Xu Beihong 徐悲鴻: The Reform of Chinese Painting 中國畫改良論

中國畫改良論

The decadence of Chinese painting has reached its peak today! Theoretically speaking, this world’s material civilization should not be going backwards. However, the style of Chinese painting today is like going fifty steps backwards when compared with twenty years ago. Compared with three hundred years ago, it is like going five hundred steps backwards and compared with five hundred years ago it is like taking four hundred steps backward. Compared with seven hundred years ago, it is like going backwards by one thousand steps and when compared with a thousand years ago, it is like taking eight hundred steps backwards. Such a national decline brings forth feelings of remorse! But what caused this decline in the art of painting? The main two reasons are the attitude of ‘sticking to the old ways’ as well as the loss of an independent academic status of art studies. Of course, painting is a skill, but it should also be available at a higher academic level. It does not matter how many achievements the current Eastern style of painting has in the twentieth century. In fact, it is a terrible shame if we cannot surpass our ancestors from thousands of years ago. I am compelled to draw the following conclusions.

中國畫學之頹敗，至今日已極矣！凡世界文明理無退化，獨中國之畫在今日，比二十年前退五十步，三百年前退五百步，五百年前退四百步，七百年前千步，千年前八百步，民族之不振可慨也夫！夫何故而使畫學如此其頹壞耶？曰惟守舊，曰惟失其學術獨立之地位。畫固藝也，而及於學。今吾東方畫，無論其在二十世紀內，應有若何成績，要之以視千年前先民不逮者，實為深恥大辱。然則吾之草此論，豈得已哉。

Substance and Examples

主旨與例

Only when not divorced from human feelings and thoughts can art arouse people’s consciousness. Art with profound meaning can move people with profound thoughts; art with superficial meaning can only move shallow people. On the basis of this judgment, my following assertion is well-founded. For example, Chinese artists are obsessed with painting landscapes with mountains and rivers, but Western people do not see these paintings as beautiful. Western people have fair hair and blue eyes, but Chinese old pedants do not see these as beautiful traits. Enthusiasts of Tan do not find Liu Hongsheng’s songs pleasant. Intellectuals think Wang Meng,[1] Ni Yu[2] and similar artists’ paintings are very beautiful. Although the Bei rubbings of the Wei dynasty have an odd and clumsy style, artists like us can feel their beauty.[3] Ordinary laymen can feel the beauty of Shanghai’s illustrated calendars.[4]

凡美之所以感動人心者，決不能離乎人之意想。意深者動深人，意淺者動淺人。以此為註腳，庶下之論斷，為有根據。例如，中國畫山水，西人視之不美。西方金髮碧眼之美人，中國老學究視之不美。劉洪升之歌，譚迷深者不之美。王蒙、倪迂等之畫，文人視之美。北碑怪拙，吾人能得其美。上海月份牌，淺人視之美。