, were the factor of creation of a new culture. has absorbed all the acute pain and suffering of the Based on the analysis of previously secret era – the factors infl uencing creative self-expression. archival documents, unknown objects and political The composition and choice of color were strictly pamphlets, Daniel Leese in his study of the personal- controlled and regulated in oil paintings of that pe- ity cult of Mao Zedong revealed the need to trace the riod, especially in 1966–1976, which was the result turbulent history of the cult in the Communist Party © Sun Ke, 2018 розділ 2 at its lowest levels. He noted: “The original intention Mao’s right hand, urged the Red Guards to “annihilate of the party leadership was the development of an all existing old ideas, old culture, old customs and outstanding symbol, a brand that would compete with old practices.” He also appealed people to support the rise of nationalists, Chiang Kai-shek. However, the Red Guards in “their proletarian rebellious spirit, nobody expected Mao to use this symbolic force in their courage to storm, courage to dethrone and to mobilize Chinese youth for uprising against the courage to do” [6, p. 25]. Consequently, one can party’s bureaucracy itself. The result was anarchy, state that the main driving forces of the Cultural and when the army came, in the restoration of the Revolution made use of simplicity, ignorance, order it relied on obligatory ritual worship, such as curiosity and impulsivity of young people to whom the daily reading of the ‘Little Red Book’ or perfor- this appeal was directed to achieve the goal. Due mance of the ‘Dance of Loyalty’” [4, p. 245]. Those to that, on August 19, 1969, an unprecedented extremely important details of historical events of movement “Destroy the Four Elders,” which quickly that time cover not only the cult of Mao’s personal- spread throughout the country, broke out in Beijing. ity, but also the cult of worship of a hero in art. Of The “Cultural Revolution” in China is a unique course, a painting of a certain artist becomes much phenomenon, which also had its own peculiarities in more comprehensive if you know that this artist was the fi eld of art. The most important of them – in all every day reading quotations of Mao with expres- the works Mao was supposed to be higher than the sions such as “art for the art, a non-class art which rest of people around him, that was the only way to evolves away from politics or independently of it, emphasize the greatness of the Great Leader. For ex- does not really exist,” “every class in any modern ample, this can be clearly seen in Chang Jing’s “The society always places the political criterion in the Leader Mao at a large Production site” and Chen fi rst place, and the artistic in the second” etc. [5]. Ennin’s “The Leader Mao Visited so me Townships The collective creation of a series of works, in Guangdong” (1972), (Fig. 2). In addition to Mao “Leader Mao, Portrait Painting, 12 Paintings” (Fig. 1) himself, in other paintings devoted to other subjects, by students and teachers of the Zhejiang Academy other characters were also shown as heroes, as in Pan of Fine Arts, is a striking example of the processes Jiazung’s, “I am a Petrel” of 1971 (Fig. 3) which de- that took place during this period in the art of China. picts a woman soldier who has grabbed the telegraph The “Cultural Revolution” in art as a social and pole in a strong shower rain. She is a soldier of the cultural phenomenon had been developed under the liberation army, who was commanded to repair the infl uence of special historical conditions and ended communication lines. She embodies the courage of by the end of 1976. Its infl uence on Chinese art in the struggle, symbolically associated with the bird the late 1970’s has exhausted and extinguished, but mentioned in the picture name. The strained envi- its effects on culture and art can still be traced to the ronment created by nasty weather, and calm, brave present, especially in contemporary Chinese painting.