ARTH2241 · Fine Arts

Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art, 1911 to present

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 Chinese artists were confronted with the great challenge of expressing radically new concepts of modernity, national identity, and selfhood in visual terms. By the mid-twentieth century their attention had shifted to the problem of how best to represent the ideologies of the Communist party. Today, contemporary artists and architects respond to new social issues, such as political censorship, environmental destruction, and urban displacement. By covering a wide range of topics--including advertisements of the modern Shanghai woman, Socialist realist sculpture, Mao-era propaganda posters, and the politically-charged works of Ai Weiwei--this course introduces students to this extremely dynamic period in Chinese art history.