Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu have always been intolerant, and the grudge between them has been entangled for more than half a century. In 1953, the year of Xu Beihong's death, Xu Beihong twice wrote to Zhou Yang, then executive vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, about Liu Haisu's issue.
Rong Hongjun told reporters that in addition to painting, he likes to collect celebrity letters. In 2003, by chance, "I purchased a group of letters from modern and contemporary artists to Zhou Yang. Among them, the contents of Xu Beihong's two letters are really surprising. These two letters point directly to the character of Liu Haisu." In a letter, Xu Beihong directly called Liu Haisu a "traitor" and "protested against the traitor Liu Haisu's appointment as the principal of the East China American College." He believes that "Liu Haisu acted as a traitor, and the severity of his crimes is not discussed by my people, and his loss of national integrity is a fact." In another letter, Liu Haisu confessed: "What collusion was there with the Japanese at the time of the fall of Shanghai?" What kind of predatory activities have you participated in? What positions have he held? What works have been stolen? (If it is written that imitating someone's work is not considered theft) are listed one by one. Who sells formalism? Who poisoned the youth? Is it me or him? Who is right and who is wrong? should be rigorously reviewed".
Rong Hongjun said that for the sake of prudence, he sent the letter to Shi Shuqing, Huang Miaozi, Fan Zeng, and others to see, and they all judged that it was authentic. So why did Xu Beihong do this? Is Liu Haisu really in this matter? In order to find out the truth of the contradictions and entanglements between the two, he began to collect historical materials and visit artists, hoping to uncover many confusing statements between Xu liu and Xu Liu.
Originated from a list of cultural traitors
Rong Hongjun, who had a heart, founded a copy of the Xinhua Daily, which Zhou Enlai founded in Chongqing on August 23, 1945, and published a "List of Cultural Traitors" in the newspaper. Among them, the first place is Zhou Zuoren, and the sixth place is Liu Haisu. At first, Rong Hongjun was also very surprised, but when he looked closely, it was not the government's conclusion, but a letter from a reader, followed by a "Letter to the Reader" written by pan Zinian, the publisher of the newspaper: "We hope that friends who know the situation of traitors in all aspects will put them forward." Rong Hongjun consulted a large number of historical materials from 1943 and 1944, and found no evidence that Liu Haisu had served in the Wang puppet government. Only a reporter wrote in the newspaper that he praised Japan's "paradise of the king's way", and he himself said that he took a Japanese plane from Nanyang to Shanghai in 1944. Although the evidence is not enough to be accused of adultery, Liu Haisu has indeed done something that is unruly and popular. In 1943, he married Xia Yiqiao, and the main marriage was the Japanese traitor Chen Binhe, and the leading figures of the Japanese military, Kawamoto Yoshitaro and Takashima Quejiro, personally went to their homes to congratulate them. Moreover, at that time, when the war was tense and the blood of the anti-japanese soldiers and civilians was flowing, he also held a solo exhibition on November 29 of that year, and the Japanese organized it for him. On the 30th, the "Declaration" reported on this grand situation. For this period of history, Rong Hongjun found that liu Haisu chronology was not in it, and it was omitted. Rong Hongjun believes that "this list of cultural traitors alone cannot be hastily characterized as a traitor." ”
Liu Haisu did not teach Xu Beihong
The initial feud between Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu stemmed from an inadvertent sentence in the monthly magazine New Era: "Well-known domestic painters such as Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian ... They are all his (referring to Liu Haisu)'s students. And eventually triggered a nearly century-long feud between two heavyweights in the history of modern and contemporary Chinese art. At that time, after Xu Beihong saw this passage, he issued a notice in the Declaration on November 30, denying the matter. Rong Hongjun through the examination, Liu Haisu once served as the vice principal of the Shanghai Academy of Graphic Arts (renamed Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts in 1921) established in 1912, and Xu Beihong also entered the school to study, but he himself had a bad impression of the school, saying that there was not even a plaster cast model, and he did not quit in less than two months. Liu Haisu did not teach Xu Beihong a lesson.
The ins and outs of Xu Beihong's grudge with Liu Haisu
In the modern and contemporary Chinese painting world, Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu are uncompromising masters of art, but the relationship between these two masters is very bad. Liu called Xu Beihong his disciple, and Xu called Liu Haisu a "traitor."
１． Two letters from Xu Beihong to Zhou Yang
In addition to painting, the author is particularly pleased to collect the books of famous artists in the art world. Among the many letters in the author's collection, Two letters written by Xu Beihong to Zhou Yang, then vice minister of culture in 1953, are more special, in which Xu Beihong directly called Liu Haisu a "traitor". So, is Xu Beihong's accusation justified?
Next, the original text of the two letters is appended as follows:
The two letters were written in 1953, the year of Xu Beihong's death. Xu Beihong's direct call of Liu Haisu a "traitor" has aroused my attention to the relationship between Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu.
Some people say that Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu represent the Beijing school and the Hai school in the history of modern Chinese art, respectively, so behind the feud between the two is the dispute between the two major painting schools of the Beijing school and the Shanghai school; some people say that this is the result of the narrow thinking of the literati. But in my opinion, the explanation of the dispute between the painting schools does not hold up, because if we talk about the roots of the painting school, the two people are both from Jiangsu and have studied in Europe, and the so-called disputes are only different in artistic styles. The idea that the literati are light is even more difficult to talk about, after all, Xu Beihong has promoted many rising stars in the art world.
