Across Time and Space

Revisiting Twentieth-Century Chinese Oil Paintings 再探二十世紀中國油畫

Shuo Hua

In the early twentieth century, oil painting as a non-indigenous medium began to be taught in Chinese art academies. Since that time, it has become an important and increasingly popular portal, inviting artists to explore cross-cultural dynamics and experiment with individual creative expression. This selection of twentieth-century Chinese oil paintings from the UMAG collection sheds light on the art historical and cultural significance of the medium. Highlighting the versatile aspects of Chinese oil paintings across a diverse spectrum of themes, styles, techniques, time periods, and regional and local characteristics, this publication presents the depth and virtuosity of Chinese oil paintings, extending from intimate interior views to panoramic coastal landscapes. The collective and individual memories within urban scenes activate dialogues of painting practices across time, space, and cross-cultural and cross-media encounters. The selected works display and represent the various artistic styles and visual trends as well as the artists' evolving perceptions and sensitivities about the changing face of twentieth-century China. The works on display have rarely been shown in public and include paintings by iconic masters and influential art educators including Liu Haisu (1896–1994) and Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010). The collection of Chinese oil paintings constitutes the foundation of UMAG's educational work today. Since initiating its publicly accessible collection in the 1950s, UMAG has been closely connected to the development of twentieth-century Chinese painters and their work. It has also actively documented and studied the evolution of their artistic talents and the Hong Kong art scene.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• 前言 Foreword 羅諾德 Florian Knothe
• 序 Introduction 羅諾德 Florian Knothe, 華碩Shuo Hua
• 作者鳴謝 List of contributors
• 1. 米勒和列賓在中國：油畫與現實主義之問
• 2. 中國洋畫運動與倪貽德的「新寫實主義」論
• 3. 二十世紀推動現代中國藝術的兩代人 — 劉海粟與吳冠中
• 4. 斷裂與尋根：從油畫民族化到抒情抽象
• 5. 城市之窗
• 圖錄 Catalogue
• 參考資料選目 Selected Bibliography