Abstract: This article examines the impact of Chinese traditional painting upon the formation of Western expressionism, as well as interprets the influence of Western expressionism upon Chinese painting in expressionist manner of different periods. The author reveals the mutual influence, similarities and differences between Western expressionism and Chinese painting in expressionist manner, Chinese imagery oil painting, Chinese colored ink painting, and Chinese imagery painting in Western style. Based on correlation between the spiritual ideology of painting and artistic form, the author carries out a comparative analysis of spiritual and formal factors of Chinese and Western painting systems for the purpose of determination of their mutual influence, and how it affects the emergence of new concepts in painting. The structure of brush stroke of the artist defines his aesthetic spirit. The article determines the “cyclic” nature of interinfluence processes between Chinese and Western painting systems that stimulate the development of human civilization. The analysis of corresponding cultural factors allows assessing the individual artistic characteristics of painting. Both, Chinese and Western painting systems entered the period when spiritual ideology of painting interacts with the artistic forms, opening the era of “globalization” of the language of painting.

Abstract: This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the visualized ego-image of the artist with grinning face as the key character of Yue Minjun’s paintings – one of the prominent representatives of cynical realism trend in Chinese contemporary painting. The image is interpreted through the prism of Chinese socialism, Eastern and Western art traditions.  The author describes in detail the works from different series, determines typical features of individual manners, and compares works for revealing the common to cynical realism set of artistic means. The article elucidates the concept of interaction of the techniques of Western and Chinese paining using the particular examples, including Yue Minjun’s thoughts on the psychology of art overall, their analysis, and conclusions formulated for more profound understanding of his artworks. Yue Minjun opts for the diverse expressive means and game approaches depending on the goal: symbols of mass culture, recognizable classical themes of Western European painting, computer technologies, cartographic representations, as well as subjective mental images – for creating certain visual symbols carrying on a dialogue with the audience. The concept of his works consists in the ironic attitude to life underlying the cynical realism. It is evident that the modern Chinese paining entered the era of bie-modern.

Abstract: This article examines the artworks of Zhang Xiaogang as a prominent representative of the modern Chinese painting, peculiarities of his mastery formed in different periods of his