This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. The "Chinese Landscape - Art Exhibition of Lin Fengmian and Wu Guanzhong" currently being held at the China Art Palace (Shanghai Art Museum) has attracted countless people to visit. It is closely related to the "The Great Road - Zao Wou-Ki" at the China Academy of Art Museum in Hangzhou, which has just concluded. Together with the "Centennial Retrospective Special Exhibition", it draws the public's attention to the early Chinese artists who studied in France and reflects on the "New Art" picture they painted together.
One can simply use the term “artistic troupe” to describe the early group of Chinese artists who studied in France. They are not only the “most expensive” group of artists in the Chinese art world, but they have also left dazzling traces and far-reaching influence on the history of art, creating a splendid crystallization of mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations.
--editor
Many artistic young people set out from Shanghai to study abroad, with Paris, France being the preferred destination.
Since the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China around 1900, a wave of learning from the West has swept across China. New schools are springing up like mushrooms after a rain, and studying abroad is popular all over the country. The May 4th New Culture Movement pushed this trend to a climax.
In modern times, Shanghai relied on its unique port opening advantages and quickly became a cultural and artistic center in the country at that time. Art schools such as Tushanwan Art Gallery and Shanghai Academy of Drawing and Art (the predecessor of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts) were established one after another, and a large number of artistic talents gathered and "gathered" here. Many artistic young people set out from Shanghai to study abroad, with Paris, France being the preferred destination.
France is a country of artistic romance. British writer Oscar Wilde once joked: "The most proud thing about England is that every French bourgeois wants to be an artist, while every British artist wants to be a bourgeois."
After the 19th century, Paris has become the well-deserved art capital of the world. Since Impressionism, different modernist art styles such as Fauvism, Cubism, and Expressionism have appeared one after another.
There are many art schools in France, among which the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (hereinafter referred to as Paris Gaume) is the most famous and naturally became the first choice for Chinese students studying abroad at that time.
Information shows that Wu Fading (1883-1924) was the first Chinese to officially register at the school. He went to France to study in 1911, where he initially studied law and later switched to oil painting. At the same time as him was the painter Li Chaoshi (1893-1971), who was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1913.
During the more than 40 years from 1914 to 1955, there were 132 Chinese students registered at Paris Gaume. Even during the two world wars, Chinese students accounted for the largest proportion of foreign students in the disciplines of painting and sculpture. Around 1934, nearly 30 Chinese students were studying at Galleria de Paris, making it the most popular school.
Here we might as well briefly introduce some of the early Chinese artists who studied in France.
The great painter Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was born in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. He learned painting from his father since he was a child, and he has extraordinary talent. He came to Shanghai to make a living selling paintings at the age of 17. Shanghai was his blessed place, where he broadened his horizons and received help from distinguished people such as Huang Jingwan, Kang Youwei, and the Hartong couple. In 1919, with the help of Cai Yuanpei and Fu Zengxiang, Xu went to France to enter the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, where he studied oil painting and sketching. In 1920, he met the painter Dayang, and his painting skills improved greatly. He also traveled to Western European countries to expand his horizons. The following year, he formed the "Tengu Society" in Paris with Zhang Daofan, Xie Shoukang, Shao Xunmei, San Yu, Jiang Xiaoyu and others.
Later, Xu’s students Wu Zuoren, Lu Sibai and others all went to Paris to study abroad at Gaomei. It is said that Wu took the enrollment advertisement and walked from his home in Wenyuanfang, Shaoxing Road to No. 371 Yongjia Road, where he applied for the Fine Arts Department of the Nanguo Art Academy chaired by Xu and became a disciple of the Xu family.
The legendary story of Pan Yuliang (1895-1977) became a sensation in the 1980s with the book "Painting Soul" by writer Shi Nan, and was also remade into movies and TV series. In 1921, she went to France to study at public expense, and in 1923, she enrolled in Paris Gaomei. In 1928, she returned to China and taught successively at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and Nanjing Central University. In 1937, she returned to Paris to paint until her death. Before Pan died, she asked her friends to transport all her works back to China, where they are now collected by the Anhui Provincial Museum.
