ARTH 12A Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Cultural Revolution, May Fourth Movement, Chinese Art
25 May 2018
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May 25, 2018
“Modernism in the United States” Notes
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•
Modernity and Tradition in the Art of 12th Century China
• China and Modernism
o As China’s imperial system collapsed, many Chinese students embraced
western culture (began in the 1920s and 1930s)
o Viewed Western art as modern art
o Believed that adopting western forms of art and incorporating it with
traditional Chinese art would created a new form of art
• The May 4th Movement
o Occurred in 1919
o Attempt to move away from more traditional China and create more modern
country
o “Science and Democracy” considered twin pillars of Western strength, became
the rallying cry of the movement
• Destruction of Artwork
o Greatest damage was Japan’s bombing of Shanghai in 1930s
o Another hit was Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution that led to destructions
of cultural artifacts
o Artists also got death threats because their art challenged the government
▪ Son of the Earth by Pang Xunqin
• People thought it was a dead child with parents which criticized
government for not providing for its people
o Artists also destroyed their own work to protect themselves
• Such is Paris by Pang Xunqin
o Influenced by France
o Collage look, big words, and random faces = modern aspects
o Depicts “moneyed leisure” by showcasing things you can do with money
▪ House which shows property
▪ Cards showing gambling
▪ Train conductor on side showing train as a mode of transportation
▪ Urinal on side = shows modernity of indoor plumbing
▪ Light = modern with industrialization
▪ Chess board
▪ Women are wearing makeup = modern western thing
▪ Cigar = tobacco becoming a modern leisure
o Josephine Baker’s face
▪ Was an African American entertainer in the Harlem Renaissance
▪ Went to Europe b/c thought America was too racist
o International mix of faces = modern
• Summer by Ni Yide
o Japanese painting
o Fan and dress shows Japanese cultural items
o European touched in position of woman in painting – facing side instead of
front
o Blending two cultures together
o Japanese people didn’t like so artist got death threats
• The War Years
o By Yu Ben called The Unemployed, 1941
o See brushstrokes
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