Masters of Oil Painting: Women

Author: Jin Xin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-03-01
Features: The emotional entanglement between men and women has long been a compelling and enduring theme for artists. Love between the sexes has captivated their emotions with immense charm, inspiring their creativity, thus giving rise to a dazzling and enchanting two-sex culture. To some extent, the history of art is also the history of humanity's aesthetically expressive love experiences and dreams, with women naturally becoming the protagonists of this "dream history."
Author's Self-Introduction: In the annals of history, women have long been remembered. In the distant, primordial ages, human ancestors learned to use creative labor to secure food and clothing, transforming nature, and shaping themselves according to the laws of beauty. Through the generation, transmission, transformation, and evolution of language, mythology, religion, art, and science, they created a mysterious and dreamlike "ideal kingdom" to seek spiritual liberation and transcendence. They placed hope in the protection of fictional deities, regarded themselves as children of nature, yet constantly reflected on the value of their own existence, hesitantly stepping onto the journey of creating civilization. From the nomadic days of primitive society to the emergence of early social structures, early humans used their rich imagination to weave fantastical tales to alleviate the heavy psychological burden imposed by the violent power of nature, endowing natural forces with sacred dignity. They either deified humans or anthropomorphized gods. Men and women not only relied on each other for survival and reproduction but also played the roles of protagonists in beautiful stories. Through trials and tribulations, they achieved a leap in self-awareness from the age of gods and heroes to the age of humans. The philosophy that "humans belong to nature and exist in nature" finally guided humanity to "return from the illusory paradise to the real world; from the 'essence of reason' to the sensually rich life." Yet this was achieved only after thousands of years of evolution in the concepts of men farming and women weaving, male dominance and female subordination, and the struggle for gender equality, as well as the clash with rituals, taboos, religious doctrines, and moral codes. It was through gradual awakening that humanity transcended ignorance and achieved civilization.
Throughout history, the common people and great masters have composed a magnificent and brilliant history of human culture, recording the footsteps of an unending, eternal pursuit of aesthetic spirit. It reflects humanity's eternal yearning for beauty, serving as an outlet for emotional impulses and enabling the realization of dreams that are difficult to attain in real life. In China's "Book of Songs," the poignant and lingering sorrow of men and women's attachment; in Greece's "myths," the heroic figures personified through battles and killings; and the profound influence of Eastern and Western religions on customs and rituals all undeniably pursue a common dream: to build a spiritual sanctuary—a tranquil "Eden" where one can find peace.
In the era of nature gods, women were revered as symbols of the source of life, worshiped as supreme idols, with the entire populace kneeling and bowing before them. In the age of heroes, men were fierce, brave, and skilled in archery, dominating clans, while women were relegated to subordinate roles. When religion replaced nature gods and heroes, not only did men become servants of God, but women were also the first to be enslaved. As feudal society reached its zenith, the fusion of divine and royal power, along with patriarchal rituals and ethics, utterly extinguished human nature. Under the shadow of divine and royal authority, women were in a humble and oppressed position, suffering cruel treatment.
Although ancient Greek philosophers had long proposed the philosophical maxim "Know thyself," striving to define the positive meaning of "human nature," and Chinese Confucian and Taoist philosophies had long regarded the goodness and beauty of humanity as the starting point for explaining the world, it was not until the rise of European bourgeois humanism in the 14th century that "human nature" was officially brought onto the cultural stage. It elevated the "human"—a living, breathing, feeling, and spiritual being—to a position of self-respect, self-love, self-esteem, and self-admiration. Thus, revealing and shaping the human soul became the fundamental orientation of artistic pursuit.
When we quiet our minds, free ourselves from, step into ancient Greece, cross the Middle Ages, and stroll through the cultural corridors and artistic temples built over the centuries since the Renaissance, we will suddenly feel gentle, flowing notes in our ears, radiant poetic sentiments stirring in our hearts. The light of love and beauty will gradually cleanse the dark dust accumulated in our hearts; the sacred fire of truth and goodness will quietly ignite the pure desires suppressed within us; the illusions of form and color will silently inspire the holy sentiments hidden deep in our souls. Our spirits will soar in tranquility, and our souls will be purified in contentment. The cultivation of beauty fills the void in our hearts and instills confidence in our fleeting lives.
Art, like a kind nurse, guides us out of our cradles; like a wise teacher, nurtures our healthy growth; like a great sage, teaches us to shape perfect personalities. The power of art is to nourish life, infusing it with eternal vitality and making the world infinitely beautiful.
