The Visual Modernity Shift in Early Modern Chinese Sculpture

An Example of the Works of Republican Sculptor YAN Dehui

He Yue

(Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design, Beijing 100084)

Abstract: The transformation of YAN Dehui’s sculptural practice reflects the process of Chinese sculpture transitioning from traditional to modern, showcasing the interactive relationship between modern sculpture and the ideological currents of different periods. This article analyzes the visual forms of YAN Dehui’s sculptures from the 1920s to the 1940s, revealing the modernity shift in Chinese sculpture during this period. Additionally, the division method of the “four major isms” of modern Chinese art is used for a case study on YAN Dehui, highlighting the contradictions and complexities of the early modern Chinese sculpture transition through the artist’s individual artistic practice.

Keywords: Sculpture; Modernity; Artistic Style
Classification Code: J3
Article Identification Code: A
Article Number: 1002-8900(2024)01-0160-04

Visual modernity is understood as modernity from a visual perspective, where historical changes lead to value shifts, thereby causing transformations in the language of artistic forms. The characteristics of traditional and modern sculpture can be distinguished within the formal language system. In 2010, Pan Gongkai’s edited collection, “Consciousness and Exploration of Chinese Modernity: A Pathway of Modern Chinese Art,” identified four macro-level, strategic propositions and practices in 20th-century Chinese art, termed Chinese modernism: Occidentalism, Traditionalism, Fusionism, and Populism. YAN Dehui’s sculptural practice reveals orientations of modern art practice, aligning to varying degrees with the “four major isms” while possessing its own complexities. From the historical context, the Xinhai Revolution, the New Culture Movement, and the May Fourth Movement accelerated the dissemination of modern ideas in China, causing society to transition from traditional to modern. Chinese sculptural practice also exhibited this shift, with changes in sculptor identity, sculpture themes, production methods, and dissemination methods. Sculptural images promoted through newspapers and magazines fostered the spread of modern ideas, serving to educate the public. YAN Dehui’s sculptures reflect the multifaceted pursuit of modernity in Chinese sculpture.

1. Inheritance of Traditional Wood Sculpture and the Emergence of Modern Transition

YAN Dehui (1908-1987), born in Yongjia, Zhejiang, a renowned region for traditional boxwood sculpture in China, apprenticed under the boxwood carving master Zhu Zichang. Zhu Zichang (1876-1934) was a prominent late Qing artist known for his achievements in traditional figure carving. His wood carving “Hide and Seek” won a second prize at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in the United States, gaining attention and exporting his works to Southeast Asia. Zhu Zichang’s influence enhanced the reputation of Yongjia boxwood carving. Traditional boxwood carving subjects include Buddhist and Taoist figures, folklore, traditional Chinese literature characters, historical figures, beauties, and children. Zhu Zichang’s wood carvings include “Six Children Playing with Maitreya,” “Three Stars Blessing a Child,” and “Daiyu Burying Flowers.” YAN Dehui initially created wood carvings on traditional subjects, such as the sandalwood carving “Ji Gong” and boxwood carving “Guanyin” exhibited in the ninth Tianma Society Exhibition in 1928, and the wood carving “Maitreya Buddha” displayed at the National Art Exhibition in 1929.

As society transitioned from traditional to modern culture, folk crafts began focusing on contemporary life subjects, using sculpture to depict the everyday lives of ordinary people. For instance, the “Clay Figurines of Zhang” in Tianjin depicted urban life scenes. Zhu Zichang expanded his subjects to include figures in everyday interactions. In 1926, Zhu Zichang was invited to teach at the Shanghai Art Academy, a new school with modern art education concepts and Western academic teaching methods. There, he encountered anatomical knowledge and drawing techniques. This exposure influenced YAN Dehui, who began receiving Western academic art education, studying Western painting at the Shanghai Art Academy. This period of study provided him with anatomical knowledge and art anatomy, laying the foundation for his future artistic transformation.

2. Diverse Enlightenment of Modern Sculpture

In the early 20th century, the New Culture Movement in China promoted thought liberation, democracy, and science, opposing feudalism. In 1919, Chen Duxiu and Lu Xun advocated that art should break from tradition and adopt scientific realism, seeing Western realism as a necessary path for national salvation and enlightenment. The introduction of Western artistic methods that emphasized anatomical study and realism was seen as a hallmark of modern knowledge and a sign of the shift towards modernity in Chinese art. This “art revolution” became part of the May Fourth enlightenment discourse. Some intellectuals, influenced by the post-World War I decline in Western thought, believed that science could not be applied to reform life views. In 1922, the sculptor Xu Shiqi expressed concerns about modern rational Western civilization in his article “What is the Life of Art,” emphasizing the value of art for emotional salvation amid the suppression of value rationality by instrumental rationality in modern society.

