Forerunner And The Modern Transformation Of Chinese Painting

Chen Shizeng established a theoretical foundation by his 'The Values of Literati Painting', from which the Traditional School in the 20th century has developed itself autonomously. Thus the painters in the Traditional School could have been fit the changes of times in the overwhelmingly changing 20th century, and the traditional Chinese painting has realized its modern transformation of autonomy in the terms of historical specification on itself. Therefore, Chen Shizeng has historically become an inescapable figure when we take researches on the history of art and the modern transformation of Chinese painting in the early 20th century.The studies of Chen Shizeng and of the modern transformation of Chinese painting aim at exploring the academic significance of Chen Shizeng in the history of art, and also at demonstrating some exemplary lessons for the development of Chinese painting and value orientation in the context of contemporary theories.Based on such considerations, my thesis firstly makes a general description and analysis on the debates between tradition and revolution from the perspective of history; shows their respective cultural positions and strategic selection by the way of comparison of differences and uniformity, which will present their respectively different orientation and significance in the modern transformation of Chinese painting and bring the modern meaning of Chen Shizeng's ideas on Literati Painting to the fore. Secondly, by analyzing Chen's academic backgrounds crossing over Chinese heritage and overseas ones, the thesis studies the relationship of Chen Shizeng with his contemporary Lu Xun and Wu Changshuo, introduces Chen's powerful influences on Qi Baishi for his innovation of the painting techniques in the senior age, and reveals Chen's pioneering function in the modern transformation of Chinese painting. Thirdly, based on the previous chapters, the thesis briefly states Chen's other theoretical writings and analyzes his innovativeness in his paintings in order to further stress the innate relationship between Chen Shizeng and the modern transformation of Chinese painting.