Tracing the Past, drawing the Future

Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future examines a crucial turning point in the development of Chinese ink painting represented by the beautiful and innovative work of four artists, Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), Qi Baishi (1864-1957), Huang Binhong (1865-1955), and Pan Tianshou (1897-1971). With careers spanning more than a century of radical social and political change in China, these artists were instrumental in driving the ancient tradition of Chinese ink painting into the modern era in the face of compelling Western influences. The lavish catalogue illuminates the context in which these artists worked, describes their overall contribution to the history of Chinese art, and highlights their individual ideas and achievements. Xiaoneng Yang defines the historical context in which modern Chinese painting developed, while Richard Vinograd analyzes the "alternative modernism" represented by these artists, each of whom worked in the brush-and-ink idiom. All four artists engaged to a greater or lesser degree with Western styles and media, and gave new life to cherished traditions through this engagement. Essays devoted to each artist are followed by individual entries discussing the works chosen to exemplify their achievements. Featuring more than one hundred works of painting and calligraphy by the four artists, the book also includes several portraits by Ren Yi (1840-1895), appendices transcribing the works' inscriptions and seals, a concordance, and a detailed bibliography.