Gao Pengyu
In the history of modern art, Mexico occupies an indispensable chapter, and the Mexican art world represented by the "Three Masters of Mural Painting" can be described as shining stars. Miguel Koflopis is also an important member of this, his art is unique, and he has also made great achievements in anthropology and archaeology. He came to China several times in the 1930s and had face-to-face exchanges with Zhang Guangyu, Shao Xunmei and others, bringing a new trend of modernism and cosmopolitanism to Shanghai; On the other hand, through his interactions with Zhang Guangyu and others, Koflopis also fell in love with Chinese art and has since formed an indissoluble relationship with China. It was an important cross-cultural exchange event of the first half of the 20th century.
I. The Legend of Kophropis
In Europe and the United States between World War I and the Great Depression, the smoke of war dissipated and the economy recovered, and the standard of living increased significantly. Especially in the United States, the middle class tended to luxury consumption and sound enjoyment, and bred corresponding cultural representations: modernist painting flourished after the armoury exhibition, decorative arts became popular in architecture, design and other fields, the Harlem Renaissance initiated by African blacks promoted jazz in the blues, classic Hollywood movies swept the world, newspapers and magazines entered a golden age and led to the prosperity of comics and literature. With F. Fitzgerald In scott Fitzgerald's words, it was "an age of wonder, an age of art, an era of spending, and an age of irony."
Rear row: Frida Carlo, Christina Carlo, Diego Rivera, Front row: Cofrepis, Rosa Rolanda, Mexico City, 1941
In this modern era, there was one artist from Mexico who was very famous – Miguel Covarrubias. Born in Mexico City in 1904, he came from a wealthy but uninhibited nature, caught up with the Mexican Revolution in full swing, dropped out of school and wandered into theaters and cafes, and studied painting with avant-garde artists such as the "Mural Three Masters". Under the arrangement of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cofrepis traveled to New York in July 1923 and quickly gained a foothold in the Metropolis with his genius comic skills, becoming a rising star in the American literary circle. He creatively integrated mexican ancient modeling with European and American modernism, and was appreciated by the top American magazines: Vanity Fair hired him as a full-time painter, and the editor-in-chief praised him as "the brightest gemstone"; He also illustrated or designed covers for magazines such as The New Yorker, Fashion, Life, Fortune, Harper's Bazaar, and literary works such as Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tyby. In just four or five years, he has grown into "the leading cartoonist and most promising artist on the American continent."
Koflopis and Wichten, New York, 1925
Having designed costumes and set sets for theaters in New York, he met dance star Rosa Rolanda, and the two fell in love and later married. He was witty, likable, and gregarious, with only two to mention here: his fledgling Bó Lè, the New York Times critic Carl Van Vechten, and bernardine Szold, the hostess of the New York Literary Salon, whom he met through Wihten. They are in a new York literary circle full of friends, but also with Paris, Mexico City, social networks include Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Nickolas Muray, Lawrence (D.H. Lawrence, Eugene O'Neill, William Somerset Maugham, Charlie Chaplin, Anna May Wong and others.
Cophropis, Prophecy, 1926, pencil drawing on paper, 23x16cm, Yale University Library Public Archives (depicting friend Wichten as black)
Right: Rosa Lolanda, Self-Portrait (Shadow Photography), Late 1920s or Early 1930s, Gelatin Silver Salt, 21.6x16.5cm, Davis Museum (the image of a deer at the bottom of the painting comes from a Chinese jade)
2. New Yorkers visit Shanghai Beach
Cophropis disseminated Mexican art in the United States, participated in the Harlem Renaissance, traveled to North Africa and other places; Rosa, Wechtten, Benaudine and others are also interested in the culture and art of other ethnic groups and regions outside Europe and the United States. It's not unusual for Western avant-garde artists from the second half of the 19th century onwards to be generally disillusioned with the evil side of modern civilization, with exotic "primitive" art from Africa and Asia becoming a source of inspiration for them, and Paul Gauguin even retreating to Tahiti. Bali, also located in the South Pacific, is also a paradise in the hearts of some Europeans and Americans, and a number of writers, painters, musicians, and scholars have visited and even settled in it. In 1929, Cofrepis and Rosa saw a documentary about Bali, became fascinated by it, and planned to go there. Their wish was soon fulfilled: on April 24, 1930, the two were happily married, and after Colopes had won the National Art Directors' Prize for his advertising painting for the Steinway Piano Company, they were able to travel to Bali for their honeymoon with a large sum of money.
