Debilidades

217 Xu and Jin,

p. 14.

C h in e se p a in tin g , a n d K a n g Y o u w e i’s v a lu in g o f S o n g p a in tin g a n d d ism issa l o f th e Q in g F o u r W an g s w e re a m o n g th e m o s t p e n e tra tin g o p in io n s o n th e

0 1J2 d e v e lo p m e n t o f C h in e s e p a in tin g , as fa r as X u B e ih o n g w as c o n c e rn e d .

K a n g Y o u w e i a rg u e d th a t th e sim p lifie d an d ro u g h s ty le o f lite ra ti p a in tin g , w h ic h w a s e p ito m is e d in th e w o rk s o f th e Q in g F o u r W an g s - W a n g S h im in (fE

1 5 9 2 “ 1 6 80), W a n g J ia n ( £ £ £ , 1 5 9 8 -1 6 7 7 ), W an g Y u an q i ( E E J l f P, 1 6 4 2 -1 7 1 5 ), a n d W a n g H u i ( z E U , 1 6 3 2 -1 7 1 7 ), w as th e k e y to th e re g re s s io n o f C h in e se p a in tin g in m o d e rn tim e s.219 In th e o p e n in g o f th e 1917 c a ta lo g u e o f his C h in e se p a in tin g c o lle c tio n , K a n g Y ouw ei sta rte d b y fo rm u la tin g h is v e rs io n o f th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f C h in e s e p a in tin g w ith an a sse rtio n th a t “ O f la te C h in e s e p a in tin g h a s b e e n a t its w o rs t b e c a u se its p a in tin g th e o ry w as e rro n e o u s ” .220 K a n g Y o u w e i a ttrib u te d th e erro n e o u s th e o ry to th e ae sth e tic s o f lite ra ti p a in tin g , w h o se p a in te rs tu rn e d th e ir b a c k s o n n a tu re in p u rs u it o f c a llig ra p h ic a n d

e x p re s s iv e b ru s h w o rk in th e ir p a in tin g s. T h e y d o m in a te d th e C h in e se a rt w o rld fro m th e Y u an d y n a s ty (1 2 7 1 -1 3 6 8 ) o n w a rd s. T h e a e sth e tic s o f lite ra ti p a in tin g , w h ich m a n ife s te d its e lf in th e a b stra c t te n d e n c ie s in the p a in tin g s , re a c h e d its a p o g e e in th e F o u r W a n g s an d c o u ld b e tra c e d b a c k to th e T a n g p o e t W a n g W ei (zE $£, c a 7 0 1 -7 6 1 ), w h o in fu se d Z e n B u d d h is m in to h is c re a tio n s .221 A lth o u g h the Y uan d y n a s ty w itn e s s e d th e e m e rg e n c e o f lite ra ti p a in tin g , K a n g Y o u w ei a p p ro v e d o f it b e c a u s e it c re a te d a n e w p a in tin g sty le w h e n th e re a lis tic sty le re a c h e d its p e rfe c tio n in S o n g p a in tin g . In K a n g Y o u w e i’s o p in io n s , the p re fe re n c e o f th e Y uan p a in te rs fo r th e m o o d o f a p a in tin g ra th e r th a n fo rm

218 Xu, ‘Beihong zishu’, pp. 9-10.

219 On Kang Youwei’s view of Chinese and Western painting, see Lawrence Wu, ‘Kang Youwei and the Westernization of Modern Chinese Art’,

, 21.3 (1990), pp. 46-53, Jiang Yinghe '/IltM , ‘He Zhongxi wei dajia - Kang Youwei de guohua biangeguan’ f f - i k T f ^ i s fIL ‘Integrating Chinese and Western Painting to Create a Great New Chinese Painting - Kang Youwei’s View on Chinese Painting Reform’,

5 (2001), pp. 106-111.

220 Kang, ‘Wanmu caotang canghuamu’, p. 93.

221 Kang, ‘Wanmu caotang canghuamu’, p. 93.

lik e n e ss w a s o rig in a lly cre a tiv e . T h e e rro r w as m a d e b y th e ir s u c c e sso rs in th e ir b lin d a d h e re n c e to th e c o n v e n tio n s o f lite ra ti p a in tin g w ith o u t re fo rm .222 K a n g Y o u w ei in d ic a te d th a t th e ae sth e tic s an d p ra c tic e s o f lite ra ti p a in tin g w ere

