Wide Angle, Close Up: Rethinking Twentieth-century Chinese Art

This talk presents work-in-progress associated with the research project “Reconfiguring the World: China. Art. Agency 1900s to Now” which examines twentieth century Chinese art from an international perspective.

This talk presents work-in-progress associated with the research project “Reconfiguring the World: China. Art. Agency 1900s to Now” which examines twentieth century Chinese art from an international perspective. It will focus on two early works by Xu Beihong (1895-1953) and Ye Qianyu (1907-1995), artists who have played key roles in the formation of xin guohua or what we have come to think of as modern Chinese brush-and-ink painting. The artworks chosen for discussion are striking but little known and studied; explanatory examples that offer insights into the methodology of the project. They move beyond national borders yet resist translation in universal terms. By taking into account the mobility of artistic ideas across time and space, probing influences and contexts that are both Sinophone and engaged with world currents, we can better understand the trajectories of the artists’ lives and the foundations of their artistic practice.