A Study Of Boneless Painting In The Republic Of China

Boneless painting can be dated back to North-South Dynasties(420 ~589 AD) as “bump flower” by Zhang Sengyao. Its prototype get developed by Xu Xi in Five Dynasties(907 ~ 960 AD) and formally formed a genre of Chinese traditional painting in Song Dynasty(960 ~ 1127 AD) by Xu Chongsi. It’s most renowned in Qing Dynasty(1616 ~ 1912 AD), but its fame get declined when governed by Republic of China. As an important component of Chinese traditional painting, though Boneless painting combines the strength of both claborate and freehand style painting, it does not attract close attentions in the recent decades. This triggers us to think and wonder the reason for its declining tendency. The period of Republic of China serves as the starting point of the transition phase. Its unsecured social environment, eruption of national and ethical crisis and invasions from western cultures all influence the development of Boneless painting. It’s crucially important to think about the political,economical and cultural background and explore the development of art and status of the artists in this period when analyzing the trend and vulnerability of contemporary Boneless painting.Though Boneless painting attracts less attention in recent years, it is still an essential and important part of Chinese traditional painting. In current multi-cultural society, innovations and reformations are inevitable for Boneless painting.As consequences, Boneless painting will rejuvenate and prosper in the foreseeable future. Besides, as history shows, if we abandon the tradition, Boneless painting will only be a commodity or decorations, instead of art pieces. Thus, Chinese traditional painting can widespread, flourish and keep its glory long-lasting only by rooting deep into our tradition and absorbing exotic cultural concepts at the same time.