Originally, Lu Xun talked about "great aesthetic education", from children who love art to those who advocate woodcarving. China | Shanghai Lu Xun Memorial Hall | Lu Xun
In commemoration of Lu Xun's contributions to the development of Chinese printmaking and the 110th anniversary of his publication of the "Proposal for Broadcasting Art Opinion" and the 100th anniversary of the publication of the short story collection "Shout", the Shanghai Lu Xun Memorial Museum plans the "Art for the Public - Lu Xun Cultural Relics and Art Exhibition", which will be exhibited in the special exhibition hall of the Benliu Art Garden at the Shanghai Lu Xun Memorial Museum from August 15th to November 15th.
Lu Xun was convinced that "art" could liberate the soul and "evoke the beauty of the Chinese people." He wrote in his "Proposal for Broadcasting Art Opinion" that "considering reality leads to the sincerity and essence of art. It is fixed on promoting true beauty, entertaining people's emotions, and using it for practical purposes." The main reason why Lu Xun actively engaged in art activities was to inspire, educate, guide, and liberate the people through art. He drew nourishment from traditional culture and new ideas from foreign art, laying the foundation for organizing woodcut workshops, holding art exhibitions, and promoting the development of emerging printmaking in China. It can be said that Lu Xun's concept of great aesthetic education has continued to this day and has influenced generations.
This exhibition showcases over 140 related exhibits, including over 60 precious cultural relics. The exhibition is divided into three parts: "The Phenomenon of Zhang Guohun", "The Beauty of Chinese People", and "The Birth of Hebei Artists". It systematically reviews Lu Xun's aesthetic education ideas of inspiring Chinese people's souls through art, and his silent practice in the field of modern art, showcasing Lu Xun's artistic literacy and aesthetic education concepts. The contribution of a large number of printmakers and emerging printmaking works he cultivated in the Anti Japanese War and the construction of New China further confirms that printmaking is "art for the masses".
Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, popular novels have been popular, with line drawn character images often attached to the beginning or volume of the book, known as "embroidered portraits". Lu Xun had a fondness for this traditional art form since childhood and depicted the embroidery of many books such as "Water Margin". He wrote in "From Baicaoyuan to Sanwei Bookstore": "I am a painter, using a type of paper called 'Jingchuan paper' to depict one by one on the embroidery of novels.". Books with illustrations and embroidered images, full of imagination and traditional aesthetic characteristics, sparked Lu Xun's interest in art. He collected many of these books and as an adult, his art collection expanded to include traditional Chinese art categories such as Han portrait stone tablets, paper, and New Year paintings.
In the "Bringing Doctrine", Lu Xun wrote: "If nothing is brought, one cannot become a new person; if nothing is brought, literature and art cannot become a new literature and art." The "bringing" he advocated is to take the essence of foreign literature and art, remove its dross, absorb and utilize it, and become a new art of integration and innovation. Lu Xun collected many Chinese and foreign art works and books, studied and translated foreign art theories, edited and published various collections of printmaking works. These works have brought inspiration to emerging printmakers in China. For example, his translation of "On the Tide of Modern Art History" was serialized in the second volume, fifth issue to third volume, fifth issue of the semi monthly magazine "Beixin" from January 1928 to January 1929. It was published by Shanghai Beixin Book Company in 1929. The book is divided into ten sections with 140 illustrations, introducing the history of the development of the European art world from the French Revolution in the 18th century to the 1920s. It provides a detailed review of the works of writers from various schools in the European art world.
The selected collection of Soviet woodcut works "Yinyu Collection" published in May 1934 was compiled by Lu Xun under the name of "Sanxian Bookstore", based on the author's hand drawn original works. The exhibition includes three original drawings. Lu Xun believed that these works were mainly obtained through the exchange of traditional Chinese rice paper, so he took the meaning of "throwing bricks to attract jade" and called it the "Collection of Attracting Jade".
The Nameless Woodcut Collection was a collaboration between Liu Xian and Huang Xinbo, and was printed by Shanghai Nameless Woodcut Society in March 1934. There is a letter from the Shanghai MK Woodcut Research Association to Lu Xun in the exhibit. That was on May 18, 1934, when the MK Woodcut Research Association sent a letter to Lu Xun requesting him to write a preface for his edited collection of unnamed woodcuts. Lu Xun readily agreed, and in the preface of "The Collection of Nameless Woodcuts", he wrote: "New woodcuts are robust, distinct, the art of new youth, and the art of good masses. These works, of course, are only a little sprout, but to have Maolin Jiahui, it is necessary to have this sprout first."