Mr. Zhou Yang:
A few days ago, in order to protest against the traitor Liu Haisu as the principal of the East China American College, I interviewed my husband and sent a long memorandum (two volumes of Liu Guohua were also attached). This realization is still unfinished, and it is described as follows:
Liu Haisu acted as a traitor, and no matter how serious his crimes were, I do not say anything about them, and his loss of national integrity is a fact. This is the stain of our people's most contemptible, the so-called "although filial piety and kindness, the hundred generations cannot be changed." Moreover, Liu Haisu copied other people's works to hoodwink the people, and the evidence was overwhelming, in order to eliminate the bad work style of the literary and art circles, this is a typical incident, and I should persist in protesting to the end! I would like to know Mr. Opinion...
Sincerely
salute
Xu Beihong
June 5
Minister Zhou Yang:
Today, Mr. Liu Haisu talked about the proposed symposium, so that Liu Haisu could review it, and I came back to think that it was unnecessary, because the reason was that this might become a "review meeting" like Liu Haisu's self-aggrandizement when he was in Shanghai, and it would not solve the problem. I thought he should be told to confess the following:
(1) What kind of collusion did shanghai have with the Japanese at the time of the fall of Shanghai? Participated in those (which) enemy attractions? What positions have he held?
(2) Have the co-thieves (plagiarized) stolen some of the works? (If it is written that imitating someone's work does not count) list them one by one.
(3) Who sells formalism? Who poisoned the youth? Is it me or him? Who is right and who is wrong? It should be rigorously reviewed.
The above points must be handed over within one week to the Ministry of Culture, and if he can be loyal and honest, I agree to leniency. If he still conceals or defends, it proves that the problem is serious, and the Ministry of Culture should strictly investigate and deal with it, and I think Mr. Li should agree. I will continue to collect relevant materials and will not publish them during his confession.
Xu Beihong's head
July 8
In the 1920s, Liu Haisu visited Bernal in Paris
２． Liu Haisu once painted to encourage the military and the people to resist the war
So, is Liu Haisu really a traitor?
In fact, at the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Liu Haisu showed a sense of responsibility and patriotic enthusiasm for Chinese, and his paintings became the proof of that period of history.
In 1936, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched the "Xi'an Incident" that shocked China and foreign countries. Liu Haisu felt inspired and composed the Chinese painting "Tiger Foot Map", which expressed the common desire of the people of the whole country to stop the civil war and unite to resist Japan.
In 1937, when the "August 13" Songhu Campaign was launched, Liu Haisu felt the heroic resistance of the "Eight Hundred Heroes" and improvised the oil painting "Sihang Warehouse", which greatly encouraged the fighting spirit of the military and the people.
On October 11, 1937, Shanghai fell. The Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (Referred to as Shanghai Art College) located in the concession is like an isolated island. On January 25, 1939, Liu Haisu led the teachers and students of Shanghai Meishu to hold the "Shanghai Meishu Teachers and Students Relief Children Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition" in the gallery on the fourth floor of Shanghai Daxin Company, exhibiting a total of 421 works, raising more than 2,000 yuan, and building 3 dormitory buildings for the orphanage.
It can be seen that Liu Haisu was a representative figure of the active anti-Japanese resistance in the Shanghai art circles in the early stage of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
３． Liu Haisu refused to be the "Minister of Education" of the Wang puppet regime
At the end of 1939, Wang Jingwei appeared with the support of the Japanese army to find talents for the upcoming pseudo-"National Government of the Republic of China". Chu Minyi (a former Kuomintang elder and a major member of the Wang puppet regime) urged Liu Haisu to serve as the pseudo-"minister of education." This has been mentioned in many biographies of Liu Haisu, saying that Liu Haisu refused on the grounds that he "did not understand politics".
In the book "Canghai" written by Liu Haisu's student Jian Fan, Liu Haisu's memories of this period of history are recorded:
"Chu Minyi is also a very good friend of mine. When he accompanied me to see Wang Jingwei, Wang Jingwei asked me, do you think I will be a traitor? I said of course you wouldn't, you're patriotic too! But how to save the country, but we must carefully consider... When he (Wang Jingwei) came to me, he told me a big set of principles for saving the country... This guy was great at speaking, good looking, and honestly I was impressed by him and promised to do something educational. Because no matter how the situation develops, education is always the most important. ”
It can be seen that Liu Haisu did not refuse Wang Jingwei's invitation at that time. Later, Liu Haisu did not do anything for Wang Jingwei, because several people who promised to work for Wang's puppet government were assassinated by secret agents one after another, and their personal safety was not guaranteed. Therefore, Liu Haisu quickly left Shanghai and went to Nanyang.
