Colt
Painting
summer 1944 (made)
summer 1944 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was an important early pioneer in the introduction of Western art to China and in the adaptation of it to Chinese character. As one of the most acclaimed painters and educators in modern China, he influenced the development of 20th-century Chinese painting.
Xu was born in a village in Yixing, Jiangsu province. He studied painting in his hometown and Shanghai before having an opportunity to go to Europe. In the period from 1919 to 1927, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, acquiring a solid foundation in the Western academic tradition. On returning to China, Xu became a powerful force for the introduction of Western art through his teaching, writing and exhibitions; his influence was rivalled only by Liu Haisu and Lin Fengmian. After 1949, with the founding of the People’s Republic, he settled in Beijing and became Director of the new Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chairman of the National Artists’ Association.
Horse is Xu's favourite subject matter. This painting reflects the artist's principal artistic concern, namely, to bring together the Western academic tradition of painting and Chinese aesthetics through ink techniques. The work was made in summer 1944, shortly before the artist had a medical operation. It was given by him to Miss Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), a prominent member of the Labour cabinet in Clement Attlee's government. It was given to the V&A by her sister, Miss Ann Wilkinson, after her death.
Xu was born in a village in Yixing, Jiangsu province. He studied painting in his hometown and Shanghai before having an opportunity to go to Europe. In the period from 1919 to 1927, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, acquiring a solid foundation in the Western academic tradition. On returning to China, Xu became a powerful force for the introduction of Western art through his teaching, writing and exhibitions; his influence was rivalled only by Liu Haisu and Lin Fengmian. After 1949, with the founding of the People’s Republic, he settled in Beijing and became Director of the new Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chairman of the National Artists’ Association.
Horse is Xu's favourite subject matter. This painting reflects the artist's principal artistic concern, namely, to bring together the Western academic tradition of painting and Chinese aesthetics through ink techniques. The work was made in summer 1944, shortly before the artist had a medical operation. It was given by him to Miss Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), a prominent member of the Labour cabinet in Clement Attlee's government. It was given to the V&A by her sister, Miss Ann Wilkinson, after her death.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Colt (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Ink and colour on paper |
Brief description | 'Colt', Xu Beihong 徐悲鴻 (1894-1953), ink and colour on paper, China, 1944 |
Physical description | Colt, painted by Xu Beihong, dated summer 1944. ink on paper and framed and glassed. Bears the artist's short inscription which gives the date of execution and name of the artist, followed by two personal seals of the artist. |
Dimensions |
|
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | Artist's inscription and two seals
|
Credit line | Given by Miss Ann Wilkinson |
Object history | The work was given by the artist to Miss Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), a prominent member of the Labour cabinet in Clement Attlee's government. It was then given to the V&A by her sister, Miss Ann Wilkinson, shortly after her death. Historical significance: A work by one of the major Chinese artists in the 20th century. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was an important early pioneer in the introduction of Western art to China and in the adaptation of it to Chinese character. As one of the most acclaimed painters and educators in modern China, he influenced the development of 20th-century Chinese painting. Xu was born in a village in Yixing, Jiangsu province. He studied painting in his hometown and Shanghai before having an opportunity to go to Europe. In the period from 1919 to 1927, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, acquiring a solid foundation in the Western academic tradition. On returning to China, Xu became a powerful force for the introduction of Western art through his teaching, writing and exhibitions; his influence was rivalled only by Liu Haisu and Lin Fengmian. After 1949, with the founding of the People’s Republic, he settled in Beijing and became Director of the new Central Academy of Fine Arts and Chairman of the National Artists’ Association. Horse is Xu's favourite subject matter. This painting reflects the artist's principal artistic concern, namely, to bring together the Western academic tradition of painting and Chinese aesthetics through ink techniques. The work was made in summer 1944, shortly before the artist had a medical operation. It was given by him to Miss Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), a prominent member of the Labour cabinet in Clement Attlee's government. It was given to the V&A by her sister, Miss Ann Wilkinson, after her death. |
Bibliographic reference | Chu-tsing Li, 'Trends in Modern Chinese Painting', Artibus Asiae supplementum 37 (Ascona, 1979); Xu Beihong huaji [Collected paintings of Xu Beihong], 2 vols (Beijing, 1979–84). |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.493-1947 |
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Record created | February 12, 2000 |
Record URL |
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