4 / AMAM.OBERLIN.EDU The past century has been a turbulent one for people in China, as they have confronted the challenges of Western and Japanese imperialism, Civil War, Revolution and its aftermath, and, since the 1980s, have experienced reform, stability, and economic success. Riding the currents on a rushing river seems to be a goodmetaphor for this period, one taken from an inscription by painter Huáng Bīnhóng (1864– 1955). This exhibition brings together works by Huáng andmany other Chinese painters who navigated the volatile currents of 20th and early 21st century history and reflected in their art the dynamic character of the times. Made up of works in the Allen’s permanent collection of modern and contemporary Chinese painting, begun in 1957, the exhibition includes familiar favorites and new acquisitions, many shown here publicly for the first time. Riding the Strong Currents presents a wide range of subjects and styles that demonstrate the creativity and diversity of this most recent phase of Chinese painting, a tradition extending back over two millennia. The exhibition is divided into four thematic sections. The first, addressing the question “What is Modern Chinese Painting?” covers the first half of the 20th century, a time when traditional forms of Chinese painting were being challenged and refreshed by new ideas. Many Chinese artists began to experiment with styles and techniques from theWest, in a process similar to earlier European and American painters borrowing and adapting aspects of Japanese art inWestern art movements like Impressionism. Some, like Chang Dai-chien and Huáng Bīnhóng, maintained deep roots in tradition; some, likeWú Chāngshuò andWáng Zhèn, picked elements of Western art, such as new color palettes and ways of representing space, light and shade, and adapted them to traditional subjects andmediums. Others, like ZaoWou-ki and Liú Hǎisù, ON VIEW / STERN GALLERY JAN 24–JUN 11 RIDING THE STRONG CURRENTS: 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY CHINESE PAINTINGS FROM THE AMAM COLLECTION
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