At the turn of the 20th century, Chinese classical poems act as a cross-cultural emblem in East Asia, often finding visual expression through painted poetry. Meanwhile, both Chinese scholarly painting and Japanese southern painting faced substantial criticism due to their unprecedented decline.Chen Shizeng (1876-1923), renowned as a trailblazer in modern Chinese art, aimed to rejuvenate scholarly painting through his inventive approach to painted poetry. In 1912, Chen introduced a novel style of painted poetry known as "manbi". This form of monochromatic ink painting was created spontaneously, using abbreviated brushwork, and was featured in the influential Shanghai newspaper, The Pacific Times. Chen’s approach marked a significant collaboration between modern artists and print media, highlighting the dynamic shifts across various art forms in early twentieth-century China. These transformations encompassed ink painting, collotype printing, and woodblock printing. Drawing upon foreign artistic influences, manbi intertwines the refined brushwork and poetic significance of scholarly painting with elements from popular culture, art and craft design, and the complexities of social realities. Chen's efforts transformed the painted poetry from a rigid, isolated practice into a dynamic form with practical relevance in the real world.

Authors:
Zi Wang, Beijing Foreign Studies University, China

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Zi Wang is an assistant professor at the Beijing Foreign Studies University School of History. She looks at modern Chinese art, visual culture in East Asia and its connections with the West during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zi-wang-96649079/

Additional website of interest
https://www.albaziwang.com/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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