The Legend of a Generation

Shang Hui

Director of the Theoretical Committee of China Artists Association, Doctor of Art History

Shanghui

Mr. Zhang Shaoxia is a legend of our generation. He is legendary because we’ve experienced special times. In those days, we were unable to read widely, nor did we have the chance of entering universities and gaining employment in higher education institutions. The first legendary aspect of Mr. Zhang Shaoxia’s story is his entrance to college as a Worker-Peasant-Soldier student as early as 1972, embarking on his artistic journey. It was highly enviable among our generation because I hadn't even formally taken "gaokao", or the college entrance exam. In 1978, Mr. Zhang Shaoxia was admitted as one of the first graduate students to Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA), fulfilling his wish to study Western art history under the instruction of Mr. Liu Ruli. At that time, the country had not yet established a specialized discipline in Western art history. It was this generation that first encountered Western art during the Republic of China period and disseminated it. Or we may say that the Western art history we studied at that time was based on the literature and documentary images. In my opinion, studying Western art history in such a relatively closed environment was challenging. However, such a challenge is also appealing to us because students and many of the audience at that time could know about the history of Western art before China was fully opening up, including the critical dissemination of Impressionist painting and modernism.

The second aspect of Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's legend is his tenure as a teacher at college, where he taught world art history courses to multiple generations of students, imparting knowledge of Western art history. Later, he delved into Chinese modern art and published the first History of Chinese Modern Painting in China, leaving a significant impact on academia. The paramount reason behind it was his critical examination of art since the 1950s and 1960s, and his interpretation of the modern artistic characteristics of Chinese painting. Many of the ideas articulated in this book were quite avant-garde at that time, making his name as the writer of History of Chinese Modern Painting and an indelible figure in 20th-century Chinese art history.

The third aspect of Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's legendary story lies in his departure from the realm of art education and art into the business circle. It may seem unbelievable nowadays, but I believe Mr. Zhang held the sentiments of his generation that revolved around promoting economic development in a country that hadn't opened up and was struggling economically. It was a pivotal cause or an ideal of his generation. Idealism isn’t solely about academic exploration, but also about national governance. Back then, Mr. Zhang Shaoxia held a prestigious teaching and academic position. However, he still harbored the noble aspiration of contributing to national governance, and bravely ventured into the business world amidst the tide of commercialization, making significant contributions to China's economic development during the reform and opening up. I believe it takes courage for a professor to do business. This courage is not just about making money but also about embodying the dreams of a generation. Our generation grew up in an era of economic poverty, constrained by ideology. In a sense, it was the same for us to either enter academia to teach Western art history or do business - they’re both efforts to alleviate China’s poverty and weakness. Surely, Mr. Zhang Shaoxia had cultural ideals. His business endeavors were always intertwined with his cultural aspirations, making him a legendary figure in the eyes of our generation.

Bare Hills (Sanya Mystic Springs Golf Club) 120×65cm Oil on Dew-retting Linen Canvas 2024

Seeing the series of landscape oil paintings by Mr. Zhang Shaoxia at the Art Museum of NUA today, I felt that another legendary story was created when Mr. Zhang returned to art again, or perhaps art never faded from his heart; he just pursued another line of work. His works primarily feature golf courses. On the surface, they reveal that golf courses are a subject rarely studied in art history; but I believe that at a deeper layer, they showcase the relationship between humanity and nature in the course of modern urbanization. The allure of golf courses to urban dwellers lies in their leisurely nature and serene environments. They're different from the traditional parks we see, where there are small sports facilities and fixed recreational activities, and the scenery is mostly artificial. Golf courses seek the natural scenery of the wilderness. They not only have fairways, bunkers, putting greens and tees, but also encompass vast natural scenery - lakes, seas, skies, trees, grasslands, dunes, wastelands, and more. Engaging in sports in such natural surroundings feels like returning to the wilderness. Why do urbanites seek such environments for recreation? Perhaps it's related to our urban lifestyle. People originally from the wilderness might not want to play sports in a natural environment; instead, they may crave urban life. Therefore, in my view, the theme of golf courses in Mr. Zhang Shaoxia works reflects China's urbanization and urban dwellers’ state of life. We may also say that his portrayal of nature isn't purely about nature; rather, it reflects the course of Chinese modernization and the mental states of urban residents by depicting the natural landscapes on golf courses. We feel a sense of release and pleasure from his artwork. While we could have gained pleasure on golf courses, I believe not everyone can access them. Thus, Mr. Zhang Shaoxia allows ordinary viewers like us to step into this harmonious fusion of man and nature through his oil paintings.

