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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproduction Further reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY REVOLUTION IN CHINESE PAINTING AND LI RERAN
by
Mei-Fen Chen
Submitted to the
Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences
of The American University
in Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements for the Degree
of
Master of Arts
m
Performing Arts: Arts Management
Signatures of Committee
(B
-r_-
Dean df the College
Date
1994 ' t' 7\ m e~\ v* i *■» m T i t f \ v* ^ ► « *
Washington, D.C. 20016
113 JUfSBICA!! UHlVERSITy LIBRARY
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. OKI Number: 1361748
Copyright 1994 by Chen, Mei-Fen All rights reserved.
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UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. COPYRIGHT
BY
MEI-FEN CHEN
1994
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY REVOLUTION
IN CHINESE PAINTING AND LI KERAN
BY
Mei-Fen Chen
ABSTRACT
This thesis provides an overview of Chinese painting from
the sixteenth century and through the work of Li Reran (1907-
1989) analyzes a significant new direction that occurred in
twentieth century Chinese art.
In the 1920s, Western influence became important in
several Chinese cities and particularly at the National Art
Academy of Xihu in Hangzhou. It was here that Li Reran
studied from 1929-1932 and developed his particular blend of
Chinese traditional art and contemporary Western influences.
Reran's work and influence is analyzed in this thesis.
II
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT NOTICE ...... I
ABSTRACT...... II
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS...... IV
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION...... 1
2. OVERVIEW: CHINESE PAINTING, SEVENTEENTH TONINETEENTH CENTURIES...... 5
3. OVERVIEW: THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY INFLUENCE...... 16
4. LI KERAN: DEVELOPMENT AS AN ARTIST...... 21
5. LI KERAN: IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE...... 34
6. CONCLUSION...... 53
APPENDIX...... 55
BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 57
III
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 1. Attributed to Wang Wei (701-761). Rivers and Mountains after Snov, undated. Section of a handscroll. Photograph from "The Century of Dong Qichang 1555-1636 Vol. I."...... 7
Figure 2. Dong Qichang (1555-1636). Eight Views of Autumn Moods, dated 1620. Photograph from "The Century of Dong Qichang 1555- 1636 Vol. I." ...... 8
Figure 3. Dong Qichang (1555-1636). Wan-Luan Thatched Hall, dated 1597. Photograph from "The Century of Dong Qichang 1555-1636 Vol. I." ...... 9
Figure 4. Wang Shimin (1592-1680). Landscape in the Manner of Zhao Mengfu, dated 1670. Photograph from James Cahill, "The History of Chinese Painting." ...... 10
Figure 5. Wang Jien (1596-1677). Landscape in the Manner of Wang Meng, undated. Photograph from "Choice Paintings of the Palace Museums." ...... 11
Figure 6. Ba Da (1626-1705). Landscape, undated. Photograph from James Cahill, "The History of Chinese Painting."...... 12
Figure 7. Huang Binhong (1864-1954). Tianmu Mountain, dated 1955. Photograph from "Masterpiece of Painting by Huang Binhong." ...... 13
Figure 8. Kung .Isien (1620-1689). Trees in a Landscape, undated. Photograph from James Cahill, "The History of Chinese Painting." ...... 14
Figure 9. Qi Baishi (1863-1954). A Mouse and Radishes, dated 1945. Photograph from "Painting Album of Qi Baishi." ...... 15
IV
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Figure 10 Gao Jianfu (1878-1951). The Five Story Pavilion, dated 1926. Photograph from Ralph Croizier, "Art and Revolution in Modern China.” ...... 17
Figure 11. Xu Beihong (1895-1953). Tianheng Five Hundred Heros, dated 1928-1930. Photograph from Xie Lifa, "Xu Beihong." ...... 19
Figure 12. Lin Fengmian (1900-1991). The South, undated. Photograph from "Paintings of Lin Fengmian." ...... 19
Figure 13. Li Reran (1907-1989). The Expulsion from Carden of Eden, 1930. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 23
Figure 14. Andre Claudot (1892-1982). Mother and Child, 1922. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 23
Figure 15. Li Reran. Avenue, 1929. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 24
Figure 16. Rarl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884-1976). Landscapes, 1913. Photograph from Sheldon Cheney, "Expressionism in Art." ..24
Figure 17. Li Reran. Calm Autumn at Mountain Pavilion, 1940. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 26
Figure 18. Li Reran. Hatching a Waterfall under the Pines, 1943. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 27
Figure 19. Li Reran. Zhong Kui, 1948. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ....28
Figure 20. Li Reran.Lady, 1943. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 29
Figure 21. Li Reran. Landscapes after the Style of Shi Tao, 1947. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 30
Figure 22. Li Reran. Spring Rain in Jiangnan, 1982. Photograph from Han Mo 4...... 32
V
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Figure 23. Li Keran. Pavilion by the Lotus Pond, 1985. Photograph from Han.Mo 25 ...... 33
Figure 24. Li Keran. Apricot Blossoms and Spring Rain in Jangnan, 1961. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 35
Figure 25. Li Keran. Spring Rain in Shu Mountain, 1966. Photograph from Han.MP 4 ...... 36
Figure 26. Li Keran. Yuya Mountain in Quilin, undated. Photograph from Han Mo 26 ...... 38
Figure 27. Li Keran. Details of Yuya Mountain in Qullin. Photograph from Han Mo 26 ...... 39
Figure 28. Li Keran. Appreciating a Painting, undated. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 40
Figure 29. Li Keran. Boy Playing a Flute in the Evening, 1978. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 42
Figure 30. Attributed to Mu Xi. Landscape, mid-thirteenth century. Photo from Kungshang Ho, "The History of Chinese Art." ...43
Figure 31. Li Keran. Dusk at Hangzhou, 1956. Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 44
Figure 32. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). Rising of the Cross, 1633. Photo from Gary Schwartz, "Rembrandt: His Life, and His Painting." ...... 45
Figure 33. Li Keran. Clear Music from theMountains, 1984.Photograph from Han Mo 25 ...... 46
Figure 34. Li Keran. Sketches In East Germany, 1957. Photograph from HanJMo. 26 ...... 47
Figure 35. Li Keran. Kunlun Mountains, 1965. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 48
VI
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Figure 36. Li Keran. Little Rafts in the Gorges, 1973. Photograph from HfllUttffi 26 ...... 50
Figure 37. Li Keran. Red Leaves over the Mountains, 1964. Photograph from Hfln. M
Figure 38. Li Keran. Li River, 1979. Photograph from Han Mo 4 ...... 52
VII
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
Chinese painting is one of the great achievements in
Asian culture. James Cahill divided the development of
Chinese painting into three phases.1
The first phase, as cited in Dr. Cahill's book, began
with the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), and ended with the
eleventh century. This kind of painting was called the
professional tradition. This tradition combined diverse
schools but was generally uniform in style and attitude.