In the history of art, love between men and women has captivated artists with immense charm, breaking through the gates of inspiration and creating a vibrant two-sex culture. Philosophers have also used the concept of "sex" to interpret the origins of art and aesthetic motivation, even asserting that "beauty originates directly from sexual sensation" and that "the history of art, in some sense, is also the history of humanity's aesthetically expressive love experiences and dreams." I have no intention of delving into the definition of this "in some sense" or offering my own commentary, but I also cannot entirely agree. Because the origins of art are extremely complex, the history of art is highly winding, and the aesthetic categories of art are extremely broad, it is difficult to generalize with a "sex-only" measure. However, the focus on the essence of humanity has indeed been a compelling and enduring theme for artists throughout history. The strength, courage, wisdom, talent, and noble hearts of men have broken the pens of countless sages; the gentle hearts, beauty, and flowing emotions of women have pierced the strings of many singers. What still fascinates brilliant scholars, driving them to profound contemplation and transcendent dreams, is the human drama of love and separation.
In the works of Shakespeare, Goethe, Dickens, Balzac, Tolstoy, and Cao Xueqin, there is passionate praise for the liberation of humanity, the celebration of the noble character of women who bravely resist idealism and fate, and the creation of immortal figures.
Representational art is frozen poetry, frozen music, drama, and literature—it is also a carrier of enduring and persuasive aesthetic ideas that reflect the brilliance of philosophy. The masters who swept the Renaissance wave, from Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, who pioneered humanism, realism, and romanticism, to the five hundred years that followed, carried this artistic spirit from the cradle of ancient Greek and Roman civilization across the plains of Europe, influencing as far north as the cold Russian land, as far west as the British Isles, and even across the Atlantic to America, inspiring the New England Renaissance in the United States. They pushed Western art to its historical peak and ushered Western society into a new era, giving rise to the rise of the bourgeoisie and triggering the Industrial Revolution, creating the historical and cultural conditions for the birth of modern impressionism and the emergence of modernism.
This was a glorious age of brilliant stars. Perhaps by nature, every artist of historical renown has, without exception, shown deep affection for women, some even becoming obsessed, dedicating their lives to the theme of female art and creating immortal masterpieces. Despite their differing historical backgrounds and cultural concepts, they exhibit distinct aesthetic personalities of their times, nations, and regions, yet it is evident that they all follow a great transformation—from gods to humans, from religion to secularism, from spiritual confinement to the liberation of humanity, from the mysterious heavens to the vibrant reality, from the palaces of nobles to the common people. This transformation shines with the light of humanity's awakening, artistic awakening, and aesthetic awakening, making the world's cultural treasures today so intoxicatingly rich.
Let our lives be so fulfilling, so sweet, and so overwhelming—let us honor the great achievements of artists with reverence, building for ourselves a magnificent spiritual homeland.
Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House has carefully selected over three hundred works by more than one hundred painters from various Western countries, eras, and schools from the world's major museums, compiling them into Women in Master Paintings. In the contemporary construction of socialist civilization, with abundant material wealth and people's well-being, the spiritual needs of humanity are being driven forward. Through cultural cultivation, the insatiable pursuit of mediocrity is being elevated to a higher level of refined civilization—the deep meaning behind the compilers' meticulous planning.
In the hands of masters, there are dignified madonnas, pious believers, innocent angels, and passionate Cupids; there are noble princesses, frail princesses, charming courtesans, and loyal maidservants; there are elegant dancers, pitiful beggars, simple peasant women, and innocent village girls. From heaven to earth, from nobility to commoners, through these diverse images, the authors express their praise and admiration for beauty and goodness, their condemnation and exposure of ugliness and evil. And for those at the bottom of society—textile workers, shepherds, prostitutes, and wanderers—they extend deep sympathy, pleading for them and voicing the injustice in their hearts.
Now, these vivid depictions of the common people have quietly entered history, the great painters and the women they portrayed have become distant figures, and we can only engage in a spiritual dialogue with them in museums. Yet their enduring spiritual charm and unimpaired aesthetic value will forever leave us beautiful memories.
For contemporary painters, appreciating these works may provide nourishing inspiration. For ordinary readers, it may be a pastoral stroll, a wonderful spiritual journey. This should be the significance of publishing this collection of paintings.
A casual remark, serving as a preface, I hope you will correct it.
(Li Fuli, April 22, 1998)
Over the centuries, countless artists, poets, and writers have expressed their love for women through different artistic forms in their works. The female figures in the works of artists have left a deeper and more enduring impression on our historical memory. Women in Master Paintings is a collection of female-themed oil paintings by Western masters spanning more than five centuries (15th to 20th centuries), including over three hundred works by more than one hundred painters from various Western countries and schools. There are dignified madonnas, pious believers, innocent angels, and passionate Cupids; there are noble princesses, frail princesses, charming courtesans, and loyal maidservants; there are elegant dancers, pitiful beggars, simple peasant women, and innocent village girls—all contributing to building a magnificent spiritual homeland.