Rosa Lolanda, photographed by Man Ray, 1928, Gelatin Silver Salt Photograph, Getty Museum
Photo by Cropheus, edward Steichen
On the other hand, Kophropis has also laid the foundation with China long ago. His father was a senior Mexican government official who studied Chinese immigration; He himself has also been exposed to certain factors of Chinese culture through the profiles of Chinese people such as Huang Liushuang; At the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese jade and other handicrafts were favored by the upper class in Europe and the United States, and the Ke couple and Wihten were keen to collect. In addition, Cofrepis and Rosa also love Chinese food, no matter where they travel, they will feast whenever they encounter a Chinese restaurant. In the 1920s, New York's Chinese restaurants were best known as the Far East Tea Garden on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where Edward Hopper frequented and created oil paintings of the same name; Cophropis was also a regular there, and in the same year (1929) Hop created a comic strip of the same subject: the left side of the painting was written with the English "Chop Suey" (American Chinese food "stir-fried chop"), and the right side was his imitation of Chinese characters. Chinese restaurants also provide entertainment services such as opera acrobatics, and Koflopes is also interested; In early 1930, shortly before his marriage to Rosa, Mei Lanfang went on a tour of the United States, and Cophopus fell for it, watching almost every performance of Mei Lanfang in New York. Therefore, the Ke couple decided to stop by to visit the mysterious China before arriving in Bali.
Edward Hope, Chop Suey (Chinese Restaurant), 1929, oil on canvas, 96.5 x 81 cm, private collection ("Chop Suey" in the window)
New York Chinese Restaurant by Cophropis, Vanity Fair, July 1929 ("Chop Suey" on the left screen, chinese characters he imitates on the right)
They set sail from the United States on the "Prince ceylon" passenger ship on May 3, 1930, and arrived in Shanghai in June, and the host who came to pick up the dust was none other than his old friend Bernardine Sold. Benadine's days as a guest at the New York Feast did not last long, and he went to Paris to live because of the breakdown of his marriage. In 1929, she stayed in Shanghai for two weeks on a globetrotting, and Chester Fritz, a partner at Swan Culbertson & Fritz, the largest investment firm in the Far East, fell in love with her at first sight, and on June 18, the two were officially married at the U.S. Consulate in Harbin, and Benadine changed her name to Bernardine Szold-Fritz, known as Mrs. Fritz. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Fritz settled in Shanghai and were among the top figures among the foreigners, and they were often reported in English newspapers. The Ke couple informed Benadine in advance and received his warm hospitality after arriving in Shanghai. They stayed at the Chinachem Hotel, visited the sights, and a week later left by boat for Bali. This was Koflopes' first trip to China.
Rosa and Kofropis, by Wichten, 1936, Yale University
From left to right - Xia Qifeng, Feng Shuluan, Zhang Zhengyu, Wu Tianweng, Mei Lanfang, Shi Shipan, Zhang Guangyu, Yao Yufu, Lang Jingshan, December 1929 (on the eve of Mei Lanfang's tour to the United States)
There are two sides to the conversation. After the fall of the National Revolution, modern Shanghai is changing with each passing day, urban culture is synchronized with the frontiers of Europe and the United States, and many friends of Koflopis have attracted the attention of people of insight in China. For example, Uddhav bought Wichten's novel The Hunchback Blind Boy from a used bookstore in 1927; At the beginning of the shanghai comics of Zhang Guangyu and others in 1928, Murray's body photography was greatly praised; In 1929, Shao Xunmei discussed Lawrence's work with Yu Dafu, began translating the book "The Escaped Rooster" and invited Zhang Guangyu to design the cover; As for the famous Picasso, Chaplin, Huang Liushuang and others, there is no need to say more. It can be said that it was only a matter of time before shanghai literary and artistic people noticed Koflopes — sure enough, the three brothers Zhang Guangyu, Cao Hanmei, Zhang Zhengyu, and Ye Qianyu soon discovered Ke's comics through magazines such as Vanity Fair. In 1928, Zhang Guangyu and others founded the "Shanghai Comics" weekly magazine, which often reprinted pictures from foreign newspapers and periodicals. Kelly & Wash, Ltd. on Nanjing Road was one of the best foreign bookstores in the Republic of China period, and Zhang Guangyu and Ye Qianyu often went there to collect foreign newspapers and periodicals, such as "Clumsy" in Britain, Vanity Fair in the United States, and "The New Yorker" in the United States. According to Ye Qianyu's recollection: "We found that there was a column of world celebrities by a Mexican painter, Kophoropia, and Guangyu absorbed his exaggerated techniques, and I learned his sketching kung fu." At the same time, Shao Xunmei, who is accustomed to reading English newspapers and periodicals, also saw Ke's comics through Vanity Fair. They all admired Ke Shi and often discussed: "If you have a chance, when you come to New York, the only priority is to try to visit this comic book everyone first, what kind of a wonderful person is there, and what kind of a wonderful person will have such a clever hand?" However, when the Ke couple visited China in 1930, they did not have the opportunity to meet them, after all, there was no intersection between New Yorkers and Shanghainese.
