Realism and Modern Chinese Painting

Since the early 20th century, the request for reforming the traditional Chinese painting has been under way in the context of the social modernization process of China, for it has been widely acknowledged that defects in traditional Chinese painting should be eliminated by seeking inspirations from the western art. During such a process, the common application of western realism principles in Chinese painting has constituted the key brand of modernized reform on traditional Chinese painting. Some elements of realism makes possible the cross_cultural exchange of Chinese and western painting in the 20th century whereas the popularity of photography in the early 20th century leads to the acceptance of realism painting in China. However, while the western realism has helped modernize Chinese painting, it is a trap of art evolution concept, which has caused Chinese painting to lose its individuality.