A Study On The Time Characteristics Of Woodcut Prints In Yanan Period

In the 1930s-1940 s,China experienced the War of Resistance Against Japan and the overthrow of the Kuomintang regime's war of liberation,so the national survival and national independence were the main social form in that period.Art can reflect the society in some aspects,therefore,how to express the characteristics of the society at that times became challenges to the artists in that time.Especially in the special period of the war of resistance,art became a kind of weapon in propagandizing the war of resistance and played a vital role in inspiring the people.Although there are many forms of artistic expressions,the wood engraving is the most prominent one.Because of those excellent woodcut masters who explore and discussed the skills of wood engrave continuously in Yanan at that time,the Yanan woodcut gradually became famous.In this paper,we discuss the relationship between the art creation,the times and the society from 4 aspects.Firstly,we will present the development of Chinese printmaking from a historical perspective,and we will also discuss how does the realistic creation method in Yanan influents the creations of Chinese printmaking.Then,we will demonstrate the relationship between art creation and the times through the spirit of the times reflected in the artistic creation of woodcut engraving in Yanan.By analyzing the artistic works,we discuss the social functions and responsibilities of the art.Next,we will discuss the relationship between the development directions of art and the social responsibility of artists by understanding “the Chairman Mao's speech in the Yanan Forum”,which leaded the direction of the art in China.And even until now,the Yanan woodcut still has a far-reaching influence.Last but not least,we look forward to the future,and discuss the inheritance and development of art.As an outcome under a special historical background,Yanan woodcut has not only the distinctive artistic characteristics and value,but also a kind of spirit of that time.This kind of art occupies a unique position of the modern art in China.Therefore,to understand the artistic features and the impact of the Yanan woodcut,we need to dodeep researches about it.If we keep the spirit of the Yanan woodcut,it will improve the development of the art creation in China.