Value Position Of The 17 Years Of New China, The Ancient Chinese Art History Writing

The main object of thesis is the research on art history of ancient China in that period of the initial seventeen years after the establishment of PRC (People's Republic of China), viz 1949-1966, particularly concerning to the view of "the masses oriented" which was found and advanced on the ground of the revolutionary ideology. What this thesis attempts to accomplish, not only the manifestation of the research on art history of ancient China during 1949 to 1966, but also the reinterpretation of the significance of the research in the above period so as to retrieve the previous prejudice circulated in academic circles on the basis that contains three aspects, ie the research on the word strategy of ideology, the analysis on the works of art historian created in that period and the collation of the view and method proposed in those works.This thesis undoubtedly believes that the research on art history of ancient China during 1949 to 1966 was firmly rooted in the interrelated study in the period of ROC (Republic of China), particularly from the aspect of the origin of concepts and view. However, the social ideal and ideology of the dictatorship of the proletariat of PRC conflicted with the previous research on art history of ancient China which resulted in the rewriting art history of ancient China. In that circumstance the view of "the masses oriented" that arose in the writing of art history in that time played a crucial role in the latter history.From the view of this thesis, until "dual-free argument principles" had been advanced the view of "the masses oriented" was paralleled to the social ideal of the proletariat, which means to propose a certain art history of ancient China in accordance with the proletariat. However, after that (ie when the dictatorship of PRC attempted to recruit more resource with the service to the socialism construction) the view of "the masses oriented" in the writing of art history was transformed a certain theory instrument to endorse the ancient art that not belonged to the proletariat and the labor class yet. From the aspect of the view of "the masses oriented", the religious art, the royal art and the scholarly art, were brought back to the horizon of the research on art history of ancient China, which means some kind of endorsement of their value and significance. Apparently the view of "the masses oriented" dominated the research on art history of ancient China during 1949 to 1966, which not only reflected the ideology of the time, but also affected the narrative method of art history. From the view of historian, the writing of art history directed by the view of "the masses oriented" inevitably caused the overinterpretation that conflicted with their intrinsic view and ideal, which ultimately lead to the departure from the inherent narrative of art history of ancient China. On the other hand, even as the representative of ideology, the view of "the masses oriented" still made positive sense in that time. Those styles of art firmly concerning to the proletariat (ie xylograph, mural, bolar sculpture, icon stone, picture for new year and custumal painting) were valued unparalleled in history, in which the "mass" aesthetic pattern that ignored by the "elite" view of art history was emerged. From the aspect of the view of "the masses oriented", the religious art, the royal art and the scholarly art, which previously not been proved by the ideology of PRC, were endorsed to the writing of art history. From this point of view, the research on art history of ancient China during 1949 to 1966 influenced by the view of "the masses oriented", not so much resulted in the rigidly doctrinal pattern as lead to the diversity of art history narrative.In conclusion the research on art history of ancient China during 1949 to 1966 should be valued in spite of affecting by the ideology in that time. From the view of art history itself, on the one hand several essential view, concepts and method appeared in the writing of art history of ancient China during the period of ROC were succeed; on the other hand a certain unique narrative way and logic of interpretation was proposed on the ground of the specific ideological influence that focuses on class argument. From the view of "the masses oriented", the art history of ancient China were deeply examined in that time, in which it always arose contention even contradiction that reflected the complicacy of historical narrative. In another word, it means another possibility to locate the concepts of art history of ancient China in that...