Benadine Fritz, by Wichten, 1934, Yale University Library Public Archives
However, it didn't take long for things to turn around - the salon hostess Benadine and the "literary Meng Taste jun" Shao Xunmei formed a friendship. After her marriage, Benadin lived a luxurious and noble position, and was able to continue to devote herself to the promotion of culture and art, editing the literary and art supplement of the Miller's Review, and initiating or funding organizations such as the China Branch of the International PEN Association, the Shanghai Painting Society, and the International Art Theatre; After the Fritzs moved into The Cloister in the French Concession in 1932, she opened a lively literary salon. The socialite was quite popular in Shanghai's expatriate community, and She was entertained by Elias Victor Sassoon, Chaplin, Huang Liushuang and Emily Hahn. Moreover, Benading did not have prejudice against Chinese, and repeatedly invited Mei Lanfang, Song Meiling, Hu Shi, Lin Yutang, Li Xiaqing, Yan Yaqing and others to participate in the salon, and also vigorously promoted the fledgling Pang Xuanxuan. As a great talent and a beautiful man, Shao Xunmei is even a guest of Benadin, and his love affair with XiangMei also began at Benadin's banquet. Benadine strives to promote cultural exchanges between countries, to which Chester Fritz commented: "I have to praise her for this, she is the first foreigner in Shanghai to socialize with Chinese. The British are estranged from Chinese, and Benadine will not be like that." Shao Xunmei also wrote the article "Lady of the Flower Hall", affirming the merits of Benadine. This laid the groundwork for the future meeting between Cofrepis and Zhang Guangyu.
Crocopis, Miguel, Rosa, and Benadine Dining on the Train, 1930s, Pen and Pencil Drawings, 27.5 x 21.4 cm, Adriana and Tom Williams Collection of Miguel Covarrubias, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Cophropis on his journey to China, photographed by Rosa, remake of the book Covarrubias by Adriana Williams
Around 1926, Cophropis and Rosa met marc Chadourne, a famous globetrotting writer, while traveling in Paris. From 1928 onwards, Chaduna began traveling and writing travelogues in East Asian countries. According to a report in the North China Jie Bao on May 13, 1930, Shaduna was a guest in Shanghai at the time and was preparing to stay in China for three or four months, so the British scholar Pual Bevan thought that the Cosmos was likely to be reunited with Chaduna during their stay in Shanghai in June 1930, and the latter commissioned Cofreppis to draw illustrations for his travelogue. In fact, by June, Chatuna should have left Shanghai to visit inland cities such as Hankou. According to the Spanish scholar Marisa Peiró Márquez, after the arrival of the Kosyo couple in Bali in 1930, Chaduna visited the island at the end of the year before entrusting Cophopis to paint for them. As a result, Cophropis briefly returned to Shanghai in early 1931 and drew a batch of sketches; In March, he and Rosa returned to the United States, and in the summer they rushed to Paris to visit the Exposition Coloniale Internationale. Chaduna also returned to France at this time, and Cophropis created 25 illustrations based on Chaduna's text and photographs, as well as his own sketches. From August 1931 onwards, the series Les bouillonnements de la jeune Chine ( Young China is Boiling ) was serialized in more than a dozen issues on the front page of the world's number one-circulation Newspaper Le Parisien; In November of the same year, he published a single edition under the name chine, won the Prix Gringoire, and translated it into English and Italian the following year, and sold well in Europe and the United States.
