Discussing and Appreciating Paintings with Lu Xun (Foreign Volume) (Foreign Volume)

Author: Yang Liang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Since his youth, Lu Xun has been committed to introducing advanced world culture. He not only translated a large number of foreign novels and literary theories but also introduced the works of many foreign painters. Through his friends in Japan, the Soviet Union, and Europe, he acquired a vast number of original artworks and art books. He obtained foreign artworks through various means and held exhibitions and lectures in China, making significant contributions to improving the artistic appreciation level of young Chinese. How broad and rich Lu Xun's world of art is—beyond a few Lu Xun experts and modern art historians—general lovers of Lu Xun's works and the general public probably cannot give a general idea. Excuse my limited knowledge, and it seems that in recent years, I haven’t seen any publications on this topic. Now, things have improved. The book Appraising Art with Lu Xun, edited by scholar Yang Liang and poet Peng Guoliang, published by Yuelu Publishing House, is extensive and categorized, presenting a comprehensive yet well-organized view of the artistic field Lu Xun engaged in to the general readers. In other words, this book perfectly fulfills the editors' attempt to closely link "Lu Xun," "art," and "the masses." Appraising Art with Lu Xun is divided into two volumes: "China Volume" and "Foreign Volume." The "China Volume" consists of three parts—Upper, Middle, and Lower—presenting Lu Xun’s writings, collections, and other works related to ancient, modern, and contemporary Chinese art. The Upper Part follows the timeline of art history, with nine units: ancient painting, Han stone reliefs, Sui and Tang terracotta figurines, Tang painting, Dunhuang wooden-carved Buddha statues, Song imperial court paintings, Yuan landscape paintings, Ming novel illustrations, and folk New Year paintings. The Middle Part follows the timeline of artworks, ranging from The Admonitions to the Ladies and The Sixteen Arhats to Tang Style Paintings and Beijing Paper-Printed Books and Woodblock Prints Collection. The Lower Part follows the timeline of painters, from Shi Ke of the Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty to modern painters such as Lin Shu, Chen Shizeng, Qi Baishi, Tao Yuqing, Liu Haisu, and Xu Beihong. From just this table of contents, it is not difficult to feel the breadth of Lu Xun’s interests, including many obscure works such as Han stone reliefs, folk New Year paintings, sequential illustrations, novel illustrations, and modern paper-printed books, all of which were the result of his frugal living, dedicated search, and meticulous collection. The "Foreign Volume" follows the timeline of art figures (painters), covering the works of over 60 painters from the Middle Ages to modern times in both the East and the West. Among them are well-known masters such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Millet, Gauguin, Rodin, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Goya, and Repin. However, more of them are painters and works from the lower rungs of society or overlooked and oppressed small ethnic groups and nations, though little-known, who possess a strong spirit of resistance and a pursuit of democracy and freedom. Such as the Belgian woodcut artist Frans Masereel, the German woodcut artist K?the Kollwitz, and some Polish and Soviet painters. Moreover, many painters came to China for the first time through Lu Xun’s introduction. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lu Xun dedicated himself to introducing and promoting the works of these painters. On one hand, this was to advance modern Chinese painting, especially modern woodcut printmaking. On the other hand, and more importantly, it was to "steal fire" and "spread fire," using the great spirit of resistance and revolutionary ideas of the weak and oppressed nations in Europe to inspire and encourage the oppressed people in China’s dark era to rise up in struggle. In this sense, it was a profound misunderstanding of Lu Xun when Shi Zhecun, in an article, questioned why Lu Xun "played with woodcuts" and printed Kolofon Woodcut Prints for such rare "private limited editions."