Various Subjects
Between 1923 and 1925 Li Kuchan attended the National Art Academy in Beijing, where he studied Western painting under Xu Beihong (1895–1953) and Chinese painting under Qi Baishi (1864–1957). From 1930 to 1934 Li taught at the Hangzhou Art Academy as a colleague of Pan Tianshou (1897–1971). He then returned to Beijing and became a professor of painting at the Central Academy. This work, created at the height of the Cultural Revolution, graphically conveys Li's determination to preserve his dignity in the face of persecution. While his accompanying comments seem humorous, they cannot disguise the spirit of proud defiance embodied by the symbols of endurance and survival he has chosen to depict.
Artwork Details
- 近代 李苦禪 雜畫 手卷
- Title: Various Subjects
- Artist: Li Kuchan (Chinese, 1898–1983)
- Date: dated 1972
- Culture: China
- Medium: Handscroll; ink and color on Japanese paper
- Dimensions: Image: 16 15/16 x 322 7/8 in. (43 x 820.1 cm)
Overall with mounting: 15 7/16 x 170 1/8 in. (39.2 x 432.1 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.267.355
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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