This duality between enlightenment modernity and cultural or aesthetic modernity influenced YAN Dehui’s sculptural practice. In 1931, YAN Dehui’s sculpture “Without Attachments,” depicting a nude female figure seated on a cushion, was published in the “Art Garden” magazine. The posture was that of Buddhist meditation, a traditional form, yet the sculpture’s style was Western realism, using scientific anatomical modeling. This blend of traditional subject and scientific representation reflected the artist’s inner conflict. As Wang Hui described Lu Xun’s cultural psychology: “Loneliness and rebellion form the basic cultural psychological characteristics of Lu Xun, a dual ‘being’ and ‘not belonging’ social and cultural relationship.” In “Without Attachments,” the sacred and secular merge, and the conflict between traditional themes and modern forms creates visual and psychological complexity.

By the 1930s, traditional Chinese views still saw the human body as taboo, and body sculpture was considered against tradition. Zhang Zuolin had previously closed the Beijing Art School on the grounds that using nude models was indecent, and the Shanghai Art Academy had experienced similar controversies. Modern sculptors like YAN Dehui publicly displaying body sculptures in magazines was a challenge to traditional body concepts. The cultural differences between Chinese and Western views on the body also played a role, with Chinese tradition emphasizing harmony with the environment and Western tradition treating the body as a visual object for exploration, including anatomical studies. Nude bodies erased differences among people, breaking cultural boundaries and promoting humanism, democracy, and equality, responding to the May Fourth Movement’s enlightenment ideas. Modern body sculpture challenged traditional body views and contributed to the promotion of democratic and scientific ideas.

Traditional Chinese values included male superiority and female inferiority, with traditional female sculptures serving religious or funerary purposes, or as folk art. In modern society, women began to be depicted as independent subjects. In 1928, sculptor Li Jinfa advocated for respecting and appreciating female beauty in his article “The Beauty of Women” published in “Art Education Magazine,” arguing that recognizing female beauty could improve women’s social status and societal civilization. YAN Dehui’s “Without Attachments” realistically portrayed a nude female figure, emphasizing the noble and sacred aspects of femininity through traditional religious postures. This parody transformed female identity and social status, challenging traditional societal views and advancing modern equality ideas. According to the theoretical exploration of the “four major isms” in modern Chinese art, traditionalism focuses on native traditions, while occidentalism represents Western modernity’s transplantation in China. YAN Dehui’s themes borrowed from Buddhist concepts of “no attachment,” and his forms adopted Western realism, combining traditional Chinese sculpture subjects with Western realistic modeling to reflect on contemporary ideological trends and concepts.

3. The Pursuit of Populist Values

Populism is a characteristic of modernity, linked to Western Renaissance humanism and enlightenment thought. In the 1930s, Chinese populist art had various orientations, promoting aesthetic education for all citizens. Art needed to reflect the social realities of the lower classes with compassion and humanitarian concern, revealing society authentically. Realism’s artistic style could truthfully depict reality, and sketching could document reality realistically. During this period, YAN Dehui’s work began to reflect a firm belief in the social role and value of sculpture. Scholar Leo Ou-fan Lee’s description of Lu Xun’s psychological transformation from the late 1920s to early 1930s aligns with YAN Dehui’s shift in creative psychology: “Wavering between belief and disbelief, hope and despair. A process of self-exploration amid uncertainty about knowledge and future actions. Only after a period of profound self-exploration and falling into complete despair and nihilism did he, in the 1930s, re-emerge in the left-wing literary front with a clear purpose to fight for.” “Proletarian art” strengthened YAN Dehui’s artistic pursuit, determining the thematic and formal shift in his sculptures during this period.