Liu Haisu originally went to Nanyang to avoid disaster. Xie Haiyan, vice president of Shanghai American College, has a friend, Fan Xiaoshi, an Indonesian overseas Chinese leader. Fan Xiaoshi once told Xie Haiyan that the overseas Chinese in Nanyang intend to invite well-known artists in China to hold a painting exhibition in Nanyang to raise funds to support the domestic War of Resistance. At the recommendation of Xie Haiyan, Liu Haisu became acquainted with Fan Xiaoshi and reached an agreement to organize a painting exhibition.
At this time, at the end of 1939, the situation of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was becoming increasingly tense, Liu Haisu arrived in Nanyang on the "Zhibad" cruise ship, and after a short period of preparation, Liu Haisu held the "Chinese Modern Famous Painting Fundraising Exhibition" in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 20, 1940, with a total of 396 Chinese paintings on display. Later, he went to Bandung and other places to hold painting exhibitions, and the proceeds were handed over to the local Overseas Chinese Federation for management, and sent directly to the Guizhou Red Cross Society for forwarding to the anti-Japanese soldiers on the front line...
４． The Japanese sent military planes to pick up Liu Haisu and return to Shanghai
However, Liu Haisu finally began to communicate with the Japanese, and returned to China in 1943 by Japanese military plane. In this regard, Liu Haisu himself said:
"On May 20, 1943, the Japanese sent me back to Shanghai from Nanyang by military plane, and I have always been very stubborn. Very grueling. Like several of my best friends Wu Hufan, Qian Jiantie, and Lin Kanghou, a large number of my colleagues have turned to the past. But also forgive them, they are not bad people, they are weak, and when you see that the Japanese are so powerful, you care about them..."
"When the Japanese military department sent a special military plane to send me back, many people did not understand it, thinking that Liu Haisu must have sold himself and became a traitor. There are many misunderstandings, I don't care, let them go and say. This kind of thing you can't explain, the more you explain, the more unclear it is. But the pain inside was terrible. Wrote a poem, oh – well written! There are two sentences in the middle, 'The world does not know the hero's face, whispering and laughing at each other'. There is also a poem inscribed on the painting, 'A lone goose at the end of the world, sighing with tears; if you ask the confidant, there are now a few people'! ”
Soon after Liu Haisu returned to Shanghai, he married Xia Yiqiao, the daughter of a wealthy businessman he had met in Indonesia, and the japanese high-ranking officials Kawamoto Kataro and Takashima Quejiro actually came to the door to say hello.
In this regard, Liu Haisu said: "Marriage, it is not good again." Yoshitaro Kawamoto and Takashima, two of the most important figures (senior Japanese officials), personally came to their homes to congratulate them. I didn't invite them to a banquet when I got married, and they in turn invited me to dinner. I said I didn't want to go out, so they ordered a table to be delivered to my house. hi! They came to eat and drink, and they didn't dare to mention anything else! I don't mention it either. ”
Although Liu Haisu said that the people in the Japanese military and the Wang puppet regime only ate, drank, and drank, "their intentions are very good, and it is okay to make friends, but it is absolutely impossible for me to come out and do things for them." Liu Haisu also repeatedly stressed: "In the middle, the Japanese military department sent me money twice, but I did not receive it." I'm very insistent on that. If you take their money, it proves that you have been completely bribed by them and have truly become a traitor. Starting in Shanghai, Wang Jingwei wanted to give me a subsidy, and I didn't take a penny. So later I was very tough, Xu Beihong, they said I was a traitor, I asked them to take the evidence, they couldn't come up. ”
５． There are still two arguments in the cultural world
There are still two arguments in the cultural circles as to whether Liu Haisu is a traitor.
One is that Liu Haisu is a traitor, and there are two main pieces of evidence: First, on August 23, 1945, the "Xinhua Ribao" presided over by Zhou Enlai published a "List of Cultural Traitors," and the sixth place was Liu Haisu, and there is a text below: "After the Pacific Incident, this famous painter went from Nanyang to Shanghai, was tempted by the lust of the enemy and the hypocrites, went into the water, and openly made a statement to the pseudo-news reporters, praising the 'royal way' of 'Great Japan.'" ”
Second, on November 30, 1943, the Shanghai "Declaration" published the news "Liu Haisu Book Fair, Yesterday's Preview Of the Grand Event", organized by Liu Haisu's friend Zhang Yipeng (Wang Pseudo-Minister of Justice), attended by Lin Genghou, Chen Binhe, all famous traitors at that time, as well as Lieutenant General Tsuda, Major General Kondo, Lieutenant Shiota, and Daisaku Kawamoto of the Japanese army who invaded China. Moreover, the wedding ceremony between Liu Haisu and Xia Yiqiao was also attended by the big traitor Chen Bin and the main marriage, and the participants were mostly Japanese military and political officials and some big traitors.
Opponents argue that Xinhua Ribao's "list of cultural traitors" is unreliable on the grounds that it is "of the nature of letters from readers." In addition, after the "List of Cultural Traitors" dated August 23, 1945, another "To Readers" written by Pan Zinian, the publisher of the newspaper: "We hope that friends who know the situation of traitors in all aspects will bring them up." ”
Some people believe that the situation in the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was very complicated, and coupled with the difficulties in communication between the interior and the occupied areas, this kind of mass exposure must not be the main basis for discussing people. Moreover, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Liu Haisu once went to Nanyang to collect funds to raise funds to resist Japan, and as for why he shook hands with the Japanese and became a guest of honor of the Japanese army, it was because At that time, Liu Haisu had to do it in order to survive in the cracks. The text in the newspaper about Liu Haisu's pro-Japanese sentiment was a measure taken by the Japanese side to exaggerate the atmosphere of affinity and force Liu Haisu to obey.
Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu, two giants of Chinese painting, have no distinction between artistic trajectory and fame and skill. A public case in the history of Chinese art between the two of them has once again caused waves due to the appearance of two letters.
"These two letters, I wrote with the help of Beihong, I didn't expect to be able to keep them." Liao Jingwen, the wife of Xu Beihong, who is already in her old age, unfolded the letterhead in front of her and told the reporter of China News Weekly.
These are two private letters written with a brush, the paper is mottled and the handwriting is clear —
"Mr. Zhou Yang: ... A few days ago, I interviewed Mr. Liu Haisu in protest against the traitor Liu Haisu's appointment as the principal of the East China American College..."
"Minister Zhou Yang: Mr. Today is going to hold a symposium for Liu Haisu to review... I thought he should be asked to confess the following points: (1) What collusion with the Japanese took place during the fall of Shanghai..."
The recipient, Zhou Yang, was then the secretary of the party group and executive vice minister of the Ministry of Culture.
Letter ended with the following paragraph: Xu Beihong.
Six years ago, these two letters denouncing Liu Haisu as a traitor were accidentally obtained by Rong Hongjun, a young painter who collected the letters, and then published them in his books.
The public case in the history of Chinese art between Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu has once again caused waves because of the appearance of these two letters.
Is Liu Haisu a traitor?
In 1953, the Second Congress of Literary and Art Workers was about to be held. "The provincial registration list, I remember that the first one in the list of Shanghai is Liu Haisu. Beihong was the chairman of the American Association at the time, and when he saw Liu Haisu's name, he immediately protested. Liao Jingwen leaned on the sofa to describe the background of the two letters. In Xu Beihong's view, at that time, the matter of Liu Haisu's adultery had not yet been clarified, and it was inappropriate to serve as a representative of the literary and art circles.
"The traitor is the one in the Xinhua Daily, the sixth traitor." Yang Xianrang, an 80-year-old painter and student of Xu Beihong, told China News Weekly, "But this is Xu Beihong's reflection of problems in accordance with organizational procedures, and it is by no means a small report like the Cultural Revolution." ”
Yang Xianrang's identification of Xinhua Daily was that the newspaper published on August 23, 1945 published the "List of Cultural Traitors", the first being Zhou Zuoren and the sixth being Liu Haisu. At that time, the Xinhua Daily was hosted by Zhou Enlai, and afterwards, researchers mostly used it as evidence that Liu Haisu acted as a traitor. In fact, this list of traitors is information provided by readers. Pan Zinian, the publisher of the newspaper, wrote in "To the Readers": We hope that friends who are traitors from all walks of life will bring them up.
"This is indeed in the form of a letter from a reader, but it is not enough to base it." Letter collector Rong Hongjun said in an interview with China News Weekly. However, Yang Xianrang did not agree with such a statement, "Readers think who is a traitor, go to the article, the newspaper published, it means that the newspaper approves, the newspaper is responsible." ”
At the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, as a leading figure in Shanghai's art circles, Liu Haisu was quite popular. As early as 1936, he created "Tiger Foot Map" to express his desire to stop the civil war and unite against Japan. In 1937, after the famous "Eight Hundred Heroes Incident", Liu Haisu created "Four Elements Warehouse" based on Yang Huimin's deeds to inspire morale. Until the beginning of 1939, Liu Haisu also used his fame to lead the teachers and students of Shanghai Art College to hold a charity sale in Shanghai and raise funds for the Children's Correctional Institution.
But by the end of 1939, things had changed. At that time, Wang Jingwei, with the support of Japan, began to find talents for the upcoming puppet regime. Wang Jingwei's assistant Chu Minyi invited Liu Haisu to serve as minister of education. In the book "Canghai", a biography of Liu Haisu written by Jian Fan, Liu Haisu himself recalled, "Chu Minyi is also my very good friend. At first, he accompanied me to see Wang Jingwei. Wang Jingwei asked me, do you think I will be a traitor? I said of course you wouldn't, you're patriotic too! ...... This guy was great at speaking, good looking, and honestly I was impressed by him and promised to do something educational. But after that, Liu Haisu found that most of those who worked for the Japanese puppet government encountered accidents. Therefore, he decided to take advantage of the exhibition in Indonesia to avoid Nanyang and did not serve in the Wang puppet government. At the end of 1939, Liu Haisu donated all the proceeds from the sale of paintings in Jakarta to anti-Japanese officers and soldiers. As it continued to move around Singapore, Shanghai fell. Since then, the record of Liu Haisu's life has been blurred. According to Ms. Shi Nan's "The Great Biography of Haisu - A Drop in the Sea", Liu Haisu hid in an oil mill, later revealed his identity, and was escorted by the Japanese army to fly back to Shanghai.
