As the imperial system collapsed in China, the ‘New Culture Movement’ focused debate on new categories of ‘modernity’ and ‘tradition’. For artists, it posed the questions of what it meant to be both modern and Chinese – challenging them to show how ancient techniques could remain relevant. Artists began to travel abroad (to France, Japan, Germany, Britain and the USA) and become part of an increasingly international ‘art world’. The 1920s in China saw both the political chaos of warlordism, but also a flowering of creativity which drew on the keen awareness by many of China’s potential as part of a global modernism.
This lecture is part of the Being Human Festival 2017 which runs from 17th - 25th November.
More information on the festival can be found here: Being Human Festival 2017
No reservations are required for this lecture. It will be run on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the lecture.
Professor Clunas is Visiting Gresham Professor of Chinese Art. He is Professor of History of Art at the University of Oxford. He is a historian of the art and history of China and focuses particularly on the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