The second phase began with the Scholar Painting School
which was founded by Su Tungpo (1036-1101) and his literati
friends in the late Northern Sung Dynasty (960-1127). The
number of amateur scholar painters now greatly increased.
With the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the
beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Chinese painting
entered the third phase. Cahill wrote that the painters of
the Professional School lacked imagination and energy, and
were sluggish. At the same time, he wrote, the Scholar
Painting School split into many divisions. The most
well-known schools were the Orthodox School, the Four Wangs,
James Cahill The History of Chinese Painting (Taipei: LION Publishing Co., Ltd., 1985), 139.
1
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the Individualists, and the I-Ming school. Contrasted to
the imitation of the Four Wangs, the Individualists
presented new ideas and teachers.
According to standard Chinese art historical texts,
Dong Qichang (1555-1636), by the sixteenth century, had set
centuries-old artistic ideas into a specific formula. This
formula focused on maintaining the values and images of the
past. Unfortunately, under Dong Qichang's theories and his
influences on other painters, Chinese painting became
stagnant for several hundred years.
During the nineteenth century, the technologically
superior Western countries and Japan conquered China
repeatedly. For example, with the Opium War of 1842,
Britain declared war on China. Before this war, China had
destroyed the opium which was imported by Britain from her
colony, India, for many years. In 1894, during the Battle
of Jiawu, Japan defeated the Qing Dynasty's navy and got
Taiwan as booty for her defeats. It was only slowly after
these defeats that the Chinese realized the need for reform
and modernization. Until the Republic of China was founded
in 1911, all of Chinese society underwent radical changes
all the time.
Following Western orders, the Qing Dynasty government
turned many areas into foreign concessions. Through these
concessions, the Western countries exercised their power.
Britain was given Shanghai for her concession; France got
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the lower reaches of the Yangzi River; Germany received
Shandong Province; Japan got Fujian Province; and Russia was
awarded the harbors in Liaoning Province.
By the early twentieth century, Shanghai was a city
heavily influenced by foreign artistic and literary ideas.
A good example of this was the painting group in Shanghai
called Hai Pal.3 They felt that traditional Chinese
painting was stagnant and lacking in ideas; therefore, they
tried to borrow and absorb different ideas and techniques
from Western art.
By 1920, there were several Chinese artists who had
studied Western art in Europe. They returned to China and
wanted to revitalize Chinese art. One of their achievements
was to set up art schools and change the curricula.
The major painter discussed in this thesis is Li Keran
(1907-1989), who graduated from the National Art Academy of
Xihu in Hangzhou and was influenced in that school by
Western art when he was a student there from 1929 to 1932.
Regarded as one of China's finest art schools during the
1920s and 1930s, Western influences at this school created
new ways of painting in terms of both form and content. For
example, painting from nude models was introduced in the
3 Artists in Hai Pai were professional painter:? who lived by selling their works. Different from scholar painting's subjects, such as birds, flowers, and bamboo, artists in Hai Pai were more concerned with society and its people. They began to paint ordinary people, legendary figures, and created revolutionary painting. They followed popular tastes, used more colors, and caricatured their subjects.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. classroom; oil painting became widely used.
Li Keran left the school in 1932 but vent on to create
a painting revolution in twentieth century Chinese art when
he continued to develop ways of bringing together
traditional methods with new ideas from the West.
This thesis provides an overview of Chinese art from
the sixteenth century and shows how Li Keran played a major
role in pointing Chinese painting in a new direction.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER II. OVERVIEW: CHINESE PAINTING,
SEVENTEENTH TO NINETEENTH CENTURIES
A revolution in Chinese painting has taken place in the
early twentieth century. An understanding of this
revolution and its historical context is crucial for arts
administrators and curators to be able to present Chinese
art in an accurate and accessible manner to the general
public.
Western influences changed the way Chinese painters
used the canvas both in terms of form and content. Several
artists were involved in a painting revolution, such as Xu
Beihong (1895-1953), Li Keran (1907-1989), and Lin Fengmian
(1900-1991). The most important of these artists was Li
Keran whose work is only now becoming known in the United
States. In order to understand the changes that Li Keran
brought to Chinese painting, this thesis provides first an
historical overview of developments in Chinese art from the
seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. Also, it presents
Li Keran's influence and the reasons why he was important in
Chinese painting.
The history of Chinese painting in the seventeenth
century was shaped by a theory developed by Dong Qichang
5
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6
(1555-1636),3 a painter and calligrapher. He felt there
vere tvo distinct vays of approaching painting, which he
defined as the Northern and Southern Schools. He felt that
painters could be categorized in these tvo schools, and
tended to follow one or the other. The Northern School of
Painting, according to Dong Qichang, was made up of
professional painters who painted in order to make a living.
The Southern School of Painting was composed of amateurs,
people who vere primarily scholars and painted in addition
to their regular work. The fact that one group of painters
vere professional, and the others vere amateurs, influenced
the way they painted, according to Dong Qichang.
Dong Qichang advocated the intuitive and spontaneous
approach he felt was characteristic of the Southern School.
The discovery of a particular handscroll by the early
Southern School artist Vang Wei (701-761) led him to this
belief. The handscroll "Rivers and Mountains after Snow"
Wei had been a scholar who did not paint for a living. Many
other scholars of the Southern School painted in a similar
fashion. By contrast, Dong Qichang felt that professional
painters had very different styles which consisted of linear
contours and short hacking strokes. He felt this style was
3 Hua-Yen [The Eye of Painting), (Taipei: 1962)
■* Ink wash is a painting technique in which the artists put on a wash shading from light to dark, or shades from one color into another.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7
more artificial.