Later, Liu Haisu himself recalled, "On May 20, 1943, the Japanese sent me back to Shanghai from Nanyang by military plane. ...... When the Japanese military department sent a special military plane to send me back, many people did not understand it, thinking that Liu Haisu must have sold himself and turned to become a traitor. There are many misunderstandings, I don't care, let them go and say. ”
Soon after Liu Haisu returned to Shanghai, he married Xia Yiqiao, the daughter of a wealthy businessman he met in Indonesia, and the wedding was presided over by Chen Binhe, a well-known traitor at that time, while the japanese high-ranking japanese officials Kawamoto Yoshitaro and Takashima Quejiro dengmen Michiyoshi. Later, Liu Haisu recalled, "I did not invite them to a banquet when I got married, and as a result, they invited me to dinner in turn." In November of the same year, when the land was lost, Liu Haisu held a painting exhibition in Shanghai, organized by Zhang Yipeng, minister of justice of the Wang puppet regime, and senior officials of the Japanese military department were present to congratulate him.
After 1949, this history was raised again by Xu Beihong and written into a letter to Zhou Yang. Xu Beihong said, "Liu Haisu acted as a traitor, and no matter how serious his crimes are, I don't care about them, but it is a fact that he has lost his national integrity." ...... If he can be loyal and honest, I agree to be lenient. ”
According to Liao Jingwen's recollection, Zhou Yang did not reply to the letter, but met with Xu Beihong for discussions for this purpose. Shortly thereafter, Xu Beihong died. "After Beihong's death, someone told me that during the break between the WenDai meetings, Premier Zhou also went to the responsible persons of the East China region and criticized them, saying, 'Why are you propagating Liu Haisu in this way?!"
Is Xu Beihong a student of Liu Haisu?
Xu Beihong's confrontation with Liu Haisu was not a momentary indignation. As early as the 1920s, Xu and Liu, who were still young painters, had laid the groundwork for the grievances afterwards.
Over the years, Liu Haisu has repeatedly said that Xu Beihong is his student, but Xu Beihong never admits it. In this regard, Liao Jingwen said, "Beihong saw the advertisement that the Shanghai Academy of Graphic Arts had very good teachers and equipment, so he went. But then I told me that there were less than 10 students, not even plaster models, so they took a printed painting and hung it on the wall for them to copy. Because I couldn't learn anything, in less than two months, Sadhong was gone, and the tuition fee could not be refunded. He had never seen Liu Haisu at all. ”
In 1912, Liu Haisu came to Shanghai with 200 silver dollars donated by his father. At that time, under the influence of the Western affairs movement, the West was gradually learning from the East, and the younger generation was hungry for Western politics, economics and culture. Under the influence of the new culture, many new schools have emerged one after another. After Liu Haisu arrived in Shanghai, he founded the Shanghai Academy of Graphic Arts with friends in November of that year, when Liu Haisu was only 17 years old.
Subsequently, Liu Haisu published an enrollment advertisement in the Shanghai "Declaration" and personally wrote a school-running declaration, which involved the responsibility of Eastern and Western culture and art. Inevitably, the school, founded by a 17-year-old, was ridiculed by all walks of life, but at the same time, the criticism increased its popularity. At this time, Xu Beihong, who was still in Yixing, defected to Shanghai.
According to Xu Beihong and Wang Zhen, researchers of Liu Haisu, the first batch of enrollment in Liu Haisu School was a total of 10 people, and there was no Xu Beihong. "Mr. Xu has been at the school for about two months, that is, he did not say goodbye." According to Wang Zhen's research, Xu Beihong's study in the past two months was a subject, not the main subject of Professor Liu Haisu.
In the "Declaration" of November 3, 1932, Xu Beihong published a personal notice, which was directly denounced as a "pheasant school". "The institute has no major subjects such as anatomy, perspective, and art history, and there is no half-body plaster model... When I was not twenty years old, from the field, confused by advertising... This article contains a magazine that refers to me as a disciple of Liu Mou, and the contempt for people in this pheasant school does not recognize everyone as a teacher. ”
After this letter was reported, Liu Haisu was furious, and a day later, he published "Liu Haisu's Notice" in the "Declaration", saying, "... Causing Xu to be jealous, he did not hesitate to insult... The Picture Art Academy is the predecessor of the Art Academy, at that time, the contemptuous years were not weak crowns, painstaking management, you need to know that in China to create plaster models and mannequins is the Picture Art Academy after several hard fights, known to the Chinese people... This is beyond Xu's ability to erase. ”
At the time of this period of verbal criticism, it had been twenty years since Liu Haisu founded the school and Xu Beihong defected to Shanghai. Xu and Liu have both become well-known artists, returning to China after traveling in Europe and studying in France. Liu Haisu was called "the leader of new art in our country" by the then mayor of Shanghai, and Xu Beihong had introduced Western realism to China. The two are equally famous and evenly matched.
