Xu Beihong 徐悲鸿: The Reform of Chinese Painting 中国画改良论

中国画改良论

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.

中国画学之颓败，至今日已极矣！凡世界文明理无退化，独中国之画在今日，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！夫何故而使画学如此其颓坏耶？曰惟守旧，曰惟失其学术独立之地位。画固艺也，而及于学。今吾东方画，无论其在二十世纪内，应有若何成绩，要之以视千年前先民不逮者，实为深耻大辱。然则吾之草此论，岂得已哉。

Substance and Examples

主旨与例

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]

凡美之所以感动人心者，决不能离乎人之意想。意深者动深人，意浅者动浅人。以此为注脚，庶下之论断，为有根据。例如，中国画山水，西人视之不美。西方金发碧眼之美人，中国老学究视之不美。刘洪升之歌，谭迷深者不之美。王蒙、倪迂等之画，文人视之美。北碑怪拙，吾人能得其美。上海月份牌，浅人视之美。