Midterm Take Home Priya Nalluri Peggy Wang th 20 Century Chinese Art Due: 3/3/11

Part I: The storm society was group of Chinese artists, who had been trained in either Tokyo or Paris, and had banded together, united by their common dream of changing art in China. In 1932 published The Storm Society Manifesto. Their manifesto was a short publication, with only five paragraphs. However, the short length of the manifesto does not detract from the main overlying message, if anything, the length adds to the message by making it simple and to the point. The manifesto expresses the Storm Societys disappointment with the current state of art in China at the time. Chinese art at this time was more or less the artist attempting to depict an object perfectly, down to every last detail. Art, they felt, was not meant to be the slave of religion, nor a mere illustration of literature (The Storm Society Manifesto), nor an exact replication of an object. It was meant to be express ideas and thoughts of the artist or have a meaning or purpose. This, the storm society felt, was not possible with the current artistic techniques. They wanted to use new techniques that they had learned from abroad and create new art in China that would once again let art regain meaning. Chen Chengbo, a prominent artist, was also apart of the Storm Society. His painting Beach of Putuo Mountain is perhaps an accurate reflection of many of the Storm Societys goals. The painting depicts what looks like a typical day at the beach. Painted in 1930 with oil paints, it is a departure from the customary mediums that were found in traditional Chinese paintings, such as ink and watercolors. Overlooking the beach in the painting is a small town, situated on a hill, yet nestled amongst the mountains. Below down on the beach are people enjoying the day, with some taking a stroll, some

swimming in the ocean and some watching those in the water. The painting is by no means completely realistic; there are far too many blurred details. Chen used thick brush strokes when painting and layered his strokes as well. This was a very European style of painting since Western tradition oil paint is treated primarily as an erasive medium Whereas with ink painting everything that is marked on the surface remains visible, save for those preliminary mistakes or errors that are not considered part of the image (Fong 6). In Beach of Putuo Mountain there is no sense of gloom or anything disagreeable, in fact due to the mix of bright and mild colors that Chen uses, it seems like a downright pleasant day in the painting. In fact everything looks very picturesque, almost too perfect. From 1927 to 1937, China was locked in a civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists. China was in turmoil and the war reached almost every part of the country. It is highly unlikely that a town like the one depicted in the painting would have remained untouched. Instead, Chen probably meant to inspire hope in his audience. Hope that oneday peace would return. Perhaps Chen hoped to sway his audience to pick the side that he supported by, so to speak, hanging a carrot in front of the audience. By telling them that this could be the future, a world without war, a world where it was always a day at the beach, if they only supported the right cause. Chens painting exemplifies what the Storm Society was trying to achieve. He painted something that had meaning, a message to convey to the viewer, and had done so by using new techniques that were merely ones he had learned from his schooling from abroad.

Part II In Lu Xuns In Defense of Picture Books he shares his interesting view on propaganda. Nowadays when one talks of propaganda, immediately our minds connect it to something oppressive. Over time propaganda has had a negative connotation attached to it. It is something governments and radicals use to brainwash others and take away their rights by taking away their right to information. However Lu argues that propaganda isnt necessarily bad, or damaging. But rather something one can dispense with the text yet still grasp the story (Lu Xun, 293). Propaganda is a means through which the artist or creator conveys a message or idea. Lu argues that many famous paintings such as The Last Supper or The Creation of Adam are propaganda. Many of us find this comparison shocking, since we consider these to be works of art and not propaganda. Oftentimes it is difficult to resign ourselves to the fact that propaganda is art too. But according to Lus definition of propaganda, these paintings were meant to tell a story without words and convey a message to the viewer. To the Front! by the artist Hu Yichuan, is an example of propaganda from China in 1932. It is a woodcut painting, a style that gained popularity quickly due to the fact that they were easy to mass-produce and distribute. The painting uses thick harsh lines, and you can almost imagine the artist hacking away at the wood to create this image. The painting depicts a man in the forefront, holding what looks to be a stick or weapon of some sort. His mouth is open and his expression is intent. Behind him in the background is a whole crowd of people, and he is leading them. It looks as if he is calling

for action, or encouraging on those behind him. It is a very striking picture that doesnt need or rely on colors to make a statement; the harshly hewn lines do that instead. Hu probably meant to inspire others to step up and lead as well. He wanted his audience to understand how important it was to take a stand, like the man in the picture. Lu would consider To the Front! to be both art and propaganda at the same time. Art and propaganda are the same things to Lu. In most cases they cannot be separated from each other. As long as art is trying to express a story or a message, it is propaganda. To the Front! is clearly trying to send a message; one that says take a stand!. But this does not mean that just because it is propaganda, it should be less appreciated as art. Many works of art can be counted as propaganda because just like To the Front! they too, are trying to send a message.