■*sj
Fig. 1. Attributed to Wang Wei (701-761): Rivers and Mountains after Snow, undated. Section of a handscroll, ink on silk. Photograph from The Century of Dong Qichang 1555-1636 Vol. I (Kansas, 1992), 45.
In Wang Wei's "Rivers and Mountains after Snow," Dong
Qichang saw a spread out hemp-fiber3 texture pattern and
felt this was the principal technical skill of the Southern
School. "Beginning with Wang Wei, landscape painters
employed both texture strokes and ink washes....Once the
basic method was formulated [by Wang Wei], it was not
3 This is the most common technique of painting rocks and mountains in Chinese landscapes. It looks like spread out hemp-fibers: long, slightly wavy strokes, giving the effect of glaciated or maturely eroded slopes.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. difficult [for later painters] to follow and improvise."6.
This can be illustrated in Dong Qichang's paintings 2> and painting and they occupied half of the picture. He also used ink washes and a spread out hemp-fiber pattern. Fig. 2. Dong Qichang (1555-1636): Eight Views of Autumn Moods, dated 1620. Photograph from The Century of Dong Qichang 1555-1636 Vol,_I (Kansas, 1992), 204. * Wen C. Fong, "Rivers and Mountains after Snow (Chiang-shan hsueh-chi), attributed to Wang Wei (699-759)," Archives of AsianArt 30, 1976-1977, 17-18. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Pig. 3. Dong Qichang (1555-1636): Wan-Luan Thatched Hall, dated 1597. Photograph from Ihe__Century of Dona Qichano 1555-1636 Vol. I (Kansas, 1992), 139. Dong Qichang influenced painters who came after him. The first group was called "The Four Wangs."'7' Two leaders of the Four Wangs were Wang Shimin (1592-15e0) and Wang Jien (1596-1677). Wang Shimin painted slowly, layer on layer, wash on wash, and his pictures had a quiet feeling. 4> Another leader was Wang Jien whose works were almost always similar to Wang Shimin's. -7' "The Four Wangs" were as follows: Wang Shimin (1522- 1680), Wang Jien (1596-1677), Wang Hui (1632-1717), Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 10 Fig. 4. Vang Shimin (1592-1680): Landscape in the Manner of Zhao Mengfu, dated 1670. Photograph from James Cahill/ The History of Chinese Painting (Taipei, 1985), 141. By the end of the seventeenth century, the style of painting developed by the Four Wangs was very artificial and conservative. However, artists continued to paint in the style of the Four Vangs for many years. That particular style of painting was in favor even towards the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). However, from the very beginning, artists outside the court rejected this style and wanted to develop new ideas in painting. In the middle of the seventeenth century, a more expressive school of painting developed, called the I-Ming Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 11 Fig. 5. Left. Wang Jien (1596-1S77): Landscape in the Manner of Wang Meng, undated. Photograph from Choice Painting of the Palace Museum (Hong Kong, 1981), 230. School.® Painters in the I-Ming style refused to follow modes and standard forms and vere involved in painting their feelings about nature; they vere not trying to be realistic. For example, Ba Da (1626-1705) composed his paintings with rising series of rocks vhich appear organic and natural. " I-Ming was a painting group vhich included Kun Tsan (1610- 1693), Hung Jen (1603-1663), Rung Hsien (1620-1689), Shi Tao (1641-1717), and Ba Da (1626-1705). In the early Qing Dynasty, the Qing emperors suspected that the painters of the I-Ming group tried to overthrow their dynasty and rebuild the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12 Fig. 6. Ba Da (1626-1705): Landscape, undated. Photograph from James Cahill, The History of Chinese Painting (Taipei, 1985), 154. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Qing emperors mistrusted the I-Ming painters, as they felt the painters wanted to revolt against them; therefore, the I-Ming style of painting did not flourish for about tvo hundred years, re-emerging in the work of Huang Binhong (1864-1955), who influenced early twentieth century painters. Huang Binhong was interested in paintings from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and collected them. He utilized the ideas and techniques in these paintings to develop his own style, vhich was different from that of the court painters of the Qing Dynasty. Huang Binhong used a variety of ink techniques such as: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13 "accumulated Ink," "broken ink," "splashed ink," "burnt ink," and "faded ink".* He liked to used broken, dense, and heavy ink, vhich was influenced by I-Ming Painting, to demonstrate the dimension of mountains and streams. 7> Kung Hsien (1620-1689), one of the I-Ming painters, was also distinguished by Huang Binhong's technique of accumulated ink. ■*- f i ’A rSJ X J± A f t jf. n f *> i Fig. 7. Left. Huang Binhong (1864- 1954): Tianmu Mountain, 1955. Photograph from Masterpiece of Painting by Huang Binhong (Beijing, 1991), 97. * Xiyuan Ding, "Huang Binhong's Art and Life," Art Monthly. 35, November 1992, 14-27. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14 Fig.8. Kung Hsien (1620-1689): Trees in a Landscape, undated. Photograph from James Cahill, The History of Chinese Painting (Taipei, 1985), 149. It is Impossible to discuss an overview of Chinese painting from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries without mentioning the influence of calligraphy, dating from the mid-nineteenth century. The three artists in the Calligraphy School who had the most significant influence were Zhao Zhiqian (1829-1884), Wu Changshuo(1844-1927) and Qi Baishi (1863-1954).xo These artists emphasized a relationship to nature in their themes; in their manner of painting they sought lightness and delicacy. Qi Baishi, 10 Qiu Dingfu, Study of Techniques-_ln_ Pl fferent Schools of. Chinese Painting in Earlv Twentieth Century (Taiwan: Chinese Culture University Press, 1988), 18-22. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 15 especially, was known for his use of objects from daily life such as fruit, shrimp and fish. different from the subject matter of most of the painters who were his contemporaries. They did formal landscape paintings which seemed artificial to Qi Baishi.1* Fig. 9. Qi Baishi (1863-1954): Mouse Dreaming Radishes, 1945. Photograph from Selecting Painting of Qi Baishi (Hunan, 1981), 7. Jiang Xun, Qi Baishi (Taipei: LION Publishing Co. Ltd., 1978), 84-98. