d ra w in g w a s th e p ro b ity o f a it. T h e d ic tu m h a d b e e n se t as th e g u id e in a c a d e m ic te a c h in g .462
C o m p a rin g th e d ra w in g s th a t X u B e ih o n g h a d d o n e in 1921 a n d 1 9 2 2 w ith th o s e fro m 1924, w e se e th a t X u B e ih o n g m a d e g re a t p ro g re ss in h is p a in tin g a tta in m e n ts (F ig s 1 0 3 -1 0 6 ). T h e d ra w in g s o f 1921 an d 1922 are stu d ie s o f m a le b o d ie s. T h e la y e rs o f lig h t an d sh a d e are n o t ric h e n o u g h to re p re s e n t th e sm o o th te x tu re o f sk in . It se e m s th a t X u B e ih o n g striv e d to ta k e ca re o f e a c h p a rt o f th e b o d ie s a n d th u s w as u n a b le to p o rtra y th e liv e m o d e ls as a w h o le . H is sk ills w ere n o t m a tu re a t th a t tim e. N e v e rth e le ss, X u B e ih o n g se e m e d to o v e rc o m e th e d iffic u ltie s a n d w as a b le to re p re se n t a n a to m ic a lly p re c ise h u m a n b o d ie s in his w o rk s o f 1924. T h e e x q u is ite and th o ro u g h m o d e llin g w ith su b tle g ra d a tio n s o f lig h t a n d s h a d e v iv id ly re p re s e n ts th e te x tu re o f m a le sk in at d iffe re n t a g es. E v e n in a d ra w in g d o n e w ith a m u c h m o re ro u g h to u c h , th e p o rtra y e d m a le n u d e still re m a in s a n a to m ic a lly p re c is e (F ig. 107). In th is m a le fig u re d ra w in g , X u B e ih o n g s h o w e d m o re c o n fid e n c e . It se e m s th a t h e w as a b le to re p re s e n t a h u m a n b o d y p re c is e ly o n ly w ith b o ld u se o f lig h t a n d sh ad e. It s h o w e d th a t X u B e ih o n g ’s d ra w in g a tta in m e n ts h a d a llo w e d h im to d ra w fro m life w ith a m o re p e rs o n a l a n d e v e n p la y fu l to u ch .
C o m p a rin g th e a fo re m e n tio n e d d raw in g s w ith X u B e ih o n g ’s e a rly p o rtra it p a in tin g s , in w h ic h th e fig u re b o d ie s are th in an d sc h e m a tic w ith o u t a h in t o f v o lu m e , w e se e th a t X u B e ih o n g b e n e fite d g re a tly fro m th e k n o w le d g e o f
a n a to m y th a t h e le a rn t fro m th e re la te d c o u rses at th e E c o le . A s m e n tio n e d above, th e a n a to m y c la ss a t th e E c o le an d th e te a c h e r P a u l R ic h e r d re w h ig h p ra is e fro m X u B e ih o n g . R ic h e r w as in te re ste d in s tu d y in g th e m e c h a n ic s o f p h y s ic a l
462 Harrison C. and Cynthia A. White,
C anvases and Careers: Institutional Change in the French Painting World(Chicago and London, 1993), p. 7,
m o v e m e n ts ,463 In a series o f p h o to g ra p h s th a t h e to o k o f a m a le m o d e l in v a rio u s p o s itio n s , so m e o f th e p o se s s e e m in g ly im ita te d c la s s ic a l sc u lp tu re s (Fig.
108). F o r e x a m p le , th e o n e in the th ird lin e, th e se c o n d fro m th e rig h t, is p o se d in im ita tio n o f M ic h e la n g e lo ’s fa m o u s sta tu e D a vid . R ic h e r a lso to o k a fe w series o f fe m a le b o d ie s in v a rio u s p o s itio n s (F ig s 109-110). S o m e o f th e s e p o se s are also se e n in X u B e ih o n g ’s d ra w in g s, su c h as th e ly in g p o s e (F ig . I l l ) a n d th e s ta n d in g p o s e in th e s e c o n d row , th e se c o n d fro m th e le ft (F ig. 112). X u B e ih o n g m u st h a v e d ra w n fro m th e m o d e ls p o s e d in th e life cla ss, in s te a d o f fro m th o se ta k e n in th e p h o to g ra p h s . H o w e v e r, th e se p ic tu re s re fle c te d th e w a y in w h ich a n a to m y h e lp e d to im p ro v e a s tu d e n t’s d ra w in g sk ills.
