Chinese Contemporary Art and Social Change

The Ming and Qing dynasties China restored to its traditional socially, patriarchally, politically, and even infrastructurally looking at the Great Wall. The culture of art and education became once again powerful and traditions of Confucianism were once again largely influential and the sculpting tool of the Ming and Qing

Art is a skill used by humans which allows them to express ideas through writing, drawing, picture, sculpture, or other form. An artist can use art to prove a point to society, draw people’s attention to a situation or just as a means of entertainment in its design. Contemporary art is art produced at the present period in time or within our lifetime (Contemporary Art). Through contemporary art, artists are able to express social ideas or causes by giving us a glimpse into past events which have occurred because of decisions or actions and create a work which represent those events. Sometimes an artist uses as his or her inspiration a past event from their lives which has brought a strong emotion. Two contemporary artists who

Art among the Asian-American community was a prized possession. Eastern art was dominated from themes of religion, customs, and expression. There was a diversity in how art was made, as the genres were dimensional, pop-out, and a wide variety of stilled art. Art, of course differed among the sub-types, with each having a different discipline towards eastern art. They include the following: ​

Ai Weiwei has been influenced by his social context. He grew up in a Beijing, a society that was strict, regimented and allowed for little freedom of expression. Having grown up knowing nothing different, Weiwei was amazed when he moved too the untied states of America. Compared to china, the united states welcomed freedom, personal voices and allowed for a change in social movements. When returning to Beijing after his father fell ill and seeing the complete difference in the two societies, Weiwei was determined to fight for freedom of expression and human rights for the Chinese population. His return to china lead him to produce art works that openly criticises the Chinese government, this lead to him becoming one chinas leading artists. He has said before that "Art is about social change.”

As one of the ancient civilization, the Chinese history could trace back to five millennium years ago. Along with the continuous development of the Chinese society, the artistic and cultural achievements also simultaneously progressed. Bowser Museum exhibits a Chinese collection that portrays the evolution of Chinese art and culture. From the dawn of Chinese civilization Neolithic period to the last imperial Qing dynasty before the Republic of China. Throughout the progress, the Chinese art is continuously adapting to the changing society and combining its cultures to produce various art forms. In this exhibition, each symbol in each artwork is associated with special meaning behind and to reflect some phenomenon of personality or the

Art has been an outlet for people worldwide to express their views on political issues, to depict social revolutions, and to display picturesque landscapes. While there are many art museums across the nationwide, perhaps one of the most renowned museums in California is the San Diego Museum of Art, located in the heart of Balboa Park. Last weekend, I visited San Diego Museum of Art, in hopes of broadening my knowledge of artworks from around the world, particularly those of Asian influence, as my family has some Asian lineage. I found the collection, Brush and Ink: Chinese Paintings from San Diego Museum of Art Selected By Pan Gongkai, most informative in my search, as it displayed the traditional painting techniques from fifteenth century China to today (The San Diego Museum of Art, 2016).

Painter, calligraphist, teacher, activist: Gao Jianfu’s role in the development of the Lingnan School of thought, and consequently in the progression of traditional Chinese ink painting, is pivotal. Although Gao Jianfu is one of the most important masters of the Lingnan School who catalyzed a change in traditional Chinese painting, his earlier works reveal competence and experience in traditional guohua. A trip to Japan in 1905 inspired him, Chen Shuren, and his brother, Gao Qifeng, to establish a new “national painting,” xin guohua, that synthesized the best elements of Western and Chinese art. Utilizing these new techniques and knowledge from Japan, Gao Jianfu’s artistic practice transformed from his teacher’s style to a hybrid product

The beginning of 20th century was a time of drastic change. New developments were made in the arenas of the classical sciences, social science, psychology and philosophy - each challenging traditional thought. Industrialization and the introduction of many new, challenging concepts in the fields of politics as well as the development of new technologies gave artist more freedom to innovate and break the rules of traditional art. By using new materials, techniques and the new approach artists were pushing boundaries of what has previously been accepted art practice in order to invent radically new styles.

At the end of the Qing dynasty and the beginning of the Ming dynasty, Shanghai and Guangzhou started to open the port business and attracted a great variety of painters there. They first accepted the foreign culture and thought, and made the contribution to the innovation of the traditional Chinese painting. Those artworks reflected the atmosphere of life at that time and had the integration of western art techniques. All of these led to the formation of Shanghai School and Lingnan School of Painting.

For thousands of years, the use of art through paintings, drawings, pictures, photographs have been used in religions for many purposes. Religious groups and sects have used art to protest, idealize, and tell stories about their religion. They have used art to express their beliefs and thoughts to the world. According to the dictionary, art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. This emotional power inserted on each piece of art was meant to inspire and teach each believer about their religion. We can see this in different religions such as the Chinese religion, Confucianism. Confucianism believes in the adoration of the ancestors and diverse powers being the greatest of all the heavens, the lord from above. People in Confucianism must understand that the ancestors and the cosmos, determine their life and existence and therefore they must maintain a good harmony. This is achieved through study and meditation to self-perfect. Therefore, like other religions, Confucianism through art represents their beliefs. Each work of art seeks that when observed can convey the idea and concept of the artist who will always seek inspiration from his beliefs.

As the empire becomes stabilized, Ming dynasty reached a big advance in expression in art. In the book Masterworks of Ming and Qing Painting from the Forbidden City, it is said that “The reigns of the Hongwu, Yongle and Xuande emperors were relatively strong and well-organized, supported by a strong agricultural base in the south below the Yangtze river, and by a particularly large and efficient merchant fleet (Howard 22).” and during that time “…great advances in

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, beginning as a campaign targeted at removing Chairman Mao Zedong's political opponents, was a time when practically every aspect of Chinese society was in pandemonium. From 1966 through 1969, Mao encouraged revolutionary committees, including the red guards, to take power from the Chinese Communist party authorities of the state. The Red Guards, the majority being young adults, rose up against their teachers, parents, and neighbors. Following Mao and his ideas, The Red Guard's main goal was to eliminate all remnants of the old culture in China. They were the 'frontline implementers' who produced havoc, used bloody force, punished supposed 'counter

China has about five thousand years history which is a very long period of time. Also, the Chinese civilization was growing with these periods of time and it will continues greater than ever. Many wars and unhappinesses were happening during this period. Although, the time has passed, the histories and the civilizations have not passed. These family virtues, serious, working attitudes, sense of justice and the great Confucian tradition have been deeply assimilated into the Chinese people. Some Chinese traditions are different from North American’s. The Chinese culture has many special characteristics which are very interesting for people to learn.

Art is a catalyst of change. It can confront both social and political issues as well as providing people with a creative outlet in which they can express their innermost thoughts and feelings - but what effect can art have on our society as a whole? Artists today have the unique ability to connect with people in a creative, innovative way that they can understand and interpret themselves. With this ability, artists are able to express their own views as well as influencing the views of others. Art is an immense part of our world – so much so that we barely even consider its impact upon us – but just how significant is the work of artists in our modern day society?

of art as a finished product, signed by the artist and authenticated by the art market,