Abstract
This article examines the role of modern art educational institutions that emerged in the early 20th century China in transforming Chinese artists and their art, by comparing the manner of art teaching and other artistic activities in the traditional literati master’s private studio and those found in the Shanghai Art School, an early and important art school in Republican China. The research draws upon a wide range of primary sources as well as secondary documents. It shows that when teaching in the public institution of the School, artists’ teaching techniques were enriched, and their teaching psychologies were restructured. This article finally contributes towards an improved understanding of “modern” artists and “modern” art in China.
Highlights
For several decades the study of Chinese art history has focused upon exploring “modernity” in Chinese painting
This article examines the role of modern art educational institutions that emerged in the early 20th century China in transforming Chinese artists and their art, by comparing the manner of art teaching and other artistic activities in the traditional literati master’s private studio and those found in the Shanghai Art School, an early and important art school in Republican China
This article aims to explore whether the transition of the teaching milieu from the private to the public domain influenced artists’ teaching, teaching related activities, and their art, and if so, how. It compares the style of teaching art in the private studios of the literati with that in the modern school of art, using the Shanghai Art School as the case for study
Summary
For several decades the study of Chinese art history has focused upon exploring “modernity” in Chinese painting. This research takes a further step to explore the influence of the transition of the milieu, from the private to public domain, on artists’ art teaching and art practice It examines the functions, artistic styles, techniques and subject matter of artworks. The research uses the Shanghai Art School (Shanghai Meishu Zhuanmen Xuexiao) (Note 1), an important early art school in China, scrutinizing the first half of the school’s history in the Republican period It draws widely on primary sources, including school archives and personal interviews, in addition to secondary materials (e.g. newspaper articles and published paintings), to shed light on the transformation of artists and their art. The final section examines the transformations in artists’ paintings related to artists’ new roles in the public educational institution
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