le g itim is e d as th e o rth o d o x y o f C h in e se p a in tin g in th e h a n d s o f W e n Z h e n g m in g 1 4 7 0 -1 5 5 9 ) a n d D o n g Q ic h a n g 1 5 5 5 -1 6 3 6 ). W h ile th e y d is m is s e d th e p ro fe s s io n a l p a in te rs ’ s u b sta n tia l re n d e rin g s an d v a lu e d th e a m a te u r lite r a ti’s s y m b o lic b ru sh w o rk , th e ir W estern c o u n te rp a rt, R a p h a e l, w as re p la c in g th e g o ld e n a n d s tiff sty le o f re lig io u s p a in tin g b y life -d ra w in g a n d o il p a in tin g . T h e s e tw o s y n c h ro n ic p h e n o m e n a re v e rse d th e sta n d in g o f C h in e s e a n d W estern p a in tin g . K a n g Y o u w ei c o n c lu d e d , “T h e W e ste rn p a in tin g so u g h t v e ris im ilitu d e {zhen) w h ile o u rs d ism isse d it; ev o lv in g a g a in s t th e tre n d , C h in e s e p a in tin g th u s e n d up in re g re s s io n ” .223 T h e Q in g F o u r W an g s re p re s e n te d th e c u lm in a tio n o f th e tra je c to ry o f C h in e se lite ra ti p a in tin g d e v e lo p m e n t fro m th e Y uan d y n a s ty to m o d e m tim e s. T h e ir la te r g e n e ra tio n s le a m t p a in tin g o n ly b y im ita tin g th e p re v io u s w o rk s w ith sim p lifie d b ru sh w o rk . In K a n g Y o u w e i’s ey es, C h in e se p a in tin g w as a t its w o rst in th e Q in g dynasty. H e w a rn e d th a t i f C h in e s e p a in te rs c o n tin u e d to b e c o n se rv a tiv e , fo llo w in g th e c o n v e n tio n s a n d d e n y in g s u b sta n tia l re n d e rin g s , C h in e s e p a in tin g w o u ld b e c o m e ex tin c t. To re sc u e

C h in e s e p a in tin g , K a n g Y o u w ei p ro p o s e d th e in te g ra tio n o f C h in e s e a n d W e ste rn p a in tin g to c re a te a n e w e ra o f C h in e se p a in tin g ,224

K a n g Y o u w e i’s o p in io n s on p re se n t-d a y C h in e se p a in tin g , s u c h as h is v iew th a t C h in e s e p a in tin g w as at its w o rs t as a re su lt o f tra d itio n a lis m (s h o u jiu t F H ) ,

a n ti-v e ris im ilitu d e a n d a d ism issa l o f p ro fe ssio n a l p a in te rs, w e re in h e rite d b y X u B e ih o n g in h is a rtic le , ‘M e th o d s fo r th e Im p ro v e m e n t o f C h in e s e P a in tin g ’, first

222 Kang, ‘Ouzhou shiyiguo youji liangzhong’, pp. 105-106.

223 Kang, ‘Ouzhou shiyiguo youji liangzhong’, pp. 133-134.

224 Kang, ‘Wanmu caotang canghuamu, p. 120.

p u b lis h e d in th e U n iv e rsity D a ily (B e ijin g d a x u e rik a n H Ttj) o n 23

o o c i » » »

M ay 1 9 18. T h is ai'ticle w as o rig in a lly a le c tu re w h ic h X u B e ih o n g d e liv e re d to th e B e ijin g U n iv e rs ity P a in tin g R e s e a rc h S o ciety, w h e re X u ta u g h t p a in tin g b e tw e e n 1918 a n d 1919. X u B e ih o n g b e g a n th e a rtic le w ith h is c ritic is m o f p re s e n t-d a y C h in e s e p a in tin g , sa y in g th a t “T h e d e c lin e o f C h in e s e p a in tin g has re a c h e d its n a d ir” . A n d ‘tra d itio n a lis m ’ {sh o u jiu ) in th e C h in e s e a rt w o rld w as re s p o n s ib le fo r th e d e c lin e . To re fo rm C h in e se p a in tin g , X u B e ih o n g a d v o c a te d

“k e e p in g w h a t is g o o d in tra d itio n a l C h in e se p a in tin g , c o n tin u in g w h a t is a b a n d o n e d [in p re s e n t-d a y C h in e se p a in tin g ], re c tify in g w h a t is b a d , re fo rm in g w h a t is im p e rfe c t, a n d a d o p tin g w h a t is a p p ro p ria te fo r C h in a in W e ste rn p a in tin g ” .226 X u B e ih o n g ’s o p in io n s o n th e m o d e rn C h in e se p a in tin g situ atio n , its p ro b le m s a n d re m e d ie s, sh a re d a g re a t s im ila rity w ith K a n g Y o u w e i’s. E v e n th e te rm s X u B e ih o n g u se d in th e a rtic le w e re d ire c tly b o rro w e d fro m th o se in K an g Y o u w e i’s w ritin g s.

To re c tify C h in e se p a in tin g , w h ic h h a d g o n e a stra y as a re s u lt o f its

tra d itio n a lis m an d its d ism issa l o f p ro fe s s io n a l p a in te r s ’ sta tu s an d c ra ftsm a n sh ip , K an g Y o u w e i p re s c rib e d S o n g p a in tin g , w h ic h m o d e lle d p a in te d im a g e s on real scen es a n d o b je c ts in o rd e r to s e e k p ic to ria l v e risim ilitu d e . K a n g Y o u w e i re fe rred to th e re a lis tic S o n g p a in tin g s as o ils, su c h as th o se b y Y i Y u an ji Z h ao Y o n g n ian a n d S u H a n c h e n (F ig s 7 5 -7 6 ). T h e ir w o rk s w e re

carrie d o u t w ith fin e b ru sh w o rk , d e lic a te c o lo u r a n d p a in s ta k in g ca re . K a n g Y o uw ei c la im e d th a t th e w o r ld ’s firs t o il p a in tin g tra d itio n o rig in a te d w ith C h in e se S o n g p a in tin g . M a rc o P o lo (1 2 5 4 -1 3 2 4 ) to o k S o n g p a in tin g b a c k to Italy a n d th u s u s h e re d in th e h ig h ly -d e v e lo p e d v e ris im ilitu d e in R a p h a e l’s oil