The sculptor Jiang Xiaoyuan (1894-1939) was the son of Jiang Biao, a Hanlin scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. He was collected by a wealthy family. Jiang studied in Japan in his early years, and founded the Chinese Art Association in Japan with Xu Dungu, Chen Baoyi and others. After returning to China, he initiated the establishment of the Tianma Club with Ding Wei, Yang Qingqing, Zhang Chenbo and others. Last year, Ding Wei's document exhibition included photos of Jiang.
In 1921, Jiang Xiaoyu and his friend Chen Xiaojiang went to Europe to study. He lived in Paris most of the time and visited museums and famous studios across Europe. His painting "The Golden Age" was selected for the French Salon Exhibition.
Jiang Xiaoyuan later became a famous sculptor in the Republic of China. Celebrities and dignitaries asked him to create statues one after another. His representative works include "Portrait of Sun Yat-sen" and "Bust of Painter Chen Shiteng". When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Jiang went to Kunming to make a statue for him at the invitation of Yunnan Long Yun. He died of overwork soon after.
Yan Wenliang (1893-1988), the founder of Suzhou Academy of Fine Arts, entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1928. When he returned to China in 1932, Yan Wenliang brought back more than 460 classical plaster statues and more than 4,000 volumes of art books to the school, which for a time was the largest collection of art schools in the country. He lived in Shanghai in his later years and made great contributions to Shanghai's art industry.
Huang Juesi (1901-1988) was Yan Wenliang's right-hand man. He was the first graduate of Suzhou Art College and stayed at the school to teach after graduation. In 1934, he went to Paris to study at the Gaume, where he was a graduate student at Tan Wangpei's studio. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he took full charge of school affairs. When the Suzhou Art College was abolished in 1952, Huang Juesi burst into tears in front of his students.
Zhou Bichu (1903-1995) entered Paris Gaomei in 1926 and was in the same class as Zhang Xian, Wang Rizhang, Wu Hengqin and others. He studied under the Impressionist painter Professor Ernest Laurent. He uses rich colors and delicate and jumping brushstrokes. He is known as "my country's unique color painter". After returning to China in 1930, he taught as a substitute for one year at the Hangzhou Art College. He later participated in the first art exhibition of the "Juelan Society" in Shanghai, and was a member of the "Silent Society" organized by Xu Beihong, Wang Yachen, Zhu Qizhan and others. He made outstanding contributions to the cultivation of art talents in Shanghai, New China.
Sculptor Wang Linyi (1908-1997) is an authentic Shanghainese. He went to France to study in 1929. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon and the Gaume de Paris, and won the sketching prize from all French art schools. In Paris, he fell in love and got married to a French girl, Wang Henai. The story of their lifelong companionship is deeply touching. After the founding of New China, Wang Linyi served as the director of the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Another example is the female painter Fang Junbi (1898-1986), who came to France with her sister at the age of 14. In 1923, she entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and her work "The Flute Girl" was selected for the Paris Spring Salon. She stayed in France for more than thirty years in her later years. In 1984, the Paris Museum held an art retrospective exhibition in her honor.
Zhang Liying (1906-1993) was the daughter of Zhang Jingjiang, a wealthy businessman from Huzhou. She was born in Paris. After high school, she went to New York to study art, and then returned to France to further her studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Clarossi and the Académie Billou. She was fascinated by the Post-Impressionist paintings of Cézanne and others, and her still lifes were calm and passionate. In the 1940s, she and her husband were stranded in Shanghai, where they held many exhibitions. In 1953, Zhang Liying moved to Singapore and became the first female educator at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Although Liu Haisu (1896-1994) did not study abroad, he went to Europe twice to inspect art from 1929 to 1935. He visited famous places in France, Italy and Switzerland, held exhibitions, and interacted with famous painters to discuss art. During this period, many of his works were selected for the French Autumn Salon and the Tillery Salon.
Translator Fu Lei (1908-1966) also had profound attainments in art appreciation. He went to France to study in 1928 and majored in literary theory at the University of Paris. He also listened to art history and appreciation theory after class. In 1930, he published his first art review "Cézanne". After returning to China, he taught at the Shanghai Art College, where he lectured on art history. Fu Lei has a unique vision and has close contacts with many painters such as Huang Binhong, Lin Fengmian and Pang Xunqin.