After studying in France, Xu Beihong brought back to China realism, which was gradually being abandoned by the West, and used correct perspective and anatomical techniques to transform Chinese painting. At that time, China's war was still frequent, and the domestic artistic standards were generally low, and Xu Beihong chose the most traditional techniques to bring back to China with realistic background considerations. Contrary to this, after Liu Haisu traveled to Europe, because of his outgoing and easy to accept the fresh art point of view, he quickly accepted Impressionism and Fauvism. The artistic differences between Xu and Liu also arose. In contrast, Xu emphasizes the essence and foundation, while Liu emphasizes concept and consciousness. The two were divided into north and south, and under their respective influences, disciples gathered around to learn painting, and gradually there was a trend of opposing artistic views.
In Xu Beihong's second "Declaration" notice, he went straight down to the war book and asked Liu Haisu to "first wash the bones of the world, get rid of arrogance, be pro-Taoist, use hard work, and wait for Ru for ten years, and I will not slander Ru." Since then, the two have openly exchanged hatred and launched a multi-year competition.
At that time, both people were young, Xu Beihong was a year older than Liu Haisu, and no one obeyed anyone. Two young people meet in Shanghai, and there is mutual jealousy of young people, which is understandable, but also unclear. Yang Xianrang said. This contest lasted until after 1949, when both Xu and Liu held important positions in the art world. Shortly after Liu Haisu's name appeared on the list of delegates to the Second Wen Dynasty, Xu Beihong wrote to the Ministry of Culture to protest.
Has Premier Zhou mediated the contradiction between the two?
Due to the status and influence of Xu and Liu in the art world, after 1949, the top level of the government had many contacts with them. Liu Haisu repeatedly mentioned premier Zhou Enlai's conversation with himself in his reminiscence articles, and focused on recalling a long all-night conversation, and an important part of the long talk was that Zhou Enlai mediated the contradiction between Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu. Liu Haisu wrote in the article "Respecting History and Pinning Hopes on the Future": The most understanding and most concerned about this issue is our beloved Premier Zhou Enlai. In 1952, he talked to me in Beijing, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. ... He said earnestly, "Your unity is related to the grand plan of the new Chinese art cause. Sadness is sick, temperament is easy to be impatient, you have the friendship of the elderly, but also have the temperament of the elder, to understand him. In his biography "Canghai", Liu Haisu recalls that Zhou Enlai received him in 1954. In the book written by biographer Shi Nan, Liu Haisu recalls the time of the reception as 1953. In the Chronology of Zhou Enlai, there is no record of this matter. "Premier Zhou's meeting with Liu Haisu is absolutely nothing!" Liao Jingwen was a little excited, "In 1953, when Zhou Yang saw Beihong, he told him that Liu Haisu went to Beijing to see Premier Zhou, but the premier did not have time to see him. In Yang Xianrang's view, Zhou Enlai's mediation of the contradiction between Xu and Liu was purely a fabrication by Liu Haisu. In 1954, Yang Xianrang had a relationship with Liu Haisu. At that time, Yang Xianrang, as one of the three representatives of the art circles in Beijing, went to Shanghai to attend the meeting of the establishment of the Artists Association in East China. At that time, taking pictures was still a luxury, and Yang Xianrang drew sketches by hand to record when others were speaking. Liu Haisu said in his speech, I am a drop in the sea, high above the working people. I'm going to have to change my ways in the future. On the sketch screen, Liu Haisu stood between the people with a big belly, next to Yang Xianrang's hastily recorded speech. Regarding the relationship between Zhou Enlai and Liu Haisu, the famous calligraphy and painting expert Xie Zhiliu once had an account. Xie Zhiliu once explained a batch of ancient paintings to Zhou Enlai at the Shanghai Museum. According to Xie Zhiliu's recollection, when Shen Zhiyu, director of the Shanghai Museum, mentioned that he was once a student of Liu Haisu, Zhou Enlai was furious, snapped, slapped the table and said, "You go and tell him (referring to Liu Haisu) that the government's door is open, and ask him to review and confess his guilt!" ...... This should be the first two years of the anti-right. "The enmity between Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu has been nearly a hundred years, and most of the people who really know about the interaction between Xu and Liu have now become ancient. Wang Qi, a former party secretary of the China Artists Association and a protégé of Liu Haisu, was also over 90 years old and unable to be interviewed. Liu Haisu's daughter Liu Lin also publicly expressed her personal views to the media, saying, "I think that the grievances of the ancestors are all historical facts, and history has its own conclusions." Some people, seeing some information, are willing to make some comments, which is his freedom, and I have no time to intervene. Historical facts will always return to their original appearance. The purifier purifies himself and does not need to be bothered by this. Because when Xu Beihong died, the feud with Liu Haisu had not yet been settled, liao Jingwen could not calm down in his heart. After that, whenever there was news of Liu Haisu holding an administrative position or holding an exhibition, Liao Jingwen would mostly write letters of protest. Today, Liu Haisu is deceased, and Liao Jingwen is also over eighty years old. "Liu Haisu is also dead, and I don't have to write any more letters." Liao Jingwen said.
Xu Beihong scolded Liu Haisu Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts for "Pure Pheasant School also"
Two masters of art in China---- Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu, what is the feud between them?
In November 1912, Liu Haisu escaped marriage to Shanghai and founded the Shanghai Academy of Graphic Arts with his brother Wu Shiguang. Xu Beihong, 1-year-old Liu Haisu, followed the admissions advertisement on the "Declaration" to apply for the exam.
