The May 28 issue of the "Big Evening News" told us an important piece of literary and artistic news:

"China's famous artists Liu Haisu and Xu Beihong (2) recently held an exhibition of Chinese calligraphy and painting in Moscow, Soviet Russia, which was highly praised by people in the other countries, and praised China's famous paintings and calligraphy, which is in line with the symbolist works that are prevalent in Soviet Russia. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 The art world of Soviet Russia has been divided into two schools: realism and symbolism, and now realism has gradually declined, while symbolism has been unanimously advocated by the government and the opposition, leading to a thriving generalization. Ever since the artists of the country saw that the calligraphy and painting works of our country were deeply in line with symbolism, they recalled that Chinese drama must also adopt symbolism. Due to the proposed ...... Invite Chinese opera master Mei Lanfang and others to perform. The Russian side has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Russia on this matter, and at the same time, Soviet Russian Ambassador to China Bogomolov has also been instructed to discuss this matter with our side. ……”

This is good news and deserves our joy. However, after rejoicing in "carrying forward the glory of the country" (3), we should also be quiet and think of the following facts: First, if we say that Chinese painting and impressionism (4) have the same vein, then it is still possible to say that it is "in line with the symbolism that is prevailing in Soviet Russia", but it is close to a dream. Half a wisteria, a pine tree, a tiger, a few sparrows, some of them are not real, but because they are not like paintings, how can they "symbolize" something else?

Second, the decline of symbolism in Soviet Russia, after the October Revolution, constructivism rose (5), and then gradually disappeared by realism. Therefore, it is fair to say that constructivism has gradually declined, and realism "leads to prosperity". Otherwise, it's a dream talk. In the literary and artistic circles of Soviet Russia, what are the works of symbolism?

Third, faces and gestures are algebras, how can they be symbols. In addition to its white nose and ugly feet, its face and strong man, its whip and horseback riding, and its watch to open the door, what else is there that can't be said and can't be done?

Europe is so far away from us, and we really don't have a clear understanding of the literary and artistic situation there, but now that a third of the twentieth century has passed, we know a little bit about the superficial things, and this kind of news makes people think that it is a "symbolist work", which symbolizes the demise of their art.

May 30th.

===============================================================

(1) This article was originally published in the June 2, 1934 issue of China Daily. Trends. (2) Liu Haisu, a native of Wujin, Jiangsu, is a painter. Xu Beihong (1895-1953), a native of Yixing, Jiangsu, was a painter. In 1934, they went to Europe to participate in Chinese painting exhibitions. (3) "Carry forward the glory of the country" This is also the words quoted in the news of the "Big Evening News" entitled "Mei Lanfang Goes to Soviet Russia".

(4) Impressionism is a literary and artistic trend that emerged in Europe (as early as France) in the second half of the nineteenth century. It is mainly manifested in painting, emphasizing the subjective impression of the artist's moment, focusing on color and light, and not sticking to the faithful depiction of objective things. This trend of thought later influenced literature, music, sculpture, and other aspects.

(5) Constructivism, also known as structuralism, is one of the modern Western formalist art schools. It rejects the ideological, figurative and national traditions of art, and forms abstract shapes with rectangles, circles and straight lines. Shortly after the October Revolution, it appeared in the Soviet Union as an "innovation". (To be continued.) (To be continued.) )