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER III. OVERVIEW: THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY INFLUENCE In order to analyze thework of Li Keran, it is necessary to first examine the influences that developed in Chinese painting at the beginning of the twentieth century. One of these interesting influences came from artists who studied in Japan. Prior to the late nineteenth century, the Chinese regarded Japan as a small insignificant country. In the 1890's, however, Japan became more powerful and, in 1894, defeated the Chinese navy in a major battle called "the battle of Jiawu." After Japan won this battle, their influence became stronger. Many Chinese artists began to study in Japan. When they returned to China, their painting had changed considerably. Japan had been heavily influenced at the end of the nineteenth century by Western ideas in art, mainly by Impressionism. A major example is in the work of Gao Jianfu (1878-1951), who studied in Japan from 1903 to 1906. When he came back to China, he brought new ideas and integrated them with older traditions, such as the use of the brush, ink and rice paper. He painted modern subjects such as airplanes and telephones. He gathered a group of painters around him called the South Hill Painting Group, or Lingnan 16 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17 Group.12 Fig. 10 Left. Gao Jianfu (1878-1951): The Five Story Pavilion, 1926. Photograph from Ralph Croizier and Revolution in Modern China (Los Angeles, 1988), 15. Another person who influenced twentieth century art in China was Tsai Yuanpei (1868-1940) an educator and philosopher. His studies took him to Germany for the first 12 Chen Xiangpu, Gao Jianfu: His Life and His Painting (Taipei: Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 1991.) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18 time in 1907. It was there that he encountered the ideas of the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). These ideas led him to develop his own philosophy: that the arts are for everyone and should be part of everyone's education.13 Because of Tsai Yuanpei's support when he returned to China, artists were able to study art in Europe. The first artist who benefitted from the help and guidance of Tsai Yuanpei in this regard was Xu Beihong (1895-1953), as it was Tsai Yuanpei who arranged for him to study in France for eight years (1919-1927) on a scholarship. Xu Beihong's return to China, he was appointed chairman of the Fine Arts Department at the National Central University in Naijing. Another artist who received help from Tsai Yuanpei to study in Europe was Lin Fengmian (1900-1991). Upon his return to China he became president of the newly established National Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou, and brought many people from France to be members of the faculty. The impact of ideas brought from France was not only on new painting skills but also on new ideas; drawing with 13 Tsai Yuanpei presented his philosophy "Aesthetic education to take the place of religion" in Beijing in 1917. He said sensation, especially in aesthetics, is the only thing, except knowledge and will, that closely relates to religion after the advancement of science and society. Human beings should give up religion instead of aestheticism, which helps anti-selfishness and avoids argument. Selection pf_l53l..Yuanpel 'S Aesthetic AEtlcl&S./ (Beijing: Beijing University Press, 1983), 66-77. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19 Fig. 11. Above. Xu Beihong (1895-1953): Tianheng Five Hundred Heros, 1930. Photograph from Xie Lifa Xu Beihona (Taipei, 1980), 7. Fig. 12. Left. Lin Fengmian (1900- 1991): South, undated. Photograph from Paintings of Lin Fengmian (Shanghai, 1979), 19. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20 pencils and charcoal, painting in oil on canvas, and using vatercolor and gouache on nonabsorbent paper, instead o£ ink and color washed on absorbent paper or silk. The definition of the arts no longer referred only to painting, chop engraving, and calligraphy; it was widened to include architecture, sculpture, literature, and draaa. The use of nude models was introduced. Other innovations included drawing from life, from plaster casts and painting from landscapes. The Frenchman Andre Claudot (1892-1982) was the most well-known of the foreign artists who taught in China. He emphasized the arrangement of mass structures and painting from life and strongly influenced the painter Li Keran. It was with Claudot that Li Keran first encountered Western ideas and shaped his art. Li Keran's use of light, contrast and full use of canvas developed during his studies at the National Art Academy of Xihu, Hangzhou, with Andre Claudot and other teachers. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER IV. LI KERAN: DEVELOPMENT AS AN ARTIST Li Keran was born on March 26, 1907, in Xuzhou, in the northern province of Jiangsu. His original name was Li Sanqi. When he was ten, he entered Xiuyi Public Elementary School. His teacher was pleased with his intelligence and diligence and named him "Keran", which means "the colorable plain, and the teachable child". He used this name for the rest of his life until he died in 1989. Li Keran did not study painting until 1920. His first painting teacher, Qian Shizhi1"*, taught him traditional Chinese landscape painting techniques and philosophy for two years. When Li Keran was sixteen, he graduated from Xiuyi Elementary School. He continued studying at the Shanghai Art School, taking the "ordinary normal" courses; a program designed to train art teachers for elementary schools. He studied Chinese and Western painting, including watercolor and pencil drawing. Zhu Wenyun (1894-1938), Pan Tianshou (1897-1971), and Ni Yide (1901-1970) taught Li Keran during this period. Both Zhu Wenyun and Pan Tianshou were students of Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), the greatest master of the x“* a local painter in Xuzhou. 21 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Calligraphy School.1® In 1924/ Kang Youvei (1858-1927)1,1 gave three lectures at the Shanghai Art School, which impressed Li Keran profoundly. Li Keran said "From that time I already considered putting Kang Youvei1s ideas into practice."17. When Li Keran was eighteen, he graduated from the Shanghai Art School and returned to Xuzhou to teach in an elementary school until 1928. During these years, under the influence of the Calligraphic School, he painted figures. In 1929, Li Keran was accepted by the National Art Academy of Xihu, Hangzhou as a graduate student. After enrolling, he totally ignored traditional Chinese painting. Li Keran was influenced by Western artists. In "The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden" Keran, one can see the transitions between planes in the structure and the idea of emphasizing wholeness in the 10 The painters in the "Calligraphy School" had a theory which advocated learning ancient spirit and temperament from calligraphy on stone monuments. The most famous masters are Zhao Zhiqian (1829-1884), Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), and Qi Baishi (1864-1957). ia Kang Youwei was a politician who proposed revolution in 1898 for the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) but failed. He felt that the rise of Literati Painting after the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) caused the decline of Chinese painting, especially the paintings of the traditional Four Wangs. He advocated that artists "blend Chinese painting with Western painting." Qingly Wen, "Biography of Li Keran," Han Mo. 26, March 1992, 104. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 23 composition.10 This is very close to transition in the "Mother and Child" Claudot (1892-1982), one of his teachers at the National Art Academy, Xihu. Fig. 13. Above Left. Li Keran (1907-1989): The Expulsion from Garden of Eden, 1930. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb. 1992), 41. Fig. 14. Above Right. Andre Claudot (1892-1982): Mother and Child, 1922. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb. 1992), 41. During this period Li Keran was also influenced by German Expressionism. In his only attainable oil painting 10 Qingly Wen, "The Formation of Li Keran's Painting", Han Mo. 25, February, 1992, 40-51. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24 from that time "Avenue" and the road are geometric and the brushstrokes are expressive and free, like Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's "Landscapes" concepts which influenced Li Keran included the use of light, contrast of light and dark, and the full use of the canvas, from the top to the bottom.21 Fig. 15. Left. Li Keran: Avenue, 1929. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb. 1992), 42. Fig. 16 Right. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884-1976): Landscapes, 1913. Photo from Sheldon Cheney Expressionism in Art (New York, 1934), 91. Most of Li Keran's early paintings had been destroyed in wars. Qinly Wen, "The Formation of Li Keran's Painting," Han Mo. 25, Feb. 1992, 40-51. 20 German Expressionist artists such as Karl Schmidt- Rottluff(1884-1976), Emile Nolde (1867-1956), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), and Kathe Kollwitz (1864-1945), had been introduced into China at that time. 21 Qingly Wen, "The Technical and Painting Style of Li Keran," Han Mo. 25, Feb. 1992, 52-63. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25 In 1932, Li Kecan returned to his hometown and held his first exhibition. At this time, Japan occupied three provinces of the northeast part of China, while the rest of China fought the Japanese occupation. Li Keran devoted himself to creating anti-Japanese posters and propaganda paintings for almost eight years. By 1940, he had re-learned traditional Chinese painting, following the style of those artists who were famous in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) such as Shi Tao (1612-1692) and Ba Da (1626-1705). In Li Keran's paintings "Calm Autumn of Mountain Pavilion" "Watching a Waterfall Under the Pines” one can see that the subjects of his paintings are similar to those of traditional Chinese painting; a man watches a scene under pines and people climb mountains. In 1979, Li Keran added an inscription on the painting "Calm Autumn of Mountain Pavilion": Forty years have passed since I did this painting in Chongqing when I was thirty some years old, and this painting was found from a mass of old papers. At that time I devoted myself to studying the tradition and I favored simplified brushwork and gentle color treatment. That was still in the style of the ancient masters, which completely differs from what I do today, and it seems that they are done by two different people. My early works had all been destroyed in the war period. This small painting can be seen as a vestige of a journey of half of my lifespan.22 22 Li Keran, Calm ftyLtPmn of.Mountain Pavilion, ink on paper, 1940. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 26 Fig. 17. Li Keran: Calm Autumn at Mountain Pavilion, 1940. Photo from HauJla. 25, (Feb. 1992), 44. In 1946, Li Keran was invited by Xu Beihong 33 to teach at the National Art Academy in Beijing, and the next year, he became a student of Qi Baishi and Huang Beihong, two of the leading proponents of Chinese painting. The major characteristic of Qi Baishi's brushvork consisted of pushing the brush slowly on paper so that lines 33 a famous contemporary Chinese painter who used Western drawing skills in traditional Chinese paintings. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27 Pig. 18. Li Keran: Watching a Waterfall under the Pines, 1943. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 111. and dots were formed solidly. This gave the impression of breaking through one barrier after another on the paper's outface.3"* This technique had a strong influence on Li Keran's painting style. Before Li Keran apprenticed with Qi Baishi, he painted very quickly but, after watching Qi Dingfu Qiu, Study of Techniques in Different Schools ffif Chinese Painting— in— Early Twentieth Century (Taiwan: Chinese Culture University Press, 1988), 18-22; Charles Chu, Qi Baishi (New Haven:Far Eastern Publications, 1967),13-27. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 28 Baishi paint, he painted at a much slower speed by pressing the brush tightly to the paper. As a result of using that method, the quality of his brushvork changed from smoothly brushed images to rough images.20 Pig. 19. Li Keran: Zhong Kui, 1948. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb.1992), 46. 20 After the late nineteenth century, the tradition of the Calligraphic School developed through the study of ancient monuments which became well-known in Chinese painting. Qi Baishi is the most famous artist of this tradition. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29 Fig. 20. Li Keran: Lady, 1943. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb 1992), 47. Comparing Li Keran's painting "Zhong Kui" (1948) to "Lady" change in his painting style. The line in "Zhong Kui" is rough and bold and so is the inscription compared to "Lady." The change in his painting style can also be seen in "Watching a Waterfall under the Pines" "Landscapes after the Style of Shi Tao" The brushstrokes of the "Landscapes after the Style of Shi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 30 Tao" are much bolder and more energetic than the painting, "Hatching a Waterfall under the Pines." Fig. 21. Li Keran: Landscapes after the Style of Shi Tao, 1947. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 22. After 1954, Li Keran began to sketch nature because he believed that Chinese landscape painting had departed from nature.He felt it was crucial to reform Chinese painting by returning to observing and sketching from 30 Li Keran Discusses Arts (Beijing: People’s Art Press, 1990), 13-29, 82-84. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 31 nature. His landscape paintings can be separated into three different categories: 1) Those that emphasize line and light ink. 2) Those that emphasize the accumulating of ink, using lines, dots, and ink wash with many layers, creating thick texture. 3) Those that emphasize adapting his images to suit his composition; in other words, practicing "poetic license" in his landscape arrangementsHere he developed concepts which he learned from Western art such as the use of light and the full use of the canvas.