X u B e ih o n g ’s in d u stry is a lso d e m o n stra te d in h is g re a t p a tie n c e in
re p e a te d ly d ra w in g fro m th e sa m e liv e m o d e l fro m v a rio u s a n g le s (F ig s 113-115). T h e to n e s o f lig h t an d sh a d e a n d th e fin is h e d d e g re e in th e th re e d ra w in g s are v e ry sim ila r, sh o w in g X u B e ih o n g ’s m e tic u lo u s a ttitu d e to w a rd s s tu d y in g art. T h e R u s s ia n -b o m A m e ric a n s c u lp to r S a u l B a iz e rm a n (1 8 9 9 -1 9 5 7 ) d e s c rib e d th e life c la ss th a t h e to o k at th e B e a u x -A rts In stitu tio n o f D e sig n , s a y in g th a t “ W e u su a lly h a d fo u r w e e k s w ith th e sa m e m o d e l a n d th e sa m e p o s e ” .464 A lth o u g h it w as a d e s c rip tio n o f th e life c lass in e a rly tw e n tie th -c e n tu ry N e w Y ork, it can p ro v id e u s w ith a g lim p se in to th e life class at th e c o n te m p o ra n e o u s E c o le de B e a u x -A rts in P a ris. T h e sa m e p o s e w as a c h a lle n g e fo r b o th m o d e ls and
stu d e n ts. It w a s b o rin g a n d p a in fu l, as B a iz e rm a n c o m p la in e d , to m a n a g e to keep th e m o m e n tu m to d ra w fro m th e sa m e liv e m o d e l fro m d iffe re n t an g les. T h is d e m a n d in g p ra c tic e , w h ic h re v e a le d th e h ig h sta n d a rd o f p e rfe c tio n a t th e E co le, se e m e d to b e e m b o d ie d in X u B e ih o n g ’s d raw in g s.
T h e th o ro u g h re n d e rin g a n d h ig h ly fin ish e d to u c h re p re s e n t id e a lise d b e a u ty
463 Callen, The Body and Difference’, pp. 45-52.
464 Carl Goldstein,
Teaching Art,p. 180.
in th e p o rtra y e d fig u re s o f X u B e ih o n g ’s d ra w in g s. T h e id e a lis e d b e a u ty o f the h u m a n fo rm w a s re g a rd e d b y th e a c a d e m ies as th e e m b o d im e n t o f m a n ’s m o ra l an d s p iritu a l v a lu e .465 T h e h u m a n body, w h ic h se rv e d as th e h ig h e s t fo rm o f art, h a d b e e n c e n tra l to th e d o c trin e s o f a c a d e m ic art sin c e th e s e v e n te e n th c e n tu ry w h e n th e A c a d e m y w as e sta b lis h e d .466 N o n e th e le ss, p e rfe c t b e a u ty d id n o t sim p ly lie in h u m a n fig u re s, b u t in th e id e a lise d fo rm , w h ic h c o u ld b e fo u n d in th e c la s s ic a l p a in tin g a n d sc u lp tu re . T h e re fo re, in an a c a d e m ic tra in in g , d ra w in g fro m a liv e m o d e l w a s as im p o rta n t as d ra w in g fro m th e a n tiq u e . T h e th o ro u g h ly re a lis tic sk ills w e re th e b e s t m ean s to c ry sta llise th is b eau ty , b y m a k in g a h u m a n fig u re as id e a lis e d a n d sm o o th as a c la ssic a l sta tu e o f m arb le. X u B e ih o n g ’s d ra w in g o f a fe m a le n u d e w ith th e te x tu re o f a s c u lp tu re can d e m o n s tra te su ch a c a d e m ic a e sth e tic s (F ig. 116). T h e d ra w in g d e p ic ts a w o m a n ta k in g a n ap . T h e rig id lin e s o f h e r fa c e e x p re ss th e h a rd to u c h o f sto n e; an d th e e x q u is ite
s m o o th n e ss o f h e r sk in is also su g g e stiv e o f m a rb le; b u t th e b e lly re p re se n ts the so ft te x tu re o f th e h u m a n b o dy. X u B e ih o n g ’s h ig h ly fin is h e d to u c h m a k e s it h a rd e r to te ll w h e th e r th e p o rtra y e d fig u re is a h u m a n b o d y o r a statu e.
X u B e ih o n g ’s d ra w in g s d e m o n stra te his so lid fo u n d a tio n in an a c a d e m ic tra in in g . T h e y ra p id ly w o n X u B e ih o n g a re p u ta tio n as an a c c o m p lis h e d
W e ste rn ise d C h in e s e p ain ter. M o re o v e r, X u B e ih o n g arg u ed th a t th e p a in sta k in g and re a lis tic re n d e rin g in a c a d e m ic art, w h ic h re p re se n te d h u m a n m o rality , c o u ld se rv e as th e re m e d y fo r th e d e c a d e n c e in p re se n t C h in a .467 T h e a c a d e m ic a e sth e tic s, w h ic h re g a rd e d th e id e a lise d h u m a n fig u re e x e c u te d w ith re a listic c ra fts m a n s h ip as th e e m b o d im e n t o f s p iritu a lity a n d m o rality , m a y p ro v id e an a n sw e r to X u B e ih o n g ’s life lo n g lo y a lty to re a lism and a c a d e m ic art, b e c a u se it
455 Callen,
The B ody an d Difference, p. 23.
4(56 White,
C anvases an d Careers,p. 6.
467 Xu Beihong, ‘Angeer de sumiao’
‘Drawings of Ingres’, in Xu and Jin,
Xu Beihong yishu wenji,pp. 161-162 (p. 161).
c o u ld s e rv e as th e m o d e l fo r re a listic C h in e s e p o rtra itu re to re p re s e n t th e
sp iritu a l re s o n a n c e o f lite ra ti p a in tin g , an d th u s ra is e th e ir p o s itio n in th e C h in e se p a in tin g re a lm . T h is e le v a tio n o f th e c u ltu ra l p o w e r o f C h in e se p ro fe s s io n a l p a in tin g w o u ld h e lp X u B e ih o n g to in c re a s e his c u ltu ra l c a p ita l a n d s ig n ific a n c e in C h in a ’s a rt w o rld .