At that time, the Hangzhou Art College was nicknamed the "branch of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts" and brought together a large number of art elites studying in France.
The one that has recruited the most painters studying in France is probably Hangzhou Art College (originally known as Hangzhou National Academy of Art, later changed to Hangzhou Art College, National Art College, etc., and now China Academy of Art) with Lin Fengmian as its principal. The stars are bright and the talents are Jiji.
In 1928, with the full support of Cai Yuanpei, the Hangzhou National Academy of Art was established, with Lin Fengmian as its director. The Art Academy has gathered a large number of artistic elites, most of whom have a background in France. The school's structure was modeled after the Gaume de Paris, and even the purchase of books, teaching aids and equipment were all shipped from Paris. Therefore, people jokingly call it the "branch of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts".
It is worth mentioning that Mr. Wu Dayu (1903-1988) is a recognized banner of the Hangzhou Art College. He went to France to study in 1923, was admitted to Paris Gaomei, became friends with Lin Fengmian and Lin Wenzheng, and later became the founder of the Art Academy. "Troika".
His prestige in the school is extremely high. Zhao Wuji once said with deep emotion: "Mr. Wu Dayu is a mentor who is good at lighting up students' eyes." Student Wu Guanzhong said: "Wu Dayu's prestige is based on two aspects. One is his The strong personality and brilliant colors in his works; the second is the charm of his lectures." Students of their generation were all deeply inspired by Mr. Wu's great artistic personality, making their pursuit of art as pious as religion.
Until Wu Guanzhong's later years, he could still recite large sections of the letters Wu Dayu wrote to his students, word for word, and full of emotion.
Lin Wenzheng and William Tsai are also the backbone of the National Art School. Lin Wenzheng and Lin Fengmian were from the same clan, hometown and classmates. In 1919, they went to France to study together. In 1921, he was admitted to the University of Paris in France, specializing in French literature and Western art history. During this period, his talent and communication skills were appreciated by Cai Yuanpei. After returning to China, he co-founded the Hangzhou National Academy of Art and served as the dean.
William Cai (1904-1939) was the eldest daughter of Cai Yuanpei. She followed her father to live in Paris when she was nine years old. She successively studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, France. In 1939, she died of puerperal fever in Kunming, causing great grief among the literary and art circles.
Fang Qianmin (1906-1984) is as famous as Lin Fengmian and Wu Dayu. He is one of the three famous Western painting professors at the National Art College. In 1926, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris for further study, where he was classmates with Zhou Bichu, Wang Rizhang and others. While studying, he met the writer Su Xuelin's cousin Su Ailan, and the two sisters studied art together at the Lyon School of Fine Arts. The two fell in love and got married. After returning to China, they became teachers at the National Art School together. Fang Ganmin is also very charming in class, and the outside of the classroom is often crowded with students. He was also the earliest artist in the East who was good at both cubism and abstract painting. Unfortunately, after the 1950s, he suffered many hardships and gave up these early explorations.
Painter and writer Sun Fuxi (1898-1962) was the younger brother of the famous supplement editor Sun Fuyuan. He went to France to study in 1920, studied painting at the Lyon School of Fine Arts and began to write. In 1928, he was appointed professor at Hangzhou National Academy of Art and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Art Style". In 1929, he went to France again to study at the University of Paris. After returning to China, he became a professor at the Hangzhou Art College. He also had close contacts with Lu Xun. After the founding of New China, Sun served as the principal of Shanghai Middle School and chairman of the Shanghai Education Research Association.
The National Art School also produced three famous sculptors, Li Jinfa, Wang Ziyun and Liu Kaiqu.
Li Jinfa (1900-1976) was also a fellow student of Lin Fengmian. The two of them were admitted to the Gallé de Paris together, majoring in sculpture. He served as a professor of sculpture at the Hangzhou National Academy of Art and engaged in writing. He was the originator of the symbolist poets of the Republic of China and later served as a diplomat.