Cophropis, Cover of Chatuna's China, Paris Pron Books, November 1931
Cophropis, Revolution and Youth, Le Petit Parisian, 16 August 1931
"China" was also quickly imported to Shanghai, and it was sold out for Chinese and foreign readers. To be sure, Koflopes had a relatively shallow understanding of China at that time, and his paintings had a certain orientalist limitation, but his superb painting skills were still loved by many Chinese readers. The writer Zhang Ruogu wrote in the "Time" pictorial newspaper criticizing Shaduna's text for being flashy, but praising Koflopis's illustrations: "A few lines, a variety of typical characters, but the beautiful portraits on the paper." Shao Xunmei praised it as "cute illustration" and "lyrical line painting". Lin Yutang's Analects, edited by Lin Yutang, published three illustrations of China, calling them "a few strokes, a very valuable look." In short, the book "China" made Cophropis famous in China.
3. Ke's interaction with Zhang Guangyu
While in France in 1931, many of his friends were interested in Croppis's account of Balinese life, and André Gide suggested that he write a monograph, which Coops readily agreed. In 1932, he applied for and received the Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 1933 he and Rosa set off for Bali to conduct long-term anthropological research. At the same time, his interest in China grew, and he prepared to stop in Shanghai again on the way.
At the end of September 1933, major foreign-language newspapers in China, such as Zilinxi Bao, Mainland Bao, and Damei Evening News, announced the imminent arrival of the Ke couple, which was a major event. The Ke couple arrived in Shanghai on the morning of October 1 and subsequently moved into the Fritz couple's apartment; Shao Xunmei and Zhang Guangyu immediately visited the door after receiving the news, met the long-awaited "Comic Prince" at lunchtime, and showed him the works of Chinese cartoonists. The result of the initial meeting was pleasant, and Zhang Guangyu "came back with a proud face and a comfortable body." Not only to meet the harvest of the meeting: so many amazing research achievements, to realize the success of the technique, has a considerable history. Even more out of surprise, how 'naïve' he was! It seems that it has never occurred to me: the heart should be mechanical, and the words should be secret; Only kindness, only sincerity, is close to our Oriental characteristics, no more than a generation of ordinary Europeans and Americans, noble and annoying. ”
Zhang Guangyu, 16 years old, in 1916, was in the collection of the Zhang Guangyu Art Documentation Center
The next day (October 2), Shao Xunmei visited again, and Koflopis told him: "Yesterday a journalist came to see me, and I told him that modern Chinese art has made great progress: like the paintings of Mr. Zhang Guangyu that you showed me yesterday, he not only understands the strengths of Western art, but at the same time can give full play to the inherent advantages of Eastern art." But the reporter seemed disagree, and perhaps he would not publish it in the newspaper. Between the two men's conversation, the evening newspaper was delivered that day, and Cofrepis glanced at it, and found that he was unfortunate to say that he felt sorry for the reporter. It has been confirmed that this refers to the October 2 interview with Kofropis in the newspaper Zilinsi, and the reporter should be sapajou (formerly known as Georgy Avksentiyevich Sapozhnikov), the newspaper's full-time cartoonist.
On October 3, Fritz and his wife held a grand cocktail party, inviting Chinese and foreign celebrities to pick up the wind for the Koshi couple. Shao Xunmei, Zhang Guangyu, Zhang Zhengyu, Cao Hanmei and others also received invitations from Koflopes' self-made and "elegant and special":
That night, we left on time. Step out of the car, enter the door, step on the escalator, bend a few curves, and climb the stairs from the dim and unbeautiful lights all the way. In the time of several male and female servants, the head of the door, the time of receiving the clothes and hats, early glimpsed the second floor door, at the crowd, hugging a tall and tall, big fat not fat, black hair, big eyes, piled with a humble and dignified jaw lacking rugged teeth, thirty miles away, forty years into the age of him; Next to it, leaning against a dark-browed red-cheeked, water-snake-like waist, she put on a long back of a hanging blue gauze that was slightly heavier than a cicada's wings, revealing a pink arm that was not so tender, and she was younger than him. All the spring breezes were full of faces, with a smile, as if they had seen it there. Thinking about it, it turned out that in my mind, I had deeply penetrated the woodcut impression on the invitation card, and suddenly it was the niches and the misty couple. Rushing forward, introduced by Xunmei, everyone was greeted by a slightly surprised attitude due to the estrangement between the East and the West, and it was inevitable that each of them would shake hands and welcome it with a slightly surprised attitude.