Part III In 1942, Mao wrote The Talks at the Yanan Forum on Literature and Art. This document had great significance because it set the premise for art and literature in communist China. Mao felt that to go along with the new government, China also needed new art and literature. Revolutionary art and literature was to be the new aim of artists and writers everywhere across China, according to Mao. With revolutionary art Mao hoped to provide better help to other revolutionary work in facilitating the overthrow of [the] national enemy and the accomplishment of the task of national liberation (Denton 458). However what did Mao consider to be revolutionary art? He thought that art should serve the millions and tens of millions of working people (Denton 464). But first in order for art to serve the people, one had to know the people. He felt that this should be the artists first priority Our writers and artists have their literary and art work to do, but their primary task is to understand people and know them well (Denton 461). By making the art more relatable to the working class, he hoped that it would also make it more understandable to all, and no longer something for the upper class. The painting Chairman Mao goes to Anyuan by Liu Chunhua depicts Mao, holding a scroll in his hand and striding forward. In the picture Mao is very young and virile looking. The wing is blowing in his hair and the sun is rising behind him in the background. This provides the viewer with a sense hope and the dawn of a new era. There are mountains and a few bits of greenery in the background, that adds to the sunrise. Mao is the main figure in the painting, and dominates the page and he looks

almost god-like. The painting, like many other revolutionary pieces of art, was meant to inspire. To inspire hope and faith in Mao, who was a symbol of communist China. The artist himself, Zheng Shengtian, had great respect for Mao. He had come from a family where no one had been literate, but because of Mao, he and his siblings were able to go to school and get an education (Zheng 122). He wanted to convey this feeling of gratitude and respect. Mao was a great man, according to him, and that was what he tried to paint. Many criticized him for having Mao as a solitary figure in the middle, it removed him from the people they argued, but Zheng felt that by having Mao alone and advancing forward he was Moving towards the nation (Zheng 123). To Zheng it didnt really matter whether or not his painting was considered revolutionary art or not. Zheng believes that while some might try and devalue art created during the cultural revolution by calling it propaganda but that didnt mean that they [werent] the expressions of the sincere emotions of the artists who worked during those years and under those historical conditions (Zheng 129). Whether or not a piece of art had value was about the impact it left; What value a work of art has in the long flow of history is not something I can judge. But if it has character, if it has unique characteristics, if it has an impact, then it is certainly exceptional and worthy of praise (Zheng 129).

Part IV The Storm Society, Lu Xun, and Mao Zedong all had different views on what art should be. The Storm Society felt that traditional Chinese art was inadequate, and that art needed to undergo a cultural revolution. By doing this they wanted to do away with the Chinese realism that was artists trying to recopy the essence of a subject onto a painting. According to the Storm Society, art was meant to make a statement or send a message, and this couldnt be done with old Chinese techniques. Lu Xun felt similarly about art. He too that felt art was something that sent a message or had meaning. However the main point he was trying to make was about propaganda. Propaganda was art too, according to him. Art shouldnt be devalued just because of its meaning, it should be celebrated and treasured for it. Mao on the other hand had a very different idea of what kind of art should be celebrated. Revolutionary art was the idea that he wanted to spread. Art, according to Mao was meant to serve the government, and expose enemies of the state (Denton 458). Art had to be relatable and understandable to the working class. One major fault he considered of the current art in China was that it was made for the bourgeoisie, and not for everyday people. In order for art to be effective, it had to be art made for the masses and not just the elite. He encouraged artists and writers to spend time amongst the working class in order to know them, and then produce art for them. However, just like Lu and the Storm Society, Mao believed that art should have a purpose or meaning too. However their three different views produced different pieces of art. In Beach of Putuo Mountain by Chen, exemplifies the type of art that the Storm Society tried to popularize. This painting, while it considered art, is also propaganda. The artist painted it

with the hope that it would relay a message or inspire feelings in his audience, therefore it is propaganda. However Beach of Putuo Mountain would not be considered revolutionary art according to Mao. Revolutionary art is something that is something that is made for the working class, something anyone can look at and immediately grasp the meaning of the piece. In order to understand Chens painting, you have to understand the background and circumstances from which the painting emerged. To the Front! by Hu Yichuan is an example of art, propaganda, and revolutionary art. It is a painting about the working class; it depicts an ordinary man who is calling to his brothers to take action, while he himself is leading. The rest of the people in the woodcut are the same as him; they are not wearing elegant clothes nor do they have any signs of affluence upon them, they are workers, and the woodcut is meant to relate to them, making it revolutionary art. It also has a clear message, making it propaganda. Chairman Mao goes to Anyuan by Liu Chunhua is also an example of art, and propaganda. The artist, in an interview said that he held a great regard for Mao, and wanted to convey that to others through his painting (Sheng 122). However even without knowing what the artists wishes were while painting does not change whether or not the piece is viewed as propaganda or not. When looking at the painting it is clear that the artist wished to portray Mao in a certain light, conveying an idea of how he viewed Mao. The painting is, however, not revolutionary art, since there is almost nothing about the lives of the workers in the painting. Many believe that labeling art as propaganda or revolutionary devalues the art itself, because they words imply that opinions and views are forced upon you, and rights are taken away. However that is not the case, according

to Lu, the Storm Society, and Mao, these are good things, that give art meaning and a purpose.

Works Cited Denton, Kirk A. "Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art." Modern Chinese Literary Thought: Writings on Literature, 1893-1945. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. 458-84. Print. Lu, Xun. "In Defense of "Picture Books"" Shanghai Modern: the Flowering of a New Urban Culture in China, 1930-1945. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1999. Print. Sheng Tian Zheng. Art and China's Revolution. New York: Asia Society, 2008. 119-31. Print. "The Storm Society Manifesto." 1932. Print. Wen C. "Between Two Cultures." (2001): 4-21. Print.