Chinese and Other Asian Modernisms: A Comparative View of Art-Historical Contexts in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Using a comparative analysis approach, this article examines the development, characteristics and issues concerning the discourse of modern Asian art in the twentieth century, with the aim of bringing into picture the place of Asia in the history of modernism. The wide recognition of the Western modernist canon as centre and universal displaces the contribution and significance of the non-Western world in the modern movement. From a cross-cultural perspective, this article demonstrates that modernism in the field of visual arts in Asia, while has had been complex and problematic, nevertheless emerged. Rather than treating Asian art as a generalized subject, this article argues that, with their subtly different notions of culture, identity and nationhood, the modernisms that emerged from various nations in this region are diverse and culturally specific. Through the comparison of various art-historical contexts in this region (namely China, India, Japan and Korea), this article attempts to map out some similarities as well as differences in their pursuit of an autonomous modernist representation. Many countries in Asia are associated with the history of Western imperialism, and most of these nations started to undergo modernization because of colonial contact with Western powers. A term used to denote the process and impact of the more advanced nations, with particular reference to Western Europe, on the less advanced nations, is accordingly coined Although colonized nations may generally share some similarities in the process of colonization, there are as many differences in the specific experiences related to each of their individual histories. Yet, discourses of colonialism and modernization often overlook the specific realities of various colonized countries, and fail to take into account the importance of individual cultural particularity. Some scholars, such as Partha Mitter, have argued that the discourse of colonial studies tends to have a monocular vision of the destiny of nations and overlooks the specific cultural expressions of (Mitter, 1994, p.6). This article argues that, while certain assumptions about colonialism may exist, every nation's individual experience still has to be rooted in its specific socio-cultural and political history. In the field of art, it would be misleading to generalize the diverse responses of artists from various colonized nations in their processes toward achieving modernism. The emergence of modern art practices in Asia - their forms, functions and contents - needs to be studied in relation to specific, complex realities of individual nations and cultures. Not only does it concern aesthetic experience and personal expression, art plays a role in the formation of social existence. Art contributes to the continuity of traditions and unity of peoples, particularly during times of oppression and depravity. The artistic products of colonized peoples can be considered their variegated responses to Westernization. Major styles or important schools of thoughts in art arose in Asia from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century as reactions to or as a result of Westernization (Refer to Table 1). These schools of art sought to create new types of artistic expression and many artists incorporated techniques borrowed from Western painting to rejuvenate traditional art forms. However, many of these objectives and artistic contents remained deeply rooted in each individual culture and some were nationalist-inspired. In understanding the richness and complexity of individual Asian cultural and national histories, this article argues for a rethinking of the prejudiced colonial attitude: that the white colonizers were different from and more superior to their subject peoples. The white colonist' perception of difference was intimately linked to imperial political ambitions and embedded in relations of power. This article reveals the tangible existence of autonomous