Koflopes's Shao Xunmei
Among the invited guests was Mei Lanfang, whom the Ke couple had long admired, and the three of them had taken a group photo; In addition, Lin Yutang and Ye Qianyu may also be invited. At the banquet, Cophropis showed the guests a new sketch of a group of Chinese actors and dancers - as soon as he arrived in Shanghai, he rushed to the Peking Opera Theater and Dance Hall; The Fritzs showed the guests antiques brought from Beijing. Although Kophropis is a good gentleman, he is not as enthusiastic as Rosa and Benadina, and is troubled by too frequent social activities; Many of the guests did not know anything about art, and Cophropis placed a collection of paintings by the teacher Diego Rivera on the spot, and the guests mistakenly regarded it as Ke's own work to compliment and flatter, which caused the Zhang brothers to cover their mouths and laugh. Cao Hanmei believes that Koflopis has the true temperament of an artist, "talking about non-desired conversations, moving movements that are not desired, must feel the most uncomfortable", "he is most afraid of accepting formality, respectfully inviting him to the table, respectfully forcing him to art." Therefore, when Cofrepis met the Zhang brothers, he was very happy to know from other places. As soon as the banquet was over, Koflopis said to Shao Xunmei and Zhang Guangyu and their entourage, "I would like to come to you to talk." ”
Koflopis, Chester Fritz gallops in Chinese polo, 1930s
On the day the two sides agreed to meet, the Ke couple was going to attend the banquet of the US Embassy, but Kofropis pushed Rosa to cope alone, and he left with Shao Xunmei on his own. They first arrived at Shao Xunmei's house, and Cophopis recognized at a glance that the sketch hanging on the wall was written by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and admired the woodcut version of Gu Kaizhi's "Column Girl". The two then went to The Home of Cheung Chung-woo in Courbet's New Estate on Route Courbet, where cartoonists had already prepared alcoholic dishes such as shark fin soup for him to take his seat. After devouring it, Cophropis took out the paper he had brought with him to paint for everyone to thank for the hospitality. Then they "sat on the floor and talked on their knees," and the room was filled with laughter:
Who to speak, what kind of words to speak. Here, these are all tasks of artistic hobbies, and the words, of course, nine out of ten, cannot escape the study of art; Even when it comes to going in the wild, there is no one who does not start from art.
Xun Mei brought him a large collection of works, part of which were already published prints by The Burning Heap (author's note: the transliteration of Vanity Fair, i.e. Vanity Fair); Part of it is a sketch after arriving in China, and part of it is a rough sketch of the various places. Xunmei also said: "There are still a lot of them in his family, and these are a very small part that I have roughly picked." When I heard this, I couldn't help but be shocked, and at first I only thought that his genius was at stake, and he had such a skill. Unexpectedly, he was so patient! So hard! So serious! So unsuitable! Do not think that there is a genius, proud and complacent and casual; Only research! Didn't work out! Only tendencies! No fixed view! An attitude like this is truly a great and loyal artist.