On July 25, 1987, Liu Haisu was interviewed by ming pao reporters in Singapore, Lion City, recalling this past: "Xu Beihong was in the same class as Zhu Qizhan and Wang Jiyuan, and when I was in school, I liked him very much. We used to go to the countryside together to sketch, I painted oil paintings, he copied them, I painted watercolors, he also painted. This lasted for about half a year, and one day, he suddenly said goodbye and did not hear from him for three consecutive days, which was really worrying. Later, he learned that he had gone to Shanghai's premier Hartung Garden to paint portraits of his supervisor Ji Juemi. Through the owner of Hartung Garden, he got to know many contemporary cultures and legitimate celebrities, and also worshiped Kang Youwei as a teacher, entered Jiang Biwei's home, and then with the full support of Mr. Cai Yuanpei, he finally went to France for further study as he wished. Liu Haisu said with emotion: "Whether it is a student or a teacher, I don't care so much about the distinction between names and generations." Perhaps, each other's world outlook and artistic outlook are different, their minds are different, their origins are different, so they have a relationship with each other, but they have developed 'grievances', which I have never expected. ”
A brushstroke that has affected the art world for more than half a century
In 1927, Mr. Xu Beihong returned to China from studying abroad, and soon after, he was hired by the Art Department of Nanjing Central University. In the same year, Liu Haisu went to Europe to study and returned to Shanghai in 1931.
On October 15, 1932, the Shanghai Municipal Government held the "Exhibition of Liu Haisu's European Travel Works". A total of 225 paintings, Louvre paintings and Chinese paintings made before and after his European tour were exhibited.
More than 110,000 visitors from all walks of life visited the exhibition, and the exhibition caused a sensation at home and abroad, becoming a major event in the art world, and thus triggering a controversy that has influenced the Chinese painting world for more than half a century. The controversy was sparked by the article that was once published in The New Era. There is a passage in the text that says: "Liu Haisu and Xu Beihong, the two teachers and students, because in the early stage of moving towards the artistic road, they met a teacher like Cai Yuanpei who loves talents and cherishes talents, their artistic path will be so brilliant, otherwise, it will be another look." ”
Seeing the article as an insult to him, he published a "Notice" in the Declaration on November 3, 1932, calling the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts "Pure Pheasant School". "Now there is a certain person who is a man, referring to me as a disciple of Liu, and I don't know Liu mou who is also a person in this pheasant school?" Despicable people in this pheasant school, do not recognize everyone as a teacher. Xu Beihong also accused Liu Haisu of "hooliganizing to the west, only learning to brag", this text angered Liu Haisu, he in the same form to return to Beihong, calling Xu Beihong an "artistic gentleman" and saying that "the twenty-one years of life and apprenticeship at home and abroad, the influence is within reach, has become the trend of the times, and it is not something that one or two people can live and die with love and evil." ”
The "Declaration" also published Zeng Jinke's "Notice". He said, "Now I can know Mr. Xu Beihong Before I met Mr. Liu Haisu, we were friends with each other, and we had nothing to be afraid of. There is no insult to Mr. Xu in the humble text. This enlightenment. ”
The discerning person knows at a glance that this controversy is not a dispute between master and apprentice, but a struggle between artistic factions. It has suddenly become a hot news in the news media, which has attracted widespread attention from the art and intellectual circles.
On November 19, Xu Beihong once again published a "Notice" in the "Declaration", and the contempt was even worse: "... Ru Nai is not enough (unless he lies), the painting thing is promising, first wash the bones of the world to get rid of arrogance, personally have the Tao to use hard work, and wait for Ru for ten years. I don't blame you. (Begging the newspapers to forgive me for my wantonness, my sins, my sins.) ）
Liu Haisu read this second "Notice", could not swallow this breath, and raised his pen to confront Beihong. At this time, he received two letters, one written by the poet Liang Zongdai from Peking University, and the other sent by Mr. Cai Yuanpei. He first read Cai Yuanpei's letter. Cai said in the letter that after reading his and Beihong's pen and ink lawsuit in the newspaper, he was very unhappy and advised him not to see the same as Beihong. "With your current position in the art world, wouldn't it be better to argue with him than to raise his status?" Brother has a lot of things to do, why waste energy on idleness? Liang Zongdai's letter is very long and systematic in his comments, which read: "Shima looked at your 'Sunset Photo of Notre Dame' and exclaimed: 'Your power has gone to the outside of the painting' If I were present, I would echo: 'No, your painting has entered the hall of painting!'" In other words, your painting has gone from groping to firm. And when the spirit is satisfied, the conquest and realization of the force of impulse and worship are realized. ”
These two letters, like two cooling agents, calmed Liu Haisu down, and he asked himself: What is the gain of insults, attacks, and non-recognition? Why do you have to be understood by others? He confessed to himself: I am so angry that I salute The Sorrowful Hong with a "gentleman of art"! Even if he doesn't recognize him as my student, even if he didn't enter my school when he first came to Shanghai, he is a talented and hard-working artist after all, and we should eliminate the view of the portal and work together to resonate Chinese art. Shame, shame! I must find an opportunity to talk to him. Liu Haisu kneaded the half-written polemical manuscript into a ball and threw it into the paper basket.
