Middle And Late Nineteenth Century-Study On The Expression Of Oriental Elements In Oil Painting

The centuries-long trade between European countries and the Far East in the mid to late nineteenth century allowed exotic Oriental artefacts such as porcelain,screens,folding fans and silk to be fully integrated into European life.Today,we can see in a large number of European portraits the frequent use of oriental artefacts as accessories or as part of the background.These artefacts,with their traditional decorative elements and the aesthetic genes of oriental art,did have a positive effect on the overall development of European painting at the time.When viewing portraits from the mid to late nineteenth century,these oriental artefacts are as striking as the stars scattered across the mountains and lakes at night.We see the melancholy oriental porcelain of the Pre-Raphaelite Rossetti in England and the rich,red oriental fan of the Impressionist James Mc Neill Whistler in the album.By examining the formal language in each image and experiencing the material techniques first-hand,the author explores the mystery of how European painters of the time rendered this exotic and distinctive ’oriental tone’ and how they made these oriental artefacts naturally seem to exist in such scenes.In the process of blending traditional Eastern art with Western aesthetic taste,in the exotic elements of the other’s gaze,for a long time Europeans were also fascinated by the ’skin’ of the East,perhaps because of their interest in exotic cultures,or perhaps because these imported artefacts were beautiful,extravagant and expensive at the time.This led them to imagine and understand the mysteries of the East.Through many attempts,they absorbed and recreated,broke boundaries and rebuilt them.It is interesting to note that today China is still trying to export,and we are not really different from the Europeans who approached the East a hundred years ago.But there is a difference between a deliberate export and a subtle expression of sentiment.How can today’s Chinese artists find a natural expression in the traditional elements of the East and in the context of modern life? Based on this final question,I cast my thoughts on the elements of oriental artefacts in the picture,to obtain their inner flavour and observe their far-reaching influence.