Dear ladies and gentlemen of the artistic community:
In the last ten or more years, we have devoted our efforts toward “action” while furthering artistic movements.
It was thought, at that time, that a lack of edification of art in China was primarily due to a shortage of truly original works of art. The lifeless imitations that paraded before people’s eyes had failed to elicit public appreciation of art, causing the status of Chinese art to deteriorate daily. The degraded status of art had consequently forced artists in China into a hopeless dead end. The so-called imitations had degenerated and become valueless. As a result, people in China had grown scornful of art and stopped talking about it, as there was nothing available to inspire artistic appreciation. In this way, art kept degenerating and peoples’ attitudes grew increasingly negative toward artistic edification. It was frightening to contemplate a future whose prospects seemed so bleak. To remedy this alarming situation, we needed artists who were willing to temporarily sacrifice their personal vanities. Through their efforts, these artists could, on the one hand, create genuine works of art to enlighten the public as to the real value of art and to spark public interest in art appreciation. On the other hand, they could forge a bloody passage for China’s artistic community in order to rescue those artists who were experiencing deadlock, in a compelling effort to jointly create vital works of art for the people of China and the rest of the world.
With this firm belief, I have buried myself in the studio each and every day for the past six or seven years, with five to seven fellow artists, focusing all my efforts, come hell or high water, on the creation of Western style art and on the connection between Chinese and Western art. Within this short period, not much has been accomplished on account of my limited talent. All I have done was to work continuously, never forgetting the pain inherent in artistic movements. For this reason I have felt somewhat reassured when questioning myself.
Since my return to China, I have had much direct contact with Chinese society. What I have heard and seen has amply proven the accuracy of my previous observations. In fact, the reality has even surpassed them. When I was first put in charge of the Peking National Art Academy, I was determined, on the one hand, to continue the work I had started in Europe, and, on the other hand, to reform art education. The goal was to assemble forces from the artistic community and to support the majority of young artists in a joint endeavor to smash the traditional concept of copying as artistic exercise, by placing more emphasis on basic training and freestyle creation. With their unified power, artists would organize large art exhibitions, hoping to realize the ideal of making a more artistic society. I am grateful to my friends at the Art Academy for their enthusiasm for artistic movements and their ability to keep the wonderful Art Academy flourishing and vital, despite the exceptionally constrained financial resources of the government. Even the people of Northern China have been enlightened, however dimly, with a sense of appreciation for art.
Disastrous violence has struck precisely at the moment when artistic movements were on the eve of a hopeful rejuvenation. The glittering first light of these movements, which have just been propped up after the expenditure of countless efforts, was extinguished and exterminated! What a disaster for the progress of these movements!
Such a groundless attack has led us to believe that it is extremely unlikely that we can revive any artistic movements within the realm of such malevolent forces. We need to seek new directions, with an unflagging determination, to continue our endeavor. Consequently, I felt that we might not have done enough to advocate and speak about art. Otherwise, how could drawing a human model, an indispensable element in the study of Western painting, be condemned as an offence against moral decency?
Since my relocation to the south, I have, as before, seldom expressed my opinions on the ideas and methods of artistic movements. This is so, firstly, because I have been pressed for time, and secondly because my previous belief in “action” has not been eradicated. During this period, a misunderstanding has arisen among many of my fellow artists in the south. They have expressed concern, both verbally and in writing, that we have attempted to seek higher positions and greater pay since moving to the south, just as other honorable gentlemen do; and that we have completely forgotten our duty and obligation toward artistic movements. For the sake of artistic movements, our fellow artists have warned us with their enthusiasm. Their warning makes us feel more strongly the need to speak out from time to time in support of the purity of artistic movements.
Hence, let me share my personal observations with my fellow artists. From this day on, in addition to painstaking “action”, we need to add “advocacy” to the credo of artistic movements.
7. Remedial Measures
To correct divergences and remedy abuses, we need, first of all, to detect them.
