Buddhist artists in the forepart of the 20th century in China —a probe into Buddhist art and social well-being
Item abstract only
Author
Wang, Zhong Yao See all items with this value
Date
2004
Volume
5
Pages
257-269
ISSN
1530-4108 See all items with this value
Abstract
The three masters Hong Yi (1880-1942 A.D.), Feng Zikai (1898-1975. A.D.) and Wang Yiting (1867-1938. A.D.) are all the important persons in modern Buddhist history of China, also the pioneers of Chinese Buddhist art in the forepart of the 20th century. They were well versed in art and have made special contributions to Buddhist art, and the influence of their work has become stronger and stronger in Chinese art presently.
The cultural value of Ven. Master Hong Yi’s art comes not only from his respectable personality which gleamed in all of works that he did, but much more importance maybe is the “immateriality art” which he left. He led a life in a way as a tenor full of meanings. He created an “art field” what is so excellent that hardly people can reach it until the modern days, and is the most precious spirit wealth he gave to the modern art of China.
Feng Zikai was the chairman of the Artist Association of Shanghai in 1950’s. The Zikai Cartoon is the most famous work in his achievements, there are mainly four characteristics in it. The first is its distinct folk style and the interior character of Buddhism; second, the perfect combination of the Chinese folk culture and art, which represented in his art works, contained the deep meanings of Buddhist aesthetics; third is that he devoted his attention to common people’s real-life which abundantly represented in his works and was the merciful spirit of Buddhism; and finally is his “unskillful-childlike” drawing method well characterized the inbeing of Buddhist art which not only contains the fascination but also has the consistency with the avant-garde art of the Occident.
Wang Yiting was a grand old man in the dates of the Republic of China, a big businessman and also the most important organizer of Buddhist art in the early 20th century. He had extremely close relationship with almost all the most important artists at that time, we even say that he appeared in nearly all of the important stages of the art development in the time in Shanghai which is generally regarded as the representative of modern China, also, his works in art of Buddhism reflected deeply to modern Chinese art.
The paper studied and narrated elementarily the relationship of the three masters in both Buddhism and Buddhist art field, revealed that there are intercourses of Buddhism and art between Ven. Master Hong Yi, Feng Zikai and Wang Yiting. These are full of inner zeal in the peaceful lives attitude of the three masters, and this is the basic methodology principle what one should to learn when researching art and doing artistic work.
The period of the early days in 20th century is a turning point of modern China. The three masters are all Buddhists and each has their own different status but all lead the developmental way of the Chinese culture at that time. In now a days, it has special meanings to retrospect to them, which not only deserve to study but also present a realistic meaning to our social well-being.
The cultural value of Ven. Master Hong Yi’s art comes not only from his respectable personality which gleamed in all of works that he did, but much more importance maybe is the “immateriality art” which he left. He led a life in a way as a tenor full of meanings. He created an “art field” what is so excellent that hardly people can reach it until the modern days, and is the most precious spirit wealth he gave to the modern art of China.
Feng Zikai was the chairman of the Artist Association of Shanghai in 1950’s. The Zikai Cartoon is the most famous work in his achievements, there are mainly four characteristics in it. The first is its distinct folk style and the interior character of Buddhism; second, the perfect combination of the Chinese folk culture and art, which represented in his art works, contained the deep meanings of Buddhist aesthetics; third is that he devoted his attention to common people’s real-life which abundantly represented in his works and was the merciful spirit of Buddhism; and finally is his “unskillful-childlike” drawing method well characterized the inbeing of Buddhist art which not only contains the fascination but also has the consistency with the avant-garde art of the Occident.
Wang Yiting was a grand old man in the dates of the Republic of China, a big businessman and also the most important organizer of Buddhist art in the early 20th century. He had extremely close relationship with almost all the most important artists at that time, we even say that he appeared in nearly all of the important stages of the art development in the time in Shanghai which is generally regarded as the representative of modern China, also, his works in art of Buddhism reflected deeply to modern Chinese art.
The paper studied and narrated elementarily the relationship of the three masters in both Buddhism and Buddhist art field, revealed that there are intercourses of Buddhism and art between Ven. Master Hong Yi, Feng Zikai and Wang Yiting. These are full of inner zeal in the peaceful lives attitude of the three masters, and this is the basic methodology principle what one should to learn when researching art and doing artistic work.
The period of the early days in 20th century is a turning point of modern China. The three masters are all Buddhists and each has their own different status but all lead the developmental way of the Chinese culture at that time. In now a days, it has special meanings to retrospect to them, which not only deserve to study but also present a realistic meaning to our social well-being.