Full Description
The Art of Resistance surveys the lives of seven painters—Ding Cong (1916-2009), Feng Zikai (1898-1975), Li Keran (1907-89), Li Kuchan (1898-1983), Huang Yongyu (b. 1924), Pan Tianshou (1897-1971), and Shi Lu (1919-82)—during China's Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a time when they were considered counterrevolutionary and were forbidden to paint. Drawing on interviews with the artists and their families and on materials collected during her visits to China, Shelley Drake Hawks examines their painting styles, political outlooks, and life experiences.
These fiercely independent artists took advantage of moments of low surveillance to secretly "paint by candlelight." In doing so, they created symbolically charged art that is open to multiple interpretations. The wit, courage, and compassion of these painters will inspire respect for the deep emotional and spiritual resonance of Chinese art.
Art History Publication Initiative. For more information, visit http://arthistorypi.org/books/art-of-resistance
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chronology of Major Events
Introduction: Painting by Candlelight in Mao's China
Part One | Cartoonists
1. Ding Cong's True Story of the Outcast Ah Q
2. Feng Zikai Protests the Giant Hedge Cutters
Part Two | Academy Painters and a President
3. Li Keran's Luminous Path through Mountains
4. Li Kuchan's Eagle Gazes Far
5. Huang Yongyu's Eye Talk
6. Pan Tianshou's Nocturne for a Plum Tree
Part Three | Communist Idealist Shi Lu
7. Inside the Secret Notebook
8. At Cliff 's Edge
9. From Trauma to Recovery
Conclusion
Appendix: Poems from Shi Lu's Secret Notebook, ca. 1973-75
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