Ye Qianyu may have been present at the time, and in his later years he remembers seeing the sketches made by Kolopis during his "journey around the world." Shao Xunmei showed an African carving given to him by Koflopis and told everyone that Ke Shi liked Han Jade, so Zhang Guangyu found a copy of the "Compilation of Golden Stones" and gave it to Ke Shi before leaving. The next day, Ke Shi returned to visit and gave back the cartoon portrait he had drawn to everyone, and everyone once again set up a banquet to entertain, "The wine talked about the wind, refused to stop, after eating dinner at night, it was not early, but everyone could not bear to stay away, so they huddled into the dance hall together, and sat in love for half the night before parting ways." The Zhang brothers also took him to the City God Temple many times to buy jade. After about October 8, the Ke couple accompanied by Benadin traveled to Beiping and returned on the 18th. As soon as Cophropis returned to Shanghai, he went to look for Zhang Guangyu and others, "Traveling together, almost every day without talking." The two sides played well, no longer caring about etiquette, and made funny sketches for fun, "You write my ugliness, I write your ugliness", "It's almost everything that talks, everything is painted." ”
Left: Crocopis, Le Petit Parisien, August 1, 1931 (the first of 25 illustrations in China); Right: Zhang Guangyu, "Stuffing in and Out of set", Ten Days of Talk, No. 11, November 20, 1933
Left: Cophropis, Vanity Fair, February 1936; Right: Zhang Guangyu, "Splash", No. 1, March 1, 1937
In late October, under the leadership of Shao Xunmei, Ke and his wife, Benading, Zhang Guangyu, Zhang Zhengyu, Ye Qianyu, Lin Yutang, Liao Cuifeng and their party went to Suzhou. They traveled on Chester Fritz's private yacht in Suzhou and visited hanshan temple and other places of interest within a few days. It was late autumn, and the hairy crab was in full swing, and everyone was feasting. Although The Cofrepis are veteran gourmets, they are really small compared to the Zhang brothers in the matter of eating crabs, and it is said that Zhang Zhengyu suppressed the crowd and ate as many as fourteen by one, which opened the eyes of foreign guests. After returning from Suzhou, mr. and mrs. Ke went to Hangzhou to visit the West Lake and Lingyin Temple, then took a yacht to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and then left China for Bali in November. Their trip to China lasted more than a month.
Crocopis, "Suzhou Crab Eating", 1930s, pen drawing, 26 x 20.6 cm, Adriana and Tom Williams Collection of Miguel Covarrubias, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Two pages in Zhang Guangyu's notebook, 1963, Zhang Guangyu Art Documentation Center
Ke Shi painted a lot of things for his friends during his time in China, and Shao Xunmei recalled: "There are five portraits of color: one for Mr. Fritz and his wife, one for Guangyu, and two for me. Among them, Shao Xunmei's comic portrait was published in the "Ten Days Talk" on October 20, 1933 and the "Time" pictorial on December 16, 1933. Kophropis also painted a color caricature of a polo match for Chester Fritz, which he gave as a Christmas present in 1938. Kosch also left many black-and-white sketches, and Rosa, who loved photography, also took a large number of photographs, which are currently preserved at the University of Texas at Austin and the American University in Mexico.
Fourth, the friendship between East and West lasts forever
Although Zhang Guangyu and others "did not go up to the dock to pick him up with a flag and a scarf, nor did they launch a clapping meeting to praise him", in their view, "the outpouring of our true feelings, the harmony of our souls, and the enthusiasm of other superficial disturbances, we do not know what secrets are contained in our hearts, and our spirits are alive, and in a whirlwind, they have already extinguished the smoke and fire, so it should be more meaningful!" This is true, Shao Xunmei, Zhang Brothers, Ye Qianyu, Lin Yutang and other "times" in their "Times" in the "Times", "Ten Days Talk", "Times Comics", "Analects" and other magazines they presided over, which continued to introduce Cophropis, expanding his influence in China, so that Zhang Tong, Wang Zimei, Yan Zhexi and a number of younger artists benefited from it. It can be said that Chinese cartoonists have digested the language of modernism relatively quickly by imitating and learning Fromopis, prompting low-brow comics to become a modern art form, and their avant-garde spirit and creative ability are more than those of oil painters and left-wing woodcarvers of the Decisive Lan Society.
Cophropis, Vanity Fair, September 9, 1932, and October 10, 1932
Lin Yutang, photographed by Wichten, Public Archives of Yale University Library, New York, 1948
The Cosmos lived in the South Pacific for more than two years before publishing the book Island of Bali, which is still regarded as an anthropological classic. The two settled in Mexico City after 1936, and their home became a gathering place for Mexican intellectuals and artists. Cophropis gradually moved away from the art world, took charge of the dance department of the National Academy of Arts of Mexico, taught art history and anthropology courses at universities, and served as an advisor to the National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico; He was also very successful in archaeology and history, initiating the archaeological excavation of the Isthmus of Twantepec, and in 1942, together with Alfonso Caso, the "father of archaeology" in Mexico, proposed that the Olmec civilization predates the American civilizations, and has published a number of books. In recent years, art historians in Europe and the United States have considered Cofrepis to be a brilliant modernist and Renaissance generalist. Rosa's achievements are also worth mentioning, she was influenced by Man Ray, Rivera, Frida Kahlo and other mentors, became a surrealist photographer and painter, and founded the fashion clothing brand, the "SCAREC" (MEXICAN) that is still marketed in the Chinese market today. Unfortunately, In his later years, Cophropis transferred his affection and the two eventually separated.
