The female voice of the Chinese artistic association "Juelan"

The object of this research is the theory and history of avant-garde art in China. The subject of the study is the interpretation of the creative phenomenon of Qiu Di, one of the first female artists in contemporary Chinese painting, during her participation in the activities of the "Juelan" art association in the early 1930s as an expression of the conceptual positions put forth by the association. Qiu Di's creative search is examined in the context of the transformational processes occurring in the artistic life and society of post-revolutionary China. Attention is paid to the issues of Qiu Di's emergence as a progressive individual and innovator amid the transformation of Chinese art and society at the beginning of the 20th century, particularly in relation to the formation of the concept of the modern woman and the emergence of the social category of nv huaijia "female artists." The foundations for Qiu Di's inclusion in the ranks of the "Juelan" society are traced, as well as the points of intersection between Qiu Di and members of the society in understanding the nature of art and creativity. The methods in this research include systematization, generalization, a historical-cultural approach, and iconological analysis of the works. The study focuses on analyzing the gender approach in examining the issues at hand and clarifies several significant aspects concerning the limitations of applying a gender approach to understanding the phenomenon of Qiu Di as a member of the "Juelan" association. For the first time in Russian scholarship, the main approaches to interpreting Qiu Di in connection with the activities of the "Juelan" society are traced. The main conclusions of the research are that the figure of the artist has become a significant phenomenon in the context of the transformation of art and society in early 20th century China. Qiu Di, as a progressive social activist and bold experimenter in the realm of pure art and artistic creativity, fully met the demands and conceptual paradigms of the "Juelan" society. Qiu Di did not see the necessity for a direct manifestation of a female perspective on social transformations or the role of women in society. Her successful integration into the organization was conditioned by her ability to generate innovative solutions in art. Interpreting the phenomenon of Qiu Di solely from a gender perspective offers a narrow view of the issues, downplaying the scope of the artist's creative talent and her contribution to the development of contemporary Chinese art

China · Phenomenon · Art, Politics, and Modernism · Chinese history and philosophy · Digital Media and Visual Art

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