=° Li Keran's painting "Spring Rain in Jiangnan" 22> (1982) is a good illustration of the skill of layering ink, with depth and beauty created by layers of ink wash. The lines and dots are formed by dry and heavy strokes. The full use of the canvas is a good example of Li Keran's painting style. In 1966, the Chinese Cultural Revolution took place and Li Keran was forced to stop painting for six years. During the Cultural Revolution Li Keran studied the calligraphy of the ancient monuments of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) and the Northern Wei Dynasty (220-265). This Qingly Wen, "The Formation of Li Keran's Painting," Han Mo f 25, Feb, 1992, 40-51. **» Ibid. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 32 resulted in his painting style becoming denser, stony heavier and powerful. ("Pavilion by the Lotus Pond" 23> (1985)) Fig. 22. Li Keran: Spring Rain in Jiangnan, 1982. Photo from Han Mo 4, (Hay 1990), 37. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 33 Fig. 23. Li Keran: Pavilion by the Lotus Pond, 1985. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb. 1992), 55. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER V. LI KERAN: IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE Li Keran felt that' the most important aspect of landscape painting was the expression of mood. A landscape painting was not only a demonstration or descriptive picture of geography; it should also include one's emotional response to nature. A viewer cannot be touched by a picture without feelings. If the artist does not understand the subject thoroughly and have an emotional rapport with it, he will have difficulty in expressing the subject's mood. ^ Li Keran painted only when he felt emotionally attracted to the subject.30 The painting "Apricot Blossoms and Spring Rain in Jiangnan" a good example of this. Li Keran had lived in Jiangnan31 when he was young. In the 1950s, after thirty years in the north, he returned to Jiangnan and started to sketch groups of houses immediately. The black roofs and white walls, characteristic of Jiangnan houses, excited him. Later, Based on Li Keran's lecture notes at the Central Fine Art College "Li Keran Discusses Art." His comments are found in two chapters of Talking the Landscape Painting and The Mood of Landscape Painting. (Beijing: People's Art Press, 1990), 74-81, 82-84. 30 Ibid. 31 Southeastern part of China. 34 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 35 these houses showed up in his other paintings. See "Spring Rain in Shu Mountain" He was also interested in what he saw in nature in Jiangnan. In "Apricot Blossoms and Spring Rain in Jiangnan" we see a man leading a buffalo over a bridge and red spots sprayed between houses. Under the light ink and red spot staining, the painting shows the humidity and drizzle Fig. 24. Li Keran: Apricot Blossoms and Spring Rain in Jiangnan, 1961. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 120. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 36 Fig. 25. Li Keran: Spring Rain in Shu Mountain, 1966. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 27. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37 of Jiangnan, and the apricot flovers in the fog.32 The inscription in light ink on the painting is harmonious vith the elegant and translucent feeling of the painting. The figures in Li Keran's landscape paintings were often the most significant parts of the paintings. He noted: Some people paint landscapes and never manage to do the figures veil. Indeed, if they know hov to conclude the overall picture, concentrate their efforts on it, then this difficult task can become easy...... If I practice painting figures for a whole year, doing tens of thousands of them, wouldn't I be an expert in it? A year may seem to be a long time, but it is short when compared to a lifetime. There is no impossible task in the world, the key point is to keep trying. There is nothing we cannot overcome.33 The figures in Li Keran's paintings are small and without facial features, but their spirit and gestures are lively and real.3"* See "Yuya Mountain in Quilin" 26>, Ancient figures were different from modern ones not only because of their dress and hair styles, but also because of the way people looked and lived. When Li Keran 32 Li Keran created many paintings on this same subject. For future discussion on this topic, see the chapter in "Portraits of Excellent Fourteen Contemporary Chinese Painters." liie Contemporary Revolutionist of Chinese Landscape Painting. (Singapore: Soobin Studio PTE. LTD., 1989), 90-101. 33 Lang Li, "The Figures of Li Keran's Painting," Han Mo. 25, Feb. 1992, 76-83. 3“ Lang Li, "The Figures of Li Keran's Paintings," Han Mo. 25, Feb. 1992, 76-83. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 38 painted ancient figures, he studied the history of the period so that he could present the figures' characters and temperaments accurately. Fig. 26. Li Keran: Yuya Mountain in Quilin, undated. Photo from Han Mo 26, (March 1992), 29. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 39 Fig. 27. Details of Fig. 26, Yuya Mountain in Quilin. "Appreciating a Painting" one of Li Keran's favorite works.33 It showed three scholars concentrating on, and appreciating, a scroll. Their care and attention to handling the scroll are portrayed in their gestures and create a leisurely 30 Ibid. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. atmosphere. Li Keran said: This painting does not have multifarious lines. All three persons in the painting look different. They are casually dressed but ve can tell that they are educated scholars. They stand around the scroll and appreciate the painting, holding it lightly and carefully.M Fig. 28. Li Keran: Appreciating a Painting, undated. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 11. 3 6 Ibid. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 41 Zhong Kul, a God in the Chinese tradition, vas also a figure Li Keran loved to paint.37 Li Keran made him more human, kind, and approachable than other Chinese painters. (See "Zhong Kui" Li Keran liked to paint buffaloes because of their personalities.3*9 Buffaloes work on farms for farmers who use their milk, meat and skin and he felt they should be appreciated for their devotion. He named his studio "Shiniu Tang" which means learning from buffaloes.33 In his buffalo paintings, the hardworking and honest buffaloes form an interesting contrast to the naive and innocent buffalo boys. In the series he called "Playing Flute", he used the theme of the buffalo to express a harmonized, peaceful and leisurely mood. (See "Boy Playing a Flute in the Evening" Li Keran wanted to put into practice Kang Youwel's ideas; therefore, he blended Western painting techniques 37 In legends, Zhong Kui is a ghost eater. He protects ordinary people. Artists have been painting Zhong Kui as a fierce and fiendish figure since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). 30 Li Keran began to paint buffaloes in 1940 after he moved in with a peasant family in Chongqing. The buffaloes next door always woke him up in the middle of the night. Qingly Wen, "Biography of Li Keran," Han Mo. 26, March 1992, 110. 33 Lang Li, "Buffalo Paintings of Li Keran", Han Mo . 