Survey of Sino Indian Artistic Discourse: A Twentieth Century Framework

Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Artistic scenario in China in the early twentieth century after the dynastic fall-few nascent polemics. 2. Realism and tradition-criticism and comments. 3. Towards the East-West artistic integration—in quest of new generation artists. 4. Sino Indian Artistic relations in early 20th century—a flashback. 5. Lingnan school in China and its Japanese connection—a review. 6. Gao Jianfu—his artistic destination to India. 7. Xu Beihong in Santiniketan-artistic activities and interactions. 8. Nihar Ranjan Choudhury—his Ink Brush. 9. Shi Lu and his journey to India—a stylistic transformation. 10. Rhythmic Asian women-Ye Qianyu and his brush drawings. 11. Re-Painting India-Lin Yong’s visit to India. Epilogue. Selected bibliography. Courtesy for plates. List of plates.

This book focuses on the multiple interactions and exchanges between Sino-Indian artists in the early part of 20th century in a large backdrop of modern art discourse in Asia. This backdrop witnessed a quest for Asian modernity in colonial and post dynastic Asian nations. Bengal school in particular paved a new artistic and aesthetic movement under the leadership of Abanindra Nath Tagore and E.B. Havell. In this process, Okakura Tenshin a leading Japanese scholar and art critic played a seminal role to facilitate the movement and through his initiation artists of Bengal came in touch with Japanese artists to comprehend the remarkable success of new Japanese Art. China a major Asian nation witnessed a new quest for modernity in art after the dynastic decline in 1911 and got new momentum in May Fourth Movement in 1919. We come across Chinese artists after the visit of Rabindra Nath Tagore and Nandalal Bose in 1924 to China. Since then few Chinese and Indian artists had an urge to know each other to understand the new developments in art of both the leading Asian nations. But these important interactions went unnoticed. This book is an attempt to unearth the various modes of artistic exchanges and dialogues to know each other in 20th century. (jacket)