Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR
This article reconstructs the story of the “Chinese Painting Exhibition” in the USSR, brought to Moscow and Leningrad in 1934 by the prominent Chinese artist Xu Beihong. The exhibition covered a period from the Han dynasty up to the 1930s, and, for the first time, presented Chinese art to the Soviet...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| author | Olga Kozhura |
| author_facet | Olga Kozhura |
| author_sort | Olga Kozhura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article reconstructs the story of the “Chinese Painting Exhibition” in the USSR, brought to Moscow and Leningrad in 1934 by the prominent Chinese artist Xu Beihong. The exhibition covered a period from the Han dynasty up to the 1930s, and, for the first time, presented Chinese art to the Soviet audience. Before arriving in the USSR, the show toured Europe, where it was extremely popular and considered the first successful attempt to present Chinese art in the West. In contrast, the exhibition’s perception in the Soviet Union was rather contradictory. The reasons for that could be found in the ongoing Soviet artistic discourse and preconceived vision of Chinese art. Based on archival materials, this study reveals the process of the exhibition’s organization and focuses on the image of China and Chinese art constructed by its curators. Additionally, this article examines the reception of the show by both professional and mass Soviet audiences in conjunction with the Soviet ideology towards fine art, foreign art exhibitions of the 1930s, and existing narratives on China, which shaped the optic of Soviet visitors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a617a0e807584fe3bee0f7daf667aac4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj-art-a617a0e807584fe3bee0f7daf667aac42025-08-20T02:11:01ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522024-10-0113516010.3390/arts13050160Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSROlga Kozhura0Zvi Yavetz School of Historical Studies, Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, IsraelThis article reconstructs the story of the “Chinese Painting Exhibition” in the USSR, brought to Moscow and Leningrad in 1934 by the prominent Chinese artist Xu Beihong. The exhibition covered a period from the Han dynasty up to the 1930s, and, for the first time, presented Chinese art to the Soviet audience. Before arriving in the USSR, the show toured Europe, where it was extremely popular and considered the first successful attempt to present Chinese art in the West. In contrast, the exhibition’s perception in the Soviet Union was rather contradictory. The reasons for that could be found in the ongoing Soviet artistic discourse and preconceived vision of Chinese art. Based on archival materials, this study reveals the process of the exhibition’s organization and focuses on the image of China and Chinese art constructed by its curators. Additionally, this article examines the reception of the show by both professional and mass Soviet audiences in conjunction with the Soviet ideology towards fine art, foreign art exhibitions of the 1930s, and existing narratives on China, which shaped the optic of Soviet visitors.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/13/5/160cultural diplomacyexhibitions in the Soviet UnionXu BeihongChinese painting exhibition |
| spellingShingle | Olga Kozhura Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR Arts cultural diplomacy exhibitions in the Soviet Union Xu Beihong Chinese painting exhibition |
| title | Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR |
| title_full | Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR |
| title_fullStr | Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR |
| title_short | Dramatic Scenes and Monstrous Animals: On the First Exhibition of Chinese Art in the USSR |
| title_sort | dramatic scenes and monstrous animals on the first exhibition of chinese art in the ussr |
| topic | cultural diplomacy exhibitions in the Soviet Union Xu Beihong Chinese painting exhibition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/13/5/160 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT olgakozhura dramaticscenesandmonstrousanimalsonthefirstexhibitionofchineseartintheussr |