Throughout history, China in the 20th century was undoubtedly amid a great transformation, facing new crisis and transition, and art, as a particular product of social ideology, was bound to seek for new vitality. It was in such a background that a generation of artists studying in France hoped to enter a larger international art stage to complete their self-construction. Under the dual pressure of culture shock and the tempering of life, they still created an epic and glorious chapter of that era.
Xu Beihong, who was dedicated to the study of Realistic painting,
Liu Haisu, who devoted himself to studies on Modernism,
Chang Shuhong, who was immersed in the top palace of art,
Chang Yu, who wandered on the bank of the River Seine and the Café “La Rotonde”,
Pan Yuliang, who sang about “Dou Erdun (A hero of Qing dynasty)”,
Zhao Wuji, who liked drinking Whiskey
……
The stories of these widely respected artists studying and traveling abroad
have long been well-known.
But for “Xie Touba”, this unfamiliar name,
people have known little about it,
and rarely have seen his original works.
The two works of Xie Touba in this “Pioneering” exhibition
are shown in public for the first time in China.
He had won the first prize of the Academie Julian in Paris, France twice,
He was one of the founding members of “The Association of Chinese Artists in France”,
He was the founder of the Art Department of Fujian Normal University,
Xu Beihong commented that he was very talented,
Lv Sibai used a thumbs-up gesture to praise his studying performance in Paris,
Hu Shanyu said that he painted very well!
Photo of Xie Touba, 1925 (courtesy of Xie Touba’s family)
Xie Touba (1902.1-1995.12), from the ancestral home of Zhangzhou (now is Haicang Shitang village of Xiamen), was a communicator and pioneer of Chinese modern art education. In 1919, he went to study in the School of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines; in 1928, he furthered his study at the Academie Julian in Paris, France; in 1934, he returned to China and had been engaged in art education. Just as he wrote in the collection of poems, Reburning Grass, “Spring breeze is broad and mighty, and peaches and plums are fragrant.” He directed and founded the Art Department of Fujian Normal University (formerly the Art Subject of Fujian Normal College). After enduring hardships of pioneers, he opened a new chapter in modern fines arts education with systematic thought of Realism and cultivated a large number of excellent artists and educators, such as Fan Di’an, Chairman of China Artist Association and Director of CAFA, Xu Li, Vice Chairman of China Artist Association, Zhou Ying, a famous Taiwanese printmaker, and so on.
In 1902, Xie Touba was born in the beautiful city of Xia Men in Fujian province. It seems, however, that fate deliberately let him go through difficulties. Since the age of three, his parents died; and when he was seven years old, he suffered from a serious illness and his left leg atrophied and became crippled. From then on, he became quiet and introverted, yet at the same time, the adversity also made him tough.
Photo of Xie Touba studying in France, 1931 (courtesy of Xie Touba’s family)
At the age of 17, he went to the Philippines after graduating from Jimei Middle School and was admitted to the School of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines which he had yearned for a long time. After six years of study, he stayed in Manila and served as head of the Overseas Chinese School, and he continued his painting studies at the School of Fine Arts of University of the Philippines. However, he was not satisfied with what he had achieved and hoped to further his study in Paris, the world center of art at that time. In 1928, he left his wife and children to pursue an art career with all his love. After arriving in Paris, he first entered a private studio, specializing in drawing and anatomy, and then, he was accepted to the Academie Julian in Paris, France, where he studied under the famous painter Paul Albert laurens (Pual Albert Laurens, 1870-1934, a well-known French Realist painter who won the second prize for Roman Painting Award in 1891, and he was also the teacher of Lv Sibai and Yan Wenliang).
Academie Julian in Paris, France
Xie Touba, a new arrival in Paris, spent his days in the Louvre Museum and other museums, indulging himself in works of Renaissance classical masters such as Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, and Rubens, and concentrated on studies of the works of David, Ingres, Prud'hon Pierre-Paul, and others. He thought that the aesthetic feeling and romantic sentiment shown by these works were full of artistic appeal. During his study in Paris, he was awarded twice the first prize of the Academie Julian in Paris. It can be said that this period was the most important stage of artistic practice in Xie Touba’s life.
In this “Pioneering” exhibition, “Purple Flowers” and “Flowers in Vase”, which have been shown to the public for the first time in China, are still life works that Xie Touba painted when he studied in Paris, with his signatures and handwritings of “created in Paris, 1931”. “Flowers in Vase” uses blocks to show the volume of flowers, with calm and simple colors, concise composition, and delicate yet powerful strokes. Despite the small size of 24*19cm, the work can make people settle down and stop before it for a long time.
Xie Touba, Flowers in Vase, 24X19cm, 1931, Private collection
“Purple Flowers” is particularly brilliant, as the brush strokes in this painting are freer and more flexible, with a bit of romantic color. The primary colors of the picture are blue and purple, and the warm earth color of the background sets off the blooming flowers, creating a fully steady and elegant conception of Neo-classical academia. If you observe it carefully, you will discover that Xie Touba harmoniously merged red blocks into the dark tone in the foreground, which can be called the stroke of Genius, vivid yet modest, distinct yet humble, tranquil and meaningful.
