Editing Chinese art (section)

=== New China art (1912–1949) ===
[[File:Sanmaonewspaper1948.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Sanmao (comic book character)|Sanmao]], one of the most well-known comic book characters in China]]

====Modern art movement ====

The movement to modernize Chinese art started toward the end of the Qing dynasty. The traditional art form started to lose its appeal as the feudalistic structure of the society was dissolving. The modern view of the world had to be expressed in a different form. The explorations went on two main paths: one was to draw from the past to enrich the present ({{zhi|c=汲古潤今}})*, the other was to "learn the new methods" ({{zhi|c=學習新法}}).*<ref>{{Cite book|title=Modern Chinese Art|last=Clarke|first=David}}</ref>

===== Draw from the past =====

The literati art for the social elite was not appealing to the bourgeois patrons. [[Wu Changshuo]] (1844–1927) was among the Shanghai-based artists responsible for flowers and plants as the subject matter. His paintings used bold colors and energetic brush strokes, making them more accessible to the general public. [[Qi Baishi]] (1864–1957) painted images like crabs and shrimps that were even more approachable to the common people. [[Huang Binhong]] (1865–1955) denounced the literati paintings of the Qing dynasty and created his own style of landscape paintings by extensive investigations in Chinese art history. [[Zhang Daqian]] (1899–1983) used wall paintings in the Dunhuang ({{zhi|c=敦煌}}) caves to help him move beyond the literati tradition.

===== Learn new methods =====

The [[Lingnan School]] ({{zhi|c=岭南画派}}) made some borrowings from the language of Western art in their ink paintings.   [[Gao Jianfu]] (1879–1951), one of the founders of Lingnan School, was an active participant in the revolutionary movement of [[Sun Yat-sen]] (1866–1925). He was innovative in that he intended to use his paintings to highlight national issues, a medium for positive change in society.
<br /><gallery widths="140" heights="140" perrow="8">
File:高劍父1.jpg|''Flames on the Eastern Battlefront'' by Gao Jianfu, 1937 ink and colors on paper
File:XuBeiHongMdmCheng.jpg|''Portrait of Madam Cheng'' (1941), oil on board, [[Xu Beihong]]
</gallery>A more radical style change started with [[Kang Youwei]] (1858–1927), a reformer who admired the more reality-based art of the Song dynasty. He believed that Chinese art could be rejuvenated by employing the reality-oriented art techniques of Europe. [[Xu Beihong]] (1895–1953) took this idea to heart and went to Paris to acquire the necessary skills. [[Liu Haisu]] (1896–1994), on the other hand, went to Japan to learn western techniques. Both Xu, and Liu became presidents of prestigious art schools, instilling new concepts and skills in the next generation of artists. [[Cai Yuanpei]] (1868–1940) was one of the leaders in the "[[New Culture Movement]]" ({{zhi|c=新文化运动}}). Those involved believed that intellectual activities should benefit all, not just the elites. Cai's belief that art could play a public, socially reformist role was adopted by [[Lin Fengmian]] (1900–1991).

Together with [[Yan Wenliang]] (1893–1988), Xu, Liu, and Lin were considered the "Four Great Academy Presidents" ({{zhi|c=四大校長}}), who spearheaded the national modern art movement. However, the subsequent upheaval caused by the Sino–Japanese war and the civil war did not allow this movement to grow. The Chinese modern art movement after the war developed differently in the four the regions: the Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and overseas.