As for Benadine, due to the approaching clouds of war, he left Shanghai and returned to the United States in 1936 to buy a mansion and rebuild a salon near Hollywood. In any case, they all adhered to the cosmopolitan stance and exchanged letters with Chinese friends such as Lin Yutang, Shao Xunmei, Zhang Guangyu, Hu Shi, Gu Weijun, Li Xiaqing, Yan Yaqing and other Chinese friends from time to time, maintaining a long friendship. Lin Yutang left China on the same ship as Benadine, and after arriving in the United States, he met important people such as Wichten, and the article published in the July 1937 magazine "Vogue" was illustrated by Croppis. During World War II, cultural figures such as Koflopis, Benadine, Wichtten, and Chaduna helped China resist aggression. For example, in order to win the assistance of the American government and opposition, Song Meiling held a banquet and delivered a speech at the American Women's Association on November 24, 1937, and Lin Yutang, Ke Shi and his wife, Fritz and his wife, and Wei Heten all attended the meeting to show their support.
The Limited Edition Club, 1948 edition of the English version of The Water Margin drawn by Koflopis (all Chinese characters in the picture are handwritten by Croppis)
For Cofrepis, the 1933 trip to China was even more profound. Politically, he supported the struggle of the Chinese people for independence, advocated the development of diplomatic relations between Mexico and New China, and promoted the establishment of the Mexican-Chinese People's Friendship Association in 1953 and served as its president; Culturally, he focused on and collected Chinese art (such as New Year paintings), mastered Chinese (supposedly speaking several dialects), and translated articles about Qi Baishi. American publishers had asked him to illustrate the English version of Water Margin, translated by Pearl S. Buck and foreworded by Lin Yutang, and he spent years delving into traditional Chinese culture and creating 36 exquisite works; Published in 1948 in the limelight of McCarthyism, the English Water Margin has been reprinted many times over the past half century. After the 1950s, he called China literally, advocating that Mexicans learn all aspects of Chinese culture. He also grew nostalgic for his earlier travels, trying to learn about the dynamics on the other side of the ocean through various opportunities. In 1956, the Cultural Palace of the Working People in Beijing held the "Mexican National Plastic Arts Front Oil Painting and Printmaking Exhibition", and Koflopes sent an oil painting "Zapata" to participate in the exhibition; Immediately afterward, his mentor David Alfaro Siqueiros visited China. However, Koflopis died of illness in 1957, and his wish to set foot on Chinese soil again and reunite with Friends such as Zhang Guangyu was never realized.
Illustration of the English version of Water Margin, Cofrepis
In the autumn of 1933, when he was in Suzhou, Cofrepis drew a sketch of Zhang Guangyu eating crabs, and promised to mail it after completing the official comic; Among the legacies he left behind, there is indeed a wonderful "Brother Zhang Eating Crab Picture", but for some reason he failed to fulfill the promise of donating paintings. By 1963, Zhang Guangyu had been ill for a long time, recalled that he still remembered this matter in the past, and used his memory to painstakingly redraw the situation of the Suzhou Feast in his notebook, and recorded:
In the past, the Mexican painter Kovaropis once painted a crab for Yu in Suzhou, but when he arrived in Bali, Indonesia, he hoped (forgot) to send the painting to him, because he remembered it and painted it himself.
This good story of Kophropis and Zhang Guangyu and others is nothing less than a personal friendship, and it also continues the long-standing cross-cultural exchanges between Mexico and China under the conditions of modernity in the 20th century. Unfortunately, the two could not know each other's whereabouts in their later years, and could only regret it. I would like to draft this article to comfort the sages.
(The author of this article is a Ph.D. from Fudan University, excerpted from the article "Modern Vientiane - Zhang Guangyu's Plastic Arts and Cross-media Communication Practice (1918-1960)". ）
Editor-in-Charge: Lu Linhan
Proofreader: Liu Wei