Xie Touba, Purple Flowers, 24X19cm, 1931, Private collection
During those days when Xie Touba was in Paris, he encountered art and also gained an extraordinary friendship. The apartment he rented in Paris became a meeting place for international students and academic activities. What they talked about most was how to promote the integration of European oil painting art and traditional Chinese painting and how to open up a road for Chinese modern art. On April 2, 1933, Xie Touba and Huang Xianzhi, Lv Sibai, Chang Shuhong, Liu Kaiqu, Wang Linyi, Zeng Zhushao, Hua Tianyou, Tang Yihe, Guo Yinglin, and other people established “The Association of Chinese Artists in France” in the Studio No. 16 in Paris, in which he and Zeng Zhushao were responsible for the accounting. In the same year, Xu Beihong had lived in Xie Touba’s apartment when he held an exhibition in Paris, and they soon became friends after having a nice conversation. In a letter to Wu Qiyao, Xu Beihong said, “I met Mr. Xie Touba in Paris ten years ago. He got excellent artistic skills.” In 1955, Xie Touba and his colleague Ye Xizuo met Lv Sibai when they were visiting a Soviet oil painting exhibition in Shanghai. Professor Lv gave a thumbs-up gesture in front of the audience and said, “Your director (Xie Touba) was this (referring to the gesture) when studying in Paris.”
The group photo of the “The Association of Chinese Artists in France” when it was founded in Paris in 1933 (courtesy of Zeng Zhushao). From left in the front row: Zeng Zhushao, Wang Linyi. From left in the second row: Xie Touba, Guo Yinglin, Zhou Kui, Zhou Qinding, Liu Kaiqu. From left in the back row: Zheng Ke, Chang Shuhong, Chen Zhixiu, Zhang Wuzhen, Yu Bingyan’s wife, Ma Jiyu, Liu Quqiao, Tang Yihe, Yu Bingyan, Tang Liang, Hu Shanyu, Lv Sibai, Qin Xuanfu (standing), Huang Xianzhi (standing)
After studying abroad and returning to China, he was invited by Xu Beihong in a letter to work together at the National Beiping Art School and was also offered the position by Pan Tianshou as the director of Hangzhou Art School, but neither could move him to leave his hometown. Xie Touba stuck to his hometown, Fujian all his life. “Xie Touba works quietly and persistently and not seek fame, so in Chinese art circle, few people know about him except his classmates studying in France.” It is a fair comment made by the famous Taiwanese painter Zhuang Suo.
In the spring of 1933, Xu Beihong held “Chinese Modern Painting Exhibition” in Paris. This photo was taken when some art students studying in France gathered in Huang Xianzhi’s house to welcome Xu Beihong. From left in the front row: Xu Beihong, Zhang Wuzhen, Ma Qiyu, Zheng Ke, Tang Yihe; from left in the second row: Huang Xianzhi, Qin Xuanfu, Liu Quqiao, Tang Liang, Hu Shanyu, Zeng Zhushao, Lv Sibai, Chang Shuhong; from left in the back row: Xie Touba, Yang Yan, Zhou Qinding, Zhou Gui, Wang Linyi
Unfortunately, although Xie Touba created a large number of works during his stay in France, including human body oil painting, portrait painting, landscape painting, and still life, due to historical reasons, all those works that could prove the artist’s great achievements were burned to ashes, and there were few artistic masterpieces left in his lifetime. This art master of the 20th Century who was submerged in history has not been evaluated and recognized fairly. We hope to restore this history alive through the exhibition and engrave Mr. Xie Touba’s artistic practice and art education theories on our minds.
|Part of Xie Touba’s works|
(Not on display in this exhibition)
Transparent Vase and Flowers, 24X19cm, 1931, Private collection
Xie Touba, Scenery in Herrera, Paris, 18X30cm, 1930, Private collection
Xie Touba, Head Portrait of a Parisian Girl, 18X30cm, 1930, Private collection
Xie Touba, Portrait of Chen Jiageng, 1945, Collection of Jimei Universit
Xie Touba, Portrait of Ms. Huang Yunqiu, 32X42cm, 1934, Private collection
Special Thanks:
The Art Department of Fujian Normal University for their academic support
References:
Ye Xizuo: A Great Master – Remembering Mr. Xie Touba
Wang Yuliang: On Xie Touba’s Creation Practice and Artistic Characteristics
|Exhibition Information|
Date: January 12 – March 3, 2019
Venue: CAFA Art Museum
Exhibition Tour Information
Long Museum (Shanghai) March 15 – June 9, 2019
Long Museum (Chongqing) June 21 – September 1, 2019
CAFA Art Museum · Qingdao Branch September 15 – October 25, 2019
