BLOQUE II: MECANISMOS DE DIFUSIÓN DEL CONJUNTO PATRIMONIAL. ESTADO DE LA

164 Xu Beihong, ‘Zhongguohua gailiang zhi fangfa’

‘Methods for the

Improvement of Chinese Painting’, in Xu and Jin,

pp. 39-45 (p.45).

165 Kang Youwei, ‘Wanmu caotang canghuamu’

‘Catalogue of Painting

Collection of the Thatched Hut of Ten Thousand Trees’, in Shen Songxin

and Li Guojun

eds,

jlK'WTfczfe Hi

Til (—), ‘Compilation

of Kang Youwei’s calligraphic works: Vol. II’ (Henan, 1983), p. 120.

p a c k e ts. X u B e ih o n g la te r re c a lle d th a t h e lik e d to c o lle c t c ig a re tte c a rd s w ith a n im a l im a g e s .166 T h e m o s t o b v io u s m a n ife sta tio n o f X u B e ih o n g ’s a d m ira tio n fo r th e G a o b ro th e rs p e rh a p s lay in th e tig e r p a in tin g h e m a d e in 1918 as a g ift to M a S h u p in g ( J l i j ^ ^ P , 1 8 8 1 -1 9 5 5 ), a re n o w n e d s c h o la r o f e p ig ra p h y (F ig. 6 5 ).167 T h e tig e r is re a lis tic a lly re n d e re d w ith in k an d w a te rc o lo u r, re m in is c e n t o f th o se in th e p a in tin g s o f th e G a o b ro th e rs (F ig. 66). N o n e th e le ss, X u B e ih o n g ’s tig e r is less fe ro c io u s th a n th e G a o s ’. U n lik e th e n a tio n a list im p lic a tio n s c o d e d in th e fie rc e b e a s ts in th e w o rk s o f th e G ao b ro th e rs, X u B e ih o n g se e m s to h a v e p a id m o re a tte n tio n to p ic to ria l su b je c ts a n d p ra c tic e s. L ik e th e 1919 h o rs e p a in tin g , th e re a lis tic re n d e rin g a n d w a te rc o lo u r s ty le u se d in X u B e ih o n g ’s tig e r p a in tin g d e m o n stra te s th a t X u B e ih o n g ’s e a rly p ic to ria l p ra c tic e s w e re in c lo s e

a s s o c ia tio n w ith th e c o n v e n tio n s o f c o m m e rc ia l art. X u B e ih o n g ’s a n im a l p a in tin g s d e m o n s tra te ag a in h o w W e ste rn art h a d sp re a d in C h in a in th e early tw e n tie th c e n tu ry . T h e im a g e s and o b je c ts on th e c o m m e rc ia l m a rk e t se e m in g ly b e c a m e th e m o s t c o m m o n v e h ic le s fo r C h in e se artists to le a rn W e ste rn p a in tin g .

N a m e d a fte r th e a re a fro m w h ic h th e artists c a m e fro m - C a n to n , to th e ‘S o u th ’ o f th e ‘F iv e R a n g e s ’, th e L in g n a n S c h o o l w as fo u n d e d b y th re e C a n to n e s e a rtists, G ao J ia n fu , G ao Q ife n g a n d C h e n S h u re n ([A fM A i

1 8 8 4 -1 9 4 8 ), w h o w e re a m o n g th e firs t g e n e ra tio n o f y o u n g C h in e s e artists w h o w ere a ttra c te d b y th e s u c c e ssfu l W e ste rn ise d m o d e rn isa tio n o f J a p a n a n d th u s p u rsu e d a rt stu d ie s th e re fro m as e a rly as 1906. T h e L in g n a n S c h o o l fe a tu re d a n ew fo rm o f C h in e s e p a in tin g , in te g ra tin g W e ste rn m o d e llin g a fte r n a tu re a n d a tm o sp h e ric e ffe c ts in to tra d itio n a l s u b je c t m a tte r su c h as b ird s, la n d s c a p e s and an im a ls. A n im a ls in d ra m a tic o r fo rc e fu l g estu re s a g a in st ro m a n tic se ttin g s su ch as m o o n lit n ig h ts o r sn o w scenes, re n d e re d w ith c a re fu l sh a d in g a n d ric h lay ers

!66 Xu, ‘Beihong zishu’, p. 3.

