20th Century Chinese Oil Painting Gallery (1900-1949)

Author: Su Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: "The 20th Century Chinese Oil Painting Treasury," consisting of four volumes, the first volume collects works from 1900 to 1949. The author uses the title "Ode to Youth" as the preface to discuss the development of Chinese oil painting during this period, which also appropriately reflects the oil painting creation led by students studying abroad. Oil painting entered China amid the tide of youthful vitality and became an important course in Chinese art education, laying a solid foundation for its popularization in China. The entire book showcases 273 representative illustrations, tracing the development of Chinese oil painting in the first half of the 20th century. These include reflections and learning by artists against the backdrop of the New Culture Movement, expressions of artists' righteous indignation and resistance during the Eight-Year War of Resistance, reflections of artists' hesitation and choices during the Three-Year War, and celebrations of the passionate and heroic lives of artists in the liberated areas.
The second volume collects works from 1950 to 1979. During this period, which the compilers consider the "Heroic Era," from the birth of the People's Republic to the end of the Cultural Revolution, several generations of oil painters experienced life's storms and tribulations, with some even paying the ultimate price with their lives. In the first 17 years, the era called for heroes, and heroes emerged in response to the call, establishing a milestone for thematic oil painting creation and solidifying the position of oil painting as an imported art form in China.
This is a popular art collection with a small format of 40 cm x 40 cm, but its theme and concept are quite innovative, with strong reference value. The compilers have devoted as much effort as those editing common large art collections, and every aspect shows meticulous attention. The only drawback is that the division of historical periods still warrants reconsideration. For example, the first volume includes works from 1949, while the second volume starts from 1950, which is clearly inappropriate. Only one work by Zhao Yu, "Red Flag," was created in 1949. If it were placed in the second volume, the second volume could be adjusted to cover 1949 to 1979, which would be more appropriate and align with basic historical principles.
Additionally, the book lacks an "Introduction" to explain the selection criteria and arrangement rules. For instance, the current arrangement is by the birth years of the authors, but general readers are unaware of this rule. Perhaps pointing out such issues is a bit demanding for a popular art collection. However, this does not negate the fact that it is an excellent set of books.