In 1952, Shanghai Meichuan merged with Suzhou Art College to form East China Art College, and Liu Haisu was appointed as the principal.
In the summer of 1953, Premier Zhou Enlai invited Liu Haisu to Beijing and sent someone to take Liu Haisu to his residence in the midst of his busy schedule. He said kindly: "You have set a good example for many private schools in this work, and contributed to the motherland the Shanghai Meizhan that you have founded for decades, and I thank you on behalf of the government!" ”
The premier also told Haisu: "The teaching of the Central Academy of Fine Arts led by Mr. Xu Beihong also has many innovative manifestations. He also introduced himself to Haisu in detail, saying, "You can learn from each other." ”
Haisu nodded and said, "Yes." I admire Mr. Xu's principles of 'foreign for chinese use' and 'ancient masters and modern uses' in art teaching, he has made outstanding contributions to cultivating art talents, and I admire him..."
Premier Zhou's face overflowed with satisfaction and said, "Someone once told me that you and Mr. Xu have not been together for a long time, and there is a gap. I said solemnly at that time, don't believe the rumors, Mr. Liu And Mr. Xu are all artists, and there was a fate in the past, and the outside world could not be guessed by guessing. We must also rely on the unity and cooperation of the two of them to grasp the art education of new China, unity is strength! ”
Liu Haisu responded one after another: "Right, right, because I and Beihong's artistic path and living environment are different, and we have not been together for a long time, our relationship has been estranged, there was some misunderstanding, at that time, we were all young and vigorous, some of the intentions, now I think about it, it is very uninteresting." I very much hope that Beihong can put aside his past grievances, and we will unite to respond from the south to the north and cultivate more and better talents for the development and prosperity of the new China's art cause. ”
Premier Zhou said happily: "Your attitude is very good, I will do this work." ”
Liu Haisu said: "I am a painter from the old society, there are many places that need to be transformed and studied, Andi Hong's respect and trust in the Communist Party began before the founding of the Country, and he has many places worth learning from me." ”
"You learn from each other!" Premier Zhou also encouraged him, "You have all contributed to the cause of fine arts. Your unity has a bearing on the development of the new Chinese art cause. Mr. Xu is sick and his temperament is easy to be impatient, and you must forgive him. Your burden is very heavy, the country needs you, you can live a long and healthy life, and there are reliable conditions for the development of China's art painting industry. "They talked from 8 p.m. to more than 1 a.m.
Before Haisu could leave Beijing, Premier Zhou summoned Xu Beihong. Ms. Liao Jingwen also described the meeting in "The Life of Xu Beihong".
Xu Beihong reported to Premier Zhou on the preparations for the Second National Literary Congress in the art circles. Premier Zhou did not see Liu Haisu's name in the list of representatives of the art world, and realized that the misunderstanding and diaphragm between Xu and Liu still existed. Premier Zhou did not explicitly say, but only relayed Liu Haisu's praise and affirmation of Xu Beihong to Xu Beihong. Xu Beihong immediately understood Premier Zhou's meaning and said: "Premier, I know that you want our art circles to unite, and this is also my will. But unity is not a harmonious one, it is principled. I think that the character of the painter is very important. "The virtue of having the title of painter cannot be discounted, especially in the period of the fall of the land, and the national integrity of the painter should be the first!" He said that he was very excited about this: "Prime Minister, I think that the appointment of the leaders of art schools should consider people with both ability and political integrity!" ”
The Prime Minister understood who he was referring to and replied, "Mr. Xu, your opinion is entirely correct. We have done meticulous research before appointing the president of the art academy. I hope that you, the chairman, will do more work in promoting understanding and exchanges among painters, and that you will conduct specific investigations and studies on the experiences of certain painters, not just by relying on hearsay and drawing conclusions, please miss the organization, and I hope that your art circles will strengthen unity and cooperation, and that everything will be conducive to cultivating talents for the construction of art in New China."
Xu Beihong has great respect for Premier Zhou, and the relationship between Xu and Liu is related to whether he listens to the party or not, but he still nodded, changed the topic, and talked about the inheritance, reference and development of Chinese painting. He said: "Sketching is the foundation of all plastic arts. The prime minister nodded in agreement and said: "All art should develop with the times, and if it stagnates, there is no life." ”
A month later, on September 26, Liu Haisu learned from the airwaves in Shanghai that Xu Beihong had suddenly died of illness during the Second Wen Dynasty, and he was very sad. He sincerely wrote an article to mourn The Hong, saying that he had gone too early and that his death was a great loss to the Chinese art world. Mr. Ye Gongqi said that his article had the deep meaning of hanging a sword in front of Wu Jizi's tomb.
On August 7, 1994, Liu Haisu passed away, and with the ancient work of the two masters of the Chinese painting world, this famous and mysterious story of enmity in the history of art should also come to an end.
Declare | Graphic source network, designed to share and disseminate, the copyright belongs to the original author! The original text only represents the views of the original author himself, and does not represent the views or positions of the Book Art Commune. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other matters of your work, please contact the Book Arts Commune within 30 days of the publication of your work.
END
Add book art commune small art WeChat,