Looking around, can one see anywhere within China even one national art education facility with adequate funding, a qualified faculty and notable achievements? Previously, no matter how limited the resources, teaching staff and achievements, we nonetheless had a national art institute! However, since the occupation of the capital, Peking, by the last of the Northern Warlords, the unenlightened and pitiful public has thoroughly defamed the Art Academy in collusion with the Warlords’ henchmen. Our fellow countrymen did so simply because they could not endure the sight of human model. As a result, the only national institution of art education was almost brought to utter ruin!
Consider, if you will, China’s publication industry. How many art publications, concerning such subjects as art theory and autobiographies of foreign artists, researches and dissertations on architecture, sculpture, music, drama and painting by Chinese authors, have been published? How many regular periodicals? Among the few existing publications, how well-written are they? How well have they sold?
Consider, if you will, China’s cultural movements. There is no need to disregard the difficulties China has suffered throughout its history, and to willfully malign the Chinese people for making little progress in cultural movements. Even among the advocates of cultural and social movements, does art--the mainstay of the Italian Renaissance--truly hold a place in their minds?
Consider, if you will, our four hundred million fellow countrymen. How many of them have realized the true power and essence of art? How many of them are not viciously and vehemently cursing art as a “decadent music” which will cause the nation to perish?
Alas! China’s art has neither been awakened by the mighty force of religion, nor been boosted by an enthusiastic people. An art-loving emperor was condemned by later generations as a ruler who led his country into destruction. The ever-popular practices of gambling, prostitution, and pornographic literature have, after all, played a great part in hindering the development of art. Yet, ironically, it is the human model that was blamed by the population as an artistic means of propagating pornography!
To correct this misguided phenomenon, it is my belief that we should first pay attention to the creation of genuine artwork. Only by so doing can we at least allow these people, who mistook lascivious and decadent games for art and blamed art for every sin, to understand the true nature of and the true obstacles to art. At most, we can enable these people, who used to indulge in luxury and pleasure, to become aware of a more dignified way of life and to eliminate their absurd and shameful habits!
The Chinese people are used to being directed by their superiors. It is not easy for them to agree to anything without their superior’s authority. Likewise it is not easy for them to disagree to anything without their superior’s authority. In short, the average person simply cannot determine for himself what is right and what is wrong. In China, it is nevertheless essential to work from the top down. In order for artistic movements to see a quicker effect, it is necessary to have national institutes of art education, as well as to organize large state-sponsored art exhibitions.
Not only can the so-called national institutes of art education remind the Chinese people of the importance of art, but they can also train a majority of artistic talents to create more genuine works of art for China. This is an essential aspect as well.
I regret my previous mistakes. How could I have restricted the means of carrying out artistic movements solely to individual creation? The birth of a genuine work of art and the impact it generates are, of course, significant. If, however, most people do not understand the concepts and contexts of art, by whom will that genuine work of art be appreciated? I believe that not only should I take on this additional task with regard to artistic movements, but that all my fellow artists, ladies and gentlemen, should look upon voicing their views on art as a priority.
Even while we were at the National Art Academy in Peking, we neglected to compile theories of art and to disseminate information about art. It was our negligence that elicited misunderstandings such as the accusation that we were using naked female bodies to propagate pornography. Here is a lesson drawn from our own mistakes and we should take heed of it!
In addition, it is essential to organize large art exhibitions at this point in time. If we merely sing praises of art without offering the public an opportunity to view true works of art and to share the blessings of art, what purpose can be served by burying works of art within artists’ studios? If we merely blame the art of the past, does that mean there is anything inherently wrong with the art of the past? The only thing wrong with it is that it represents no progress, no striving to fulfill its artistic responsibility. If we speak only of progress without offering the public an opportunity to find the most progressive and appropriate ways to satisfy the needs of our times, then in which direction should art go?
There are still people out there maligning the Peking Art Gala, which, to my mind, was the right thing to do from beginning to end. Even now when you run into somebody who has lived in Peking and ask him how he learned of the Peking National Art Academy, his immediate response will be that he attended the Art Gala.
But, furthermore, there is another issue of great significance – the issue of solidarity within the artistic community.