4, May 1990, 146-151. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42 Fig. 29. Li Keran: Boy Playing a Flute in the Evening, 1978. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 63. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 43 vith Chinese techniques.'*0 One characteristic that he learned from Western art vas composition. His use of the full canvas vas different from that in traditional Chinese painting. In traditional Chinese painting, the upper area is unpainted to show the sky, and the bottom area is unpainted to show earth or water. See "Landscape" Fig. 30. Attributed to Mu Xi: Landscape, mid-thirteenth century. Photo from Kungshang Ho, The History of Chinese Art (Taipei, 1991), 121. “*° See footnote no. 16. Kang Youvei pointed out that until the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Chinese painting vas still at the top of world. After Yuan Dynasty (1271-1366), the rise of Literati Painting caused the decline of Chinese painting, especially the paintings of the traditional Four Wangs. This vas a hindrance to the development of Chinese painting. We should return to the tradition of Song academic painting and learn realism from the European Renaissance so as to "blend Chinese painting vith Western painting"; he also encouraged students to study calligraphy of stone monuments of the Six Dynasties (220-589), in particular that of the Northern Wei (220-265), to create a strong style of "vitality." Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 44 In Li Keran's landscape paintings, elements vere placed to take up the most space; for example, the unpainted area on the top which represented the sky was usually filled with inscriptions. (See "Dust at Hangzhou" Fig. 31. Li Keran: Dusk at Hangzhou, 1956. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb. 1992), 50. Another characteristic of Li Keran's composition was a strong sense of wholeness from its three-tone treatment. His paintings seem to be very dark, but, actually, there are three contrasting tones: dark, middle, and light values. This three-tone treatment vas influenced by the chiaroscuro of Rembrandt van Rijn's (1606-1669) oil paintings. If ve Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 45 Fig. 32. Rembrandt van Rijn: Rising of the Cross, 1633. Photo from Gary Schwartz, Rembrandt: His Life, and His_Painting (New York, 1985),273. we compare "Raising of the Cross" by Rembrandt done in 1633, to "Clear Music from the Mountains" 33> by Li Keran, done in 1984, we can see that the composition is similar. However, the lightest part in "Clear Music from the Mountains" is the -flowing stream; in Rembrandt's work, the representations of Christ are the lightest parts. In Rembrandt's painting, the attending figures are painted in middle tones; in Li Keran's painting, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 46 Fig. 33. Li Keran: Clear Music from the Mountains, 1984. Photo from Han Mo 25, (Feb. 1992), 60. the middle tone areas are trees and houses.+*■ The other characteristic of Li Keran's paintings is his special use of light. The landscape sketch done in East Germany in 1957, "Sketches in East Germany" a good illustration of his individual technique of using light. The outlines of tree trunks are not painted with ink Qingly Wen, a student of Li Keran's, noted that Li Keran's paintings were similar to those of a Dutch painter, Rembrandt van Rijn, in tone treatment. "The Technical and Painting Style of Li Keran," Han Mo. 25, Feb. 1992, 59. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 47 Fig. 34. Li Keran: Sketches in East Germany, 1957. Photo from Han Mo 26, (March 92), 93. lines. The contour of the trees is the lightest part. The dense part of the leaves are dark because they are mostly shaded from the light. The sparse parts of the leaves are brighter, for the light is less veiled. Since the light cannot penetrate into the trunks and branches of the trees, the brushstrokes are solid; but the leaves, penetrated by light, are seemingly transparent, so the brushstrokes are sparse. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Fig. 35. Li Keran: Kunlun Mountains, 1965. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 97. Another technique of Li Keran's painting is the way he creates form. Rocks in his paintings are usually round shapes outside square shapes. (See "Kunlun Mountains" mountain seems to arch, the internal structure of the mountain is square in form. This rectangular structure of the mountains and rocks is formed by many small rectangular rocks; the structure of the rocks is formed by straight Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 49 parallel lines. In between the parallel lines, Li Keran used an accumulating ink technique to represent the textures vhich completely covers the lines o£ the rocks. In this way, viewers can sense the green and luxuriant grass on the rocks. Li Keran often used geometric forms in his landscape paintings. He emphasized the geometric qualities in the shapes of bridges, pavilions, houses, and ships. Rocks at the bottom of waterfalls and the shadows of ships also had geometric emphasis. Waterfalls are even, straight lines and the flowing water is a zigzag format. (See "Little Rafts in the Gorges" Mountains" Li Keran contrasted lines, dots, and planes, and it was these contrasts which created the rhythm of his paintings. He said: The basic principle of drawing lines is to push the brush slowly and the lines should be sunk into the paper, and each line should have a powerful beginning and ending. The lines must be controlled, dot by dot, and each dot has to be affirmatively formed. The ancients said, "Line is accumulated by dots, like the trace of a raindrop flowing on the wall", which means the same thing. Only to draw lines to depict the image carefully and perfectly that is not the way of Chinese painting. The lines in Chinese painting contain rich values; otherwise it is only a rough expression. Something like playing Huqin,**a that requires the capability of the player to control the strings so that the music could have rich content and feeling, and also like a vocalist who is able to control his voice, the Chinese painter mainly relies on Huqin, a kind of Chinese musical instrument, has two strings. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 50 line to make forms in order that each brushstroke will be expressive. If one vants to have each brushstroke represent the utmost, he should pay attention to each brushstroke, dot by dot. Every line is related to the vhole composition. Fig. 36. Li Keran: Little Rafts in the Gorges, 1973. Photo from Han Mo 26, (March 1992), 40. LI Keran Discusses Arts. (Beijing: People's Art Press, 1990), 146. