Symbiosis And Interaction

This paper take "art patronage" as a point of departure and put Yangzhou school of Chinese painting with a broad social framework, and expatiate it in relation to social, political and economic factors, notably art patronage and patrons.There is no doubt that, in the major cities ,the flourishing of art was closely connected with the economic prosperity,especially in Yangzhou in the eighteenth century. With the convenience of transportation provided by the Yangtze River, the Grand Canal, and many small rivers in the Yangtze delta, the region become the economic center of China . In Yangzhou, the opulent life-styles of the rich Yangzhou merchants were the envy of the rest of the country. Under these conditions art patronage flourished. With the Four Wangs having already achieved a dominant position, Yangzhou offered the only alternative, and artists in large numbers turned to new patrons in this wealthy city. However, in so doing they lost much of their independence because patron of art is one whose interest and support are responsible for the creation of art. Toward the latter half of the Qing, although they still aspired to be literati amateurs , they actually became much more professionalized, relying on the support of wealthy merchants whose role in art had grown increasingly important. This development brought a new type of artist to Yangzhou. Although claiming to belong the literati tradition, the artists were actually professional artists willing to sell their works for profit, which astrict their achievement of art eventually. From this case study, we can see the function of patronage as a factor in the formation of styles and the choice of subjects in Yangzhou school of Chinese painting and the difference in patron's aims naturally affected the nature of the art they patronized.Throughout Chinese history a large number of patrons have been well recorded, although often mentioned in political, religious, or philosophical context. However, from records such as local gazetteers , informal notes, and literary anthologies, we are able to gain a good understanding of some of these people in their role as patrons of art, their taste affects the style of artists. In the past, very few studies of this kind have been undertaken. It is hoped that the papers will serve as a springboard for studies of a more extensive social and economic history of Chinese painting.