1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

DRAFT - NOT FOR PUBLICATION Seeking tru th from history and rea lity - trends in th e development of Chinese a rt. Xu Hong-Shanghai A rt Museum I have chosen th e word 'jix u ' or continuation to introduce this b rie f paper on con temporary Chinese a rt. The dictionary definition of 'jixu ' is a sequence; something th a t continues w ithou t a break. In Chinese the words 'jix u ' or continuation and 'jicheng ' to inherit are re la ted . They appear in phrases such as 'j i wang kai lai* and 'q ian fu houji1 both of which imply 'to continue th e work of our predecessors. Concepts of tim e and space are implicit and a re c learly and p rec ise ly expressed. During th e course of th e 20 th century , however, many Chinese a rtis ts have had d ifficu lty coming to term s with this concept. Sometimes social and cu ltural change canno t be understood as p a rt of a linear development. C on tac t w ith Western nations began with trade , and the introduction of m issionaries. La ter, Chinese studen ts trave lled overseas to study and on th e ir re tu rn a r t educa tion was established in China. A rtis ts advocated a 'blending or melding of e a s te rn and western a r tis tic s ty les' (zhong xi jiehe). Right from the very beginning th e re was a con trad ic tion inheren t in the proposition of retaining natural ch a rac te ris tic s and a t th e same tim e assim ilating those elem ents of western a rt th a t would be of use to th e development of Chinese a r t. Those who advocated assimilation of ea s te rn and western a r t f e lt th a t it would cure and re-inv igo ra te a stagnan t a rt. A rtis tic experim en tation fuelled this debate. There w ere two main points of view: some f e lt th a t any fu tu re Chinese a r t would inevitably bring to g e th e r elem en ts of easte rn and western a rt. These views w ere expressed by people like Kang Youwei and a rtis ts Lin Fengmian, Wu Dayu, Liu Haisu and the ink p a in te r Wang Yiting. O thers fe lt th a t the proposition was impossible and th a t e a s te rn and w estern a r t should each maintain the ir own national ch a ra c te ris tic s . This view was expressed by people such aS Fu Baoshi, Pan Tianshou and Qi Baishi. Whilst tho se who held the la t t e r view were in th e minority they were s te a d fa s t and unrelenting . They raised questions which caused the proponents of assim ilation to think more deeply about th e ir position. Much like th e e a rlie r slogan 'W ith Chinese elem ents as th e core of learning, learn from th e West and apply what is useful', it sounds rational, bu t the concep ts involved a re ill-defined and hence this deba te still has currency today. A rtis ts who hold th e former view , in te rp re t it in d iffe ren t ways. For example, owing to d ifferences in age and levels of education, young a rtis ts accuse those of ea rlie r generations of no t distancing them selves su ffic ien tly from trad itiona l forms. Inevitably they con tinue th e process of engaging in a r tis tic experim en tation adapting a g re a te r deg ree of western concep ts and means. The re a lity is th a t the process of assimilation cannot be denied. If one considers