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 51 Fig. 37. Li Keran: Red Leaves over the Mountains, 1964. Photo from Han Mo 26, (March 1992), 46. Lines were an accumulation of dots for Li Keran. This vas the basic characteristic of Li Keran's line. The line under Li Keran's brush sometimes appeared in a broken manner because his right hand trembled very seriously after 1972. While the broken lines in Li Keran's painting were caused by his trembling hand, he tried to control the brush and move it forward. Li Keran used parallel lines to enhance the sense of Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 direction so as to lead the viewer to visually follow the rhythm in his paintings, just like the repeated notes in music. His "Red Leaves over Mountains" is an example. In the painting "Li River" (1979), he placed second and third parallel branches in the same direction in order to strengthen the sense of rhythm of the first line. He also painted the mountains in this painting with parallel lines. The lines, which run in the same direction, creates the texture that is rhythmic. Fig. 38. Li Keran: Li River, 1979. Photo from Han Mo 4, (May 1990), 29. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CONCLUSION The early twentieth-century revolution in Chinese painting was analyzed in this thesis. Several artists such as Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, and Gao Jianfu, among others were involved in the painting revolution in which Western influences changed the way Chinese painters redirected Chinese art. The most important o£ these artists was Li Keran. Li Keran's works were studied and his development as an artist vas outlined here. Placing Li Keran's art in an art historical context in the twentieth century provided an overview of Chinese art that is still rare. Li Keran's change vas quite typical of the scholar tradition and made him important for his contemporaries. As he wrote in "The Third P.L.A. Art Exhibition, Something New in Traditional Painting": The need to present magnificent new themes in our traditional painting is bound to result in a tremendous development of the forms of expression, which certainly cannot be fettered by ancient traditional conventions .■*■* The future of Chinese painting is uncertain, but its **■* Li Keran, "The Third P.L.A. Art Exhibition, Something New in Traditional Painting," Chinese Literature 10, 1964, pp.80-85. 53 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. development is being continued in much the same directions as before. Today, Chinese painting strives to combine East and Vest for a unique expression. To totally deny the tradition is not productive. It is most productive for revolution to take tradition as the base for development. Li Keran's growth as an artist by exploring both Western and Chinese ideas and techniques could be a path for today's Chinese artists. Understanding Chinese art in its twentieth-century development widens the view of arts managers and curators. They have the responsibility of educating the public that is rapidly becoming cognizant of global art movements. Future exhibitions of Chinese art should focus on Chinese twentieth-century cultural developments. This thesis aims to aid arts managers and curators to gain more understanding of Chinese art and to share this understanding vith a wider audience. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CHINESE POLITICAL PERIODS Shang...... ca. 1600 B.C.-ca. 1100 B.C. Chou ca. 1100 B.C.-256 B.C. Chin...... 221 B.C.-206 B.C. Han...... 206 B.C.-A.D. 220 Western Han...... 206 B.C.-A.D. 8 Eastern Han...... 25-220 Three Kingdoms...... 220-265 Wei...... 220-265 Shu...... 221-263 W u ...... 222-280 Jin...... 265-420 Western Jin...... 265-316 Eastern Jin...... 317-420 Northern and Southern Dynasties 420-589 Northern Dynasties...... 386-581 Southern Dynasties...... 420-589 Sui...... 581-618 Tang...... 618-907 Five Dynasties...... 907-960 55 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56 Song...... 960-1279 Northern Song...... 960-1127 Southern Song...... 1127-1279 Yuan...... 1271-1368 Ming...... 1368-1644 Qing...... 1644-1911 Republic of China...... 1911- People's Republic of China...... 1949- Re produced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS; Cahill, James. The History of Chinese Painting. Taipei: LION Publishing Co , Ltd., 1985. Chen, Xiangpu. Gao Jianfu: His Life and His Painting. Taipei: Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 1991. Cheney, Sheldon. Expressionism in Art. New York: Tudor Publishing Co., 1934. Choice Painting of the Palace Museum. Hong Kong: Reader’s Digest Association Far East Limited, 1981. Chu, Charles. Ch'i Pai-Shlh. New Haven: Far Eastern Publications., 1967. Cohen, Joan Lebold. The New Chinese Painting: 1949-1986. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987. Croizier, Ralph. Art and Revolution in Modern China. Berkeley: University of California Press, Ltd., 1988. Dube, Wolf-Dieter. Expressionism. New York: Oxford University Press., 1972. Ho, Waikam, and Judith C. Smith, ed. The Century of Dono Qlchano 1555-1636 Vol. I. Kansas: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art., 1992. Fu, Shen. Challenging the Past: the Paintings of Chang Dal- Chien. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution., 1991. Handler, Gerhard. German Painting in Our Time. Berlin: Rembrandt-Verlag Gmbh.,1956. Hansford, S. Howard. A Glossary of Chinese Art and Archaeology. London: Lund Humphries, 1961. Herbert, Barry. German Expressionism. London: Jupiter Books Ltd., 1983. 57 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 58 Ho, Kung-Shang. ed. The History of Chinese Art. Taipei: ARTS Book Co., Ltd., 1991. Ho, Kung-Shang. ed. The Selection of Contemporary Chinese Painting. Taipei: ARTS Book Co., Ltd., 1982. Huang, Miaozi. ed. portraits Excellent Fourteen______Contemporary Chinese Painters. Singapore: Soobin Studio PTE. Ltd., 1989. Li Keran Discusses Arts. Beijing: People's Art Press, 1990. Li, Xian-Wen. ed. ChineseArt Terms Dictionary. Taipei: Lion Publishing Co., Ltd., 1989. Lin,Yutang. Ihs Chinese Theory of Art. Nev York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1967. Lloyd, Jill. German. _ Expressionism:___ Primitivism and. Modernity. New Haven: Yale University Press., 1991. March, Benjamin. Some Technical Terms of Chinese Painting. Nev York: Paragon Book Reprint Corp., 1969. Masterpiece of Painting bv Huang Binhong. 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Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. German Expressionist Art: the Ludvlq and Rosy Fischer.. CQlle.g.tl.gIl. Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine art., 1987. Wan, Jing-Xian, and Biao Llnhu. cd. Biography £or. Contemporary 100 Chinese Painters. Hong Kong: The Commercial Press, 1986. Xie, Lifa. Xu Beihono. Taipei: Lion Publishing Co., Ltd., 1980. Xun, Jiang. Qi Baishl. Taipei: Lion Publishing Co., Ltd., 1978. Zheng, Min. Exploring Contemporary Artists of Chinsss. Painting. Taipei: Lion Publishing Co., Ltd., 1989. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 60 Ai, Jungsyin. "Oil Painting Skills o£ Xu Beihong," Artist. 89, October 1982, 146-149. Ai, Jung Syin. "The Art Educationist— Xu Beihong," Artist. 89, October 1982, 166-174. Batterberry, Michael. "Europe Paintings Before and After World War II," Artist. 99, August 1983, 147-159. Chang, Yuan Chyan. 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