Category Archives: Blog

Contemporary Chinese Art: Globalization

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Within an exploration of contemporary China, it is important to explore the role of globalization on Chinese art and the nation as a whole. Art is a way for Chinese artists to ponder what a modern China can really be like, though this model is not necessarily one that modernizes via direct Westernization. China has historically held to its national identity by carefully absorbing Western influences, but nonetheless manages to use them to create something uniquely Chinese. This even extends to the variety of capitalism now sweeping China, which still seeks a socialist society. Western scholarship, though, still sees China as Westernizing and resisting its “old” and “communist” ways, but this is errant in some ways.

Read Kyle’s full post on his website.

Contemporary Chinese Art: Government & Artistry

zhongshan-89410_960_720In all societies, the governing body presiding over the people has an inherent influence on artwork, both direct and indirect. Unfortunately, modern China does not have a strong history of artistic freedom, though resistance has persisted in some ways. During the earlier decades of the CCP’s rule, the government had absolute power over art that met the public eye; however, in private, some still used it as a medium of subjective expression.

Moreover, there was a period between 1976 and 1989 in which artists saw more and more freedom, but this has been curbed for the sake of stability of the CCP’s governance. Nowadays, the government seeks to display (internationally and nationally) only ideologically friendly work—though policies are prone to confusing and inconsistent shifts. Artists nonetheless have prevailed and have managed to resist even amid the toughest circumstances and government control.

Read Kyle’s post on his website.

Contemporary Chinese Art: Artistry in a Market Economy

Screen Shot 2016-07-07 at 8.15.23 PMIn its recent history, China has cultivated a colossal economy, easily rivaling that of the ever-powerful U.S. In the decades after the death of Mao Zedong, China oversaw tremendous reforms—most notably the adoption of a mixed, market-oriented economy. Within the world’s largest political system, this led to a sprawling consumer culture. All of these changes surely influenced artwork, which now has to cater to a market rather than exclusive commission by the state. With calls for China to become ever more advanced in all sectors—such as culture—art has taken a forefront. Nonetheless, artists have had a hard time: they’ve had to transition from an exclusively command economy to the risks associated with markets—and the results have not been the best for all, thus resistance has taken place.

Read Kyle’s full blog post on his website.

Ideology & Subjectivity in Chinese Art

Real to Cosmic Ideology is essentially everywhere in any society, and the more traditional Chinese society that gave birth to tiehua is no exception. Chinese art was inherently influenced from all varieties of ideology prominent in society: these range from the visual, i.e. iconographic representation and symbolism, conventions for expressing one’s emotions and struggles, philosophy and spirituality, as well as individual subjectivity in a marketplace of ideological representations.

Read Kyle’s full post on his website.

Socialist Realism & Tiehua

Youth RiverWhen the Chinese Communist Party’s wave of revolution gained control of the entirety of Mainland China, the nation sought to redefine itself into a New China. The ways of the past were largely to be abandoned and the Chinese people would work towards socialism and perhaps eventually communism.

Nonetheless, with a government composed of revolutionaries a vastly different situation arose in tiehua and art at large: with the authoritarian nature of this party art had little room to resist the status quo. Yet, even more interestingly, China was now ruled by a prime demographic of resistors themselves, thus the focus of all art was to propagate their new ideology, to resist the “old ways.” Until Mao Zedong’s death, art would resist Old China, while promoting “New China” in a style seen in many communist states of the twentieth century: socialist realism.

Read Kyle’s full post on his website.

The Song Dynasty’s Influences on Tiehua

Ma_Yuan_Walking_on_Path_in_Spring-768x485While tiehua came into existence during the later 1600s, the early Qing dynasty, its influences can be traced far back into Chinese history, particularly during the Song dynasty (960-1276). Despite its distance from painted art, tiehua was still inherently based on the old practices and conventions of Chinese art and innovations lasting far back into Chinese history allowed its existence.

Read Kyle’s full post on his website.

Literati Resistance in the Early Qing Dynasty

Kangxi-JagdAfter Li Zicheng’s exploitation of the weak late Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty was established in 1644. The rulers of the Han Chinese were again foreign–this time Manchus. The Han literati encountered levels marginalization based on ethnicity and few (due to social etiquette) served both dynasties. Individuals thus had to choose to be a remnant subject (one who stays in society and stands the pain of losing former status) or a eremitic subject (one who retreats from society). The literati thus took to resistance. Creative energy among the Hans was at a high at this time and more honest dialogue about previous dynasties occurred. The Han sought to preserve their culture and maintain their positions in society; however, many began to take up different professions beyond official positions and the civil service examination system.

Read Kyle’s post on his website.

Resistance in the Late Qing Dynasty & Early Republic

1200px-Regaining_the_Provincial_Capital_of_RuizhouThe relative prosperity experienced during the Kangxi period greatly contrast with the condition of Manchu China in the nineteenth century. By this time, China was entering one of its most challenging phases—being bombarded inside and out. Internal rebellions shook the social order and economy, Western powers increasingly degraded China’s place in the world, and Japan even began to dominate China rather than the historic opposite. This led to all kinds of hardships for all levels of society, resulting in various forms of resistance, some radical, eventually causing the collapse of the dynasty and a politically unstable republic.

Read Kyle’s post on his website.

The Resistant Origin of Tiehua

6320947145_c8aa370b56_b-copy-1Within the immense realm of creative expression forged by humanity exists a unique form of Chinese painting: tiehua. Contradicting what the word “painting” might suggest, the works in this genre are hammered out of metal rather than paint or ink. Interestingly, this form of expression has a very local legacy in the city of Wuhu, Anhui, where it dates back hundreds of years and appears to always have been a medium with which to resist the status quo.

Read Kyle’s post on his website.