Preliminary Investigation On Creation Features Of Shanxi Anti-Japanese Base Woodcut Print

During the anti-Japanese war,national independence and liberation was priority for Chinese people,which is essential for the future existence of Chinese nation.While the entire nation was fighting against aggression,Chinese literature and art workers stepped out of the ivory tower of "art for art's sake",assembled under the flag of national independence and used literature and art as weapons to fight bravely for national independence and liberation.Among such literature and art forms,woodcut prints in Shanxi anti-Japanese base under the leadership of the Communist Party of China received great attention as a weapon to promote anti-Japanese war and raise nation's morale.Shanxi,as a strategic base,with its special location and culture,was entitled with advantages of time,space and personnel,which made it the art center of China during the anti-Japanese war.This dissertation tries to analyze themes and artistries of representative Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print works,emphasizing the discussion centering on their creation features of popularization and nationalization which were formed during anti-Japanese war.Through four chapters,this dissertation explores in-depth the creation activities of Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print.Firstly,starting from introducing spark of woodcut print creations in Shanxi anti-Japanese base,the dissertation briefly displays the beginning as well as influence of new woodcut print and its creation activities in Shanxi anti-Japanese base.By studying woodcut print activities in Shanxi-Hebei-Henan base,Shanxi-Chahaer-Hebei base and Shanxi-Suiyuan base,the creation process of woodcut print in Shanxi is systematically explored.Secondly,the dissertation discusses reasons to creation features of Shanxi woodcut print,and analyzes its relation with historical,social as well as political backgrounds and art tradition.Afterwards,features of Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print are analyzed from two aspects:content and form,through specific study into the most typical woodcut print works in Shanxi anti-Japanese base.With research mentioned above,the dissertation elaborates on the forming of the revolutionary,nationalized and popularized woodcut print art which went through,in the early stage,imitation of European style,step-by-step.accumulation and exploration,absorption of art form existing in the loess culture and the combination between art content,form and the masses.Further discussion is conducted to illustrate the prefect combination between artistic quality and revolutionary feature of Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print.Finally,based on research mentioned above,writer makes a conclusion about Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print's historical influence,including promoting anti-Japanese war,building morale of Chinese people,and propelling development of novel New Year picture.Its influence demonstrates its social and artistic values.In a word,to study creation features of Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print,historical and social context should be taken into consideration,through which its historical messages and cultural values are reflected.Under the instruction of Marxist theory of literature and art,Mao Zedong literary and artistic thought and principle that art serves China's Anti-Japanese War,Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut artists chronicled China's anti-Japanese war history with woodcut print and inspired both soldiers and civilians.During such artistic practice,an anti-Japanese base art appeared.It takes woodcut as form;it has nationalized and popularized content and expression.Therefore,Shanxi anti-Japanese base woodcut print plays an important role in China's modern art history,which requires us to not only explore in-depth its ideological implications,but also re-analyze its creation features and historical influence from the perspective of art,which has profoundly inspirational and instructional meaning for the prospering of China's modern art.