o f c o lo u rs, re p re s e n te d th e in flu e n c e fro m th e re fin e d c o m b in a tio n o f re a lis m and ro m a n tic is m in la te M e iji J a p a n e s e p a in tin g , in p a rtic u la r th e S h ijo S c h o o l.168 T h e L in g n a n S c h o o l a rtists p ro m o te d ‘N e w N a tio n a l P a in tin g ’ (X in g u o h u a iUrHH H ) , c la im in g th a t th e L in g n a n S c h o o l’s aim w as to re fo rm o ld n a tio n a l p a in tin g an d c re a te n e w n a tio n a l p a in tin g in o rd e r to m o d e rn ise C h in e se p a in tin g .169 T h e y e n d o w e d p a in tin g w ith a n a tio n a lis tic id eo lo g y , e m p h a s is in g th e ir b e lie f th a t a it s h o u ld b e tre a te d as “ an in te g ra l p a rt o f, a n d a stim u lu s to , n a tio n a l re ju v e n a tio n ” . 170 T h e ra d ic a l a ttitu d e o f th e L in g n a n S c h o o l m a n ife s te d its e lf in G ao J ia n f u ’s d e p ic tio n o f m o d e rn o b je c ts in his in k p a in tin g s, su c h as a e ro p la n e s, cars a n d te le g ra p h p o le s (F ig. 67). F o r th e m , art sh o u ld b e m o d e rn is e d to b e c a p a b le o f fa ith fu lly re p re s e n tin g th e re a litie s o f th e o u tsid e w o rld in o rd e r to p a rtic ip a te in th e b u ild in g o f th e n ew n a tio n . F o r th e m , th e s o c ia l-p o litic a l a n d a rtistic ro le s w e re n o t in c o m p a tib le . T h u s, th e le a d in g m e m b e rs o f th e L in g n a n S c h o o l a c tiv e ly p a rtic ip a te d in re v o lts a g a in s t th e im p e ria l M a n c h u re g im e an d h e lp e d to e s ta b lis h a n e w re p u b lic a n n a tio n . C o n seq u en tly , th e L in g n a n S c h o o l artists o c c u p ie d an im p o rta n t p lace in m o d e rn C h in e se p a in tin g . N o n e th e le s s , th e ir ra d ic a l a ttitu d e s to a rt se e m n o t to h a v e b e e n w e lc o m e in S h a n g h a i in th e

1910s, w h e n th e C h in e s e p a in tin g w o rld w as still fille d w ith c o n s e rv a tiv e ta ste ,

171

and th e c o m m e rc ia l w o rld p re fe rre d th e e x o tic n o v e lty o f W e ste rn p a in tin g . T h e re fo re , w h e n th e p o litic a lly ra d ic a l a rtists o f th e L in g n a n S c h o o l c a m e to S h a n g h a i to d e v e lo p th e ir ca re e rs a n d p ro p a g a te th e ir n ew art, th e y in v o lv e d th e m s e lv e s in th e c o m m e rc ia l w o rld b y ru n n in g a b o o k s to re /p u b lis h in g h o u s e a n d b y m a k in g c a le n d a r p o ste rs, in w h ic h th e ir re a listic a n d m o d e rn te n d e n c y

168 Croizier,

pp. 37-59.

169 Gao Jianfu,

‘My View of Modem National

Painting’ (Taipei, 1955).

170 Croizier,

p. 65.

171 Croizier, A/7

pp. 66-68.

c o u ld fin d g re a te r s u p p o rt an d a c c e p ta n c e .172

T h e G a o b ro th e rs o p e n e d th e A e s th e tic B o o k sto re to fu lfil th e ir in te lle c tu a l a sp ira tio n s o n th e o n e h a n d , an d to c a te r fo r p o p u la r ta ste in o rd e r to su p p o rt th e ir liv e lih o o d o n th e other. A c c o rd in g to re m in isc e n c e s o f th e ir c o n te m p o ra rie s , th e A e s th e tic B o o k s to re w as o n e o f th e b e s t-k n o w n sto re s o ffe rin g W e stern p a in tin g o ils a n d p ig m e n ts in S h a n g h a i. It also so ld a w id e ra n g e o f p a in te d card s, p o stc a rd s a n d p a in tin g e q u ip m e n t.173 H u a n g Jin g w a n re c a lle d th a t X u B e ih o n g ’s p a stim e in S h a n g h a i w as to v isit th e C o m m e rc ia l P ress b o o k s to re to re a d art b o o k s a n d C h in e s e v e rsio n s o f W e ste rn lite ra tu re . A s w e ll as th is, X u B e ih o n g also w e n t to th e A e s th e tic B o o k sto re w h ic h sto o d o p p o s ite to th e C o m m e rc ia l P ress, a n d w h ic h s to c k e d a v a rie ty o f c o m m e rc ia l art g o o d s, su c h as c o lo u r lith o g ra p h ic c a ta lo g u e s , c o p ie s o f m a ste rp ie c e s a n d c a le n d a r p o s te r s .174 M o re im p o rta n tly , th e b o o k s to re fu n c tio n e d as a sm all g a lle ry w h e re th e re w e re fre q u e n tly d is p la y e d w o rk s b y a rtists o f th e L in g n a n S c h o o l. T h u s, th e b o o k s to re b e c a m e o n e o f th e fa v o u rite g a th e rin g p la c e s fo r c o n te m p o ra ry a rtists in

S h a n g h a i.175

T h e c a re e rs o f artists o f th e L in g n a n S c h o o l in S h a n g h a i re v e a l h o w th e sp re a d o f W e ste rn art o r n e w C h in e se p a in tin g w as in e v ita b ly e n ta n g le d w ith th e c o m m e rc ia lly -d riv e n c u ltu ra l m a rk e t, a n d h o w p h o to g ra p h ic re a lis m se rv e d to b rid g e th e s e d iffe re n t re a lm s. A lth o u g h p ic to ria l re a lis m w a s p o p u lar' in th is p e rio d , c o m p re h e n s iv e k n o w le d g e o f W e ste rn art h a d n o t y e t b e e n in tro d u c e d in to C h in a . M o s t o f th e W e ste rn ise d artists w ere se lf-ta u g h t o r h a d le a rn t a b o u t W e ste rn p a in tin g th ro u g h c o p y in g p rin te d im ag es. A rt c o u rse s in e a rly

172 On the Lingnan School artists’ life in Shanghai, see Croizier,