XI’AN ART INSTITUTE

Edited by Liu [Professor; Deputy President, Xi’an Art Institute].

Chinese Paintings [Modern Ink Works Portfolio]

Beijing: Ren min mei shu chu ban she [People’s Fine Arts Publishing House], [ca. 1960s]. Hardcover.

A LARGE-FORMAT CHINESE PAINTING PORTFOLIO PRESENTING MODERN INK WORKS THROUGH A STATE-ACADEMIC LENS FOR BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES
—BRIDGING TRADITION AND MODERN PRESENTATION

Folio; 15 inches tall (slipcase 15.5 inches). Hardcover in original white cloth, front stamped in gilt with Chinese characters. Housed in original orange paper-covered slipcase. Dust jacket present. Text in Chinese and English. Issued by Ren min mei shu chu ban she (People’s Fine Arts Publishing House), a major state art publisher.

Illustrated throughout with 121 plates, both color and black-and-white, presenting a curated selection of modern Chinese ink painting. Artists represented include Yu Jigao (21 works), Ye Wei (23), Gai Maosheng (23), and Li Kuhan (54), among others associated with the Xi’an Art Institute.

The volume reflects mid-20th-century Chinese art publishing, where traditional brush techniques—landscape, floral, and figure studies—are presented within a modern institutional framework. The editorial role of Liu, identified as a senior academic figure, suggests the work was intended not only as a visual survey but as a representative statement of contemporary practice within an academic and possibly cultural-diplomatic context.

The bilingual presentation supports this reading, positioning the book for both domestic and international audiences. The large format and emphasis on full-page reproductions reinforce its function as a display-oriented portfolio rather than a purely textual study.

CONDITION: Slipcase with moderate handling wear; rubbing to orange paper covering; minor separation at title panel. Book and dust jacket exceptionally well preserved. Bindings tight and square. Text and plates clean; colors strong and vivid. A highly presentable example.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
This volume reflects a period in which Chinese art institutions sought to formalize and present contemporary ink painting within a modern publishing and exhibition framework.

It illustrates how traditional visual language—rooted in centuries of brushwork and composition—was preserved while being repositioned through state-supported academies and international-facing publications. As such, it stands at the intersection of artistic continuity and cultural presentation during a transformative period in Chinese art history.

Subjects: Chinese painting, Xi’an Art Institute, Liu editor, Yu Jigao, Ye Wei, Gai Maosheng, Li Kuhan, ink painting, 20th-century Chinese art, bilingual art publications, cultural presentation, art monograph, exhibition-style portfolio, illustrated book, modern Chinese art

Item #002266
ISBN: 7539800887

Price: $65.00