Finding Lui Shou-Kwan's place in the history of modern Asian art : 1950's & 60's

Abstract

Lui Shou-kwan is most often cited as being the father of the New Ink Painting movement in colonial Hong Kong. From the 1950's through the 1970's, a number of Hong Kong artists, many of whom were Lui's students, painted novel semi-abstract and abstract works in ink. This style of modern ink painting would become a prominent fixture in the colony's new museum and government sponsored exhibitions in the 1960's. Aside from being a prolific painter and teacher, Lui published art commentary and theory about Chinese ink art and modern art. It will be argued that this theory was an important link between traditional and modern ink painting. This paper will explore how Lui's theory incorporated much of 20th century Chinese discourse on art history and its accompanying drive to modernize and rejuvenate Chinese painting and build a new nation. A review of the creation of an art history discipline in early 20th century China, will also show that there was widespread experimentation in modern art, as well as interest and knowledge of European art movements in Republican China. In other words, Lui grew up in a cosmopolitan culture where images and discourse about modern art circulated widely. Lui was uniquely positioned to carry the torch for modernizing Chinese art in 1950's Hong Kong.