In 1934, YAN Dehui began teaching wood carving at the Shanghai Art Academy. In the 15th and 16th graduation albums, his work “Mother of Labor” was exhibited, its title reflecting praise for laborers and respect for the working class. The sculpture depicts an elderly woman, weathered and slightly frowning, yet with a slight smile. YAN Dehui meticulously captured every wrinkle and subtle expression using a realistic style. The realism emphasized the presence of the subject, symbolizing the working class’s presence. Traditional art often depicted elite portraits, but YAN Dehui’s focus on laborers aimed to establish their historical significance, countering elite politics and aligning with left-wing literary ideals to use realism to depict reality and reflect the lower classes’ demands.

Between 1934 and 1935, YAN Dehui published the “Relief of Indian Resistance Leader Gandhi.” Gandhi, a spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement, symbolized anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism, similar to China’s struggles. By promoting Gandhi’s image, YAN Dehui aimed to inspire anti-imperialist and anti-colonial sentiments. Additionally, YAN Dehui collaborated with Zhang Chenbo to create the “Statue of Sun Yat-sen” in Lanzhou. Sun Yat-sen led the national democratic revolution and advanced China’s modernization. Sculpting Sun Yat-sen promoted modern nationalist ideas. During this period, modern sculpture portrayed leaders driving Asian modernization rather than traditional kings and generals, participating in constructing public discourse. Amid deepening national crises, sculptors used leader figures to inspire national spirit and resistance.

4. Integration of East and West, Inheritance and Innovation

In the 1940s, traditional Chinese culture’s value gained recognition, with efforts to collect, protect, and promote cultural heritage. In 1938, YAN Dehui went to study in France, where he felt a strong sense of national identity, reinforced by seeing Chinese artifacts in European museums. In 1948, he exhibited “Lin Daiyu Burying Flowers” at the Salon in France, a subject from traditional Chinese literature “Dream of the Red Chamber.” This subject was common in traditional boxwood carving, characterized by enlarged heads, smaller hands and feet, and narrow shoulders to convey feminine fragility. The work emphasized the vividness and interest in figures, with clothing folds reflecting the “clothes like flowing water” aesthetic from traditional Chinese painting, highlighting line beauty. Early exposure to boxwood carving deeply influenced YAN Dehui’s aesthetic appreciation. The Salon-exhibited “Lin Daiyu Burying Flowers” adhered to anatomical accuracy, emphasizing scientific structural representation and spatial realism. Yet, the work combined Western realistic methods with traditional Chinese artistic language, creating a unique integration of East and West.

YAN Dehui’s “Portrait of a Lady” depicted a Western female figure, showcasing Western classical style but incorporating decorative elements from traditional Chinese carving in the facial features and hair, reducing anatomical details for simplicity and fullness. The hairstyle echoed the rhythmic and decorative patterns of traditional Chinese cloud motifs. The sculpture displayed an elegance and mystery, distancing itself from strict realism, a characteristic of traditional Chinese art, creating a detached and transcendent aesthetic experience. Despite being far from his traditional artistic roots, YAN Dehui’s aesthetic experience remained deeply influenced by traditional art language and cultural meanings, shaping his artistic imagination. He integrated traditional Chinese and Western classical sculpture, creating a unique artistic language and aesthetic, advancing modern sculpture.

Conclusion

Analyzing YAN Dehui’s works reveals that the visual modernity shift in early modern Chinese sculpture occurred gradually within the context of social modernization, influenced by enlightenment thought, populist culture, Western academic art concepts, and traditional Chinese cultural views. The division method of the “four major isms” provides a highly comprehensive macro-level analysis of modern art, yet modern sculpture practice is rich and inherently contradictory. Chinese modern sculpture’s Western orientation was not a mere replica of Western modernity. YAN Dehui adopted Western scientific realism in his creation, valued for its rational and scientific merits, containing enlightenment spirit to counter traditional feudal views. Simultaneously, YAN Dehui maintained a critical and reflective stance towards enlightenment discourse. Modern sculpture transcended traditional entertainment functions, engaging in constructing contemporary discourse and enhancing its social value. Its populist value played a pioneering role in proletarian art and patriotic propaganda during national crises. The modern sculpture shift resulted from merging traditional Chinese carving language with Western academic realism’s pursuit of realistic aesthetics. YAN Dehui, as one of China’s first modern sculptors, transitioned from inheriting traditional carving techniques to realizing the social value of art, highlighting sculpture’s aesthetic education role and exploring artistic integration. Early modern Chinese sculptors, through difficult exploration, unveiled the prelude to modern Chinese sculpture’s transition.

References:

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