Wang Ziyun (1897-1990) and Liu Kaiqu (1904-1993) were both natives of Xiao County, Anhui Province, and both graduated from the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. In 1928, the two went to Lin Fengmian's Hangzhou National Academy of Art to teach together. At that time, Liu Kaiqu went to France for further studies and studied under the famous sculptor Jean Pucher in Paris. Wang Ziyun went to France in 1931 and also enrolled in the Sculpture Department of Paris Gaume. After completing their studies, they both returned to China to teach at the art college. In 1940, Wang Ziyun led the Northwest Art and Cultural Relics Investigation Team and became a pioneer in Chinese art archeology. In his later years, he wrote the masterpiece "History of Chinese Sculpture Art", which had an outstanding influence.
Liu Kaiqu's thoughts were progressive. After Shanghai was liberated in 1949, he, Pang Xunqin and other artists issued the "Art Workers' Manifesto". After the liberation of Hangzhou, Liu served as principal of the National Art College and chairman of the Shanghai Artists Association. In 1953, he went to Beijing to be responsible for the construction and creation of the Monument to the People's Heroes. He is the first director of the National Art Museum of China and has served for more than thirty years.
Chang Shuhong (1904-1994) went to France to study at his own expense in 1927. He specialized in oil painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon and the Gaume de Paris, and his works have repeatedly won awards. In 1936, he returned to China and taught at Peking Art College. During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as dean and oil painting professor of the merged National Art College. In 1943, Chang Shuhong came to Dunhuang and was responsible for the protection and research of Dunhuang cultural relics for forty years. He was respected as the "Guardian Saint of Dunhuang".
Pang Xunqin (1906-1985) was a pioneer in China's modern arts and crafts industry. He went to France from Shanghai in 1925 and studied design at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and then went to other art institutions to study music and painting. In 1930, Pang Xunqin returned to China to teach. The following year, he initiated the establishment of the "Juelan Society" with his friends Zhang Xian, Ni Yide and others, which had a great influence. During the Anti-Japanese War, he also taught at an art college. In the early days of the founding of New China, he returned to Hangzhou Art College again and participated in the takeover work, serving as the dean and director of the painting department. Later, he went to Beijing to prepare for the establishment of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, and was the founding father of the school.
There was also a professor at the art college, Qin Xuanfu (1906-1998). He graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages of Tsinghua University. He was a student of Wu Mi and a classmate of Li Jianwu. In 1930, he entered the Paris High School to study oil painting. At the same time, he studied Western medicine at the University of Paris and other places. Art history, he is a scholar who is good at both practice and theory. During the Anti-Japanese War, he taught oil painting to students Wu Guanzhong in Anjiang Village, Kunming. Wu's early painting style was obviously influenced by him.
In addition, professors such as Liu Jipiao, Lei Guiyuan, Wang Rizhang, Ye Yun, Zhou Qingding, and Lu Xiuguang from the Hangzhou Art College are also artists studying in France. Due to space limitations, we will not introduce them one by one.
Paris is the "Mecca" for art students. During the Anti-Japanese War, the study abroad plan was temporarily suspended. After Japan surrendered, talents such as Wu Guanzhong and Zao Wou-ki were fortunate enough to go back to France to study. At that time, many of their classmates had plans to study in France. However, with the rapid changes in the current situation, most of these dreams were shattered.
For example, Zhang Gongxu, a close disciple of Wu Dayu, would have become a great painter studying in France if his passport and wallet had not been stolen on the way to Hong Kong. Destiny often changes in an instant.
Looking back at history, and in connection with the "Chinese landscapes" of Lin Fengmian and Wu Guanzhong currently on display at the China Art Museum, the "win" of their two generations of teachers and students today is not an isolated phenomenon. Behind it is actually the entire early group of artists who studied in France. The hard work and unremitting exploration that year.
The rich artistic achievements created by the early artists who studied in France and the "new art" picture they painted together are the splendid crystallization of the collision, integration and mutual development of Chinese and French cultures over the past century. The artistic path they have traveled, with its ups and downs and twists and turns, is an excellent example of mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations and is worthy of being remembered by future generations.
(The author Shi Jianbang is an art critic)
Wen Wei Po