A Course that No Longer Exists (Haikou Meishi Mayflower International Golf Club) 120×65cm Oil on Dew-retting Linen Canvas 2024

There is no doubt that Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's works are a fusion of classical landscape oil paintings and Impressionist oil paintings. One can sense from his works the historical progression from Dutch landscapes to Britain’s picturesque landscapes, with references to the wooded landscapes depicted by Russian artist Levitan. I believe that as an art historian, his understanding of art history surpasses his artistic endeavors. Conversely, in his practice of oil painting, Mr. Zhang Shaoxia aims to present the scenery constructed by historical and scenic concepts of art history in his compositions. These scenes possess the elegance and sublimity of classical aesthetics, such as the prominent trees in his paintings. While trees are a natural element of golf courses, they are portrayed in a way that emphasizes their height and shading. The picturesque landscapes manifest the culture of England’s Lake District, which presents the relationship between lakes and trees. We may say that this picturesque scenery is both naturalistic and strongly humanistic. What we see in Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's works is a way of expression that combines classical landscape oil painting with picturesque landscapes, which to a large extent reflects the portrayal of landscapes in Impressionist paintings. Some of Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's golf course landscapes are painted outdoors, while others are recreated indoors. He combines these two approaches. If painted outdoors, the paintings are a golfer's observation of golf courses, which reflects people’s attention to nature in urban life. If recreated indoors, they are classical creations and expressions of naturalistic landscapes with a classical aesthetic. Therefore, in Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's works, we can discern the understanding of landscapes across various stages of Western art history. I believe Mr. Zhang’s positioning of landscape oil painting is particularly relevant to art history. For instance, he prefers using deep brown hues that form a relationship with the blue of the sky and lakes. It is an Impressionist application of warm and cold colors and complementary colors, but to be more accurate, he doesn't fully embrace Impressionism. It's not that he lacks an understanding of it; rather, he seeks to return to the pursuit of the sublime in classical aesthetics by capturing the light and color in an Impressionist way. This pursuit of the sublime is people's yearning for nature during urbanization, and a process of rebuilding the aesthetic ideals in nature or perhaps a collapse thereof. I believe Mr. Zhang has realized the ideals of our generation, which is essentially the relentless pursuit of spirituality. Though engaging in different professions, we never give up on constructing our spiritual homes.

Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's solo exhibition at the Art Museum of NUA reflects an interpretation of how individuals should form their artistic understanding by the art history community. Many people hold different views about art historians, considering them merely as compilers of the literature or suggesting that they don't fully understand paintings. Today's exhibition of Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's works reflects a unique phenomenon in our circle, that is, art historians possess a strong background in artistic practice, and their understanding of art is formed through their artistic endeavors. I believe that only by combining practice with theory, and through the fusion of history and theory, can we create a unique space for the development of Chinese art history. Therefore, I don't just see Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's exhibition as an artist's exhibition; rather, it's also an exhibition of a Western art historian. Such cases are not uncommon in the West either. A well-known example is Roger Fry, a scholar who coined the term "Post-Impressionism". You may not know that Fry was an accomplished painter who, like Cézanne, sought to reshape the relationship between humanity and nature by engaging in painting practice. So, I find Mr. Zhang Shaoxia's exhibition particularly intriguing, as it advocates for art historians’ artistic practice. Or we may say that his previous research in the history of Chinese modern art, European arts and crafts, and Western art history is based on his creative practice. This kind of research is robust, rich in sentimental experience, and more convincing. 

(Transcribed from interview recording)