My colleagues of China’s artistic community, if you will, take a dispassionate view of the situation in which we find our artistic community, you will understand how chaotic it has become. Anyone devoted wholeheartedly to art, I believe, is a man of the deepest emotions, the highest sensibility and the clearest mind. Artists have no selfish, personal considerations, they have only their altruistic compassion. Artists care little for their own self-interest, they care only for their responsibilities towards mankind and peace. At this moment when Chinese society is in such disorder, when its people are shoving one another around, and when its population has lost all its sympathy, it is high time for us artists to commit all our energy, passionately and wholeheartedly, to awakening the sympathy of our fellow countrymen! And yet it is lamentable that many of our fellow artists have been traveling the wrong road. They have wasted their efforts on internal quarrels and malicious fighting fueled by resentment and denigration of one another, rather than on works aimed at saving the people and the nation. In truth, artists tend to feel twice as much antagonism toward evil as other people do, and it is truly inevitable that one will be misunderstood within the artistic community. Nevertheless, it is not worthwhile, after all, for us to fight over petty trivialities – The evil we should deplore is the great evil that besets all mankind, and the enemy we should fight is the great enemy that has brought the entire nation, indeed, all of mankind into extreme misery, rather than the small imperfections of human beings!
My colleagues of China’s artistic community, haven’t we erred enough in fighting one another in the past? Beware, as long as the status of art cannot be improved, any attempt at self-expression, no matter how desirous, will end up a ridiculous delusion! As long as the true nature of art remains unknown to the Chinese people, any censures against fellow artists, no matter how fierce, will do nothing but drag art into mud!
My colleagues of China’s artistic community, please stop this pitiable behavior, and focus your energy on our effort to unite the artistic community. Our adversaries are the majority of those who have ruined every aspect of art. Without solidarity, we will not be able to wage a bitter war against them. Without a bitter war, we will not be able to save art from its predicament.
United we, the artistic community, must stand in order to carry out wide-ranging work and achieve notable results in the practice of art.
United we, the artistic community, must stand in order to create a great number of works of art, drawing the attention of the Chinese people.
United we, the artistic community, must stand in order to produce stimulating theories for the artistic community, creating widespread publicity for art.
United we, the artistic community, must stand in order to organize extensive art exhibitions, reinforcing their value in quantity and quality.
United we, the artistic community, must also stand in order to devise viable means for furthering the nation’s art education programs, increasing the number of artists and awareness of art in society at large.
My colleagues of China’s artistic community, now is the time for us to stand united and make a concerted effort toward artistic movements!
Nine years ago in China there was a great movement, the May 4th Movement, led by a group of thinkers and men of letters, which made an impact upon the entire world. The greatness of this movement and its influence have been felt up to this very day. Now, whatever the perspective, any progress made by China in science and literature must be credited to the May 4th Movement. Despite the solemn advice given by Mr. Cai Yuanpei during the movement that “the cultural movement should not leave art behind,” the May 4th Movement, in the end, passed over art, which had occupied an extremely important position in the cultural history of the West. Now, whatever the perspective, any emotional breakdown among people in Chinese society must be attributed to the failure of the May 4th Movement to encompass art.
However great the achievements it engendered in literature and science, and however great the damage it wrought upon art, the May 4th Movement was, after all, a movement guided by men of letters and thinkers. My colleagues of China’s artistic community, what has become of our art? What has become of our artistic community? Let us rise and stand united! As art was ranked highest of all in the Italian Renaissance, we should give art primacy in the renaissance of China.
For my own part, I will always see artistic movements as my duty and obligation. My relocation to the south was this time entirely for the sake of artistic movements, and in no sense based on any personal considerations. The onerous burden placed on the artistic community, I believe, is more than I can shoulder alone. We must work together in a common pursuit. If, by misfortune, the artistic community cannot understand us, I will take on the task with a few fellow artists. And if, by greater misfortune, I cannot gain the understanding of even those few fellow artists, I will take on the task by myself.
Despite this assertion, I continue to believe that my fellow artists of China’s artistic community will not forsake our common responsibilities!
I have enumerated all my views and ideas on artistic movements, my endeavors and experiences within the movements of the past ten or more years, and my hopes and expectations for my fellow artists of China’s artistic community. I will let you, my fellow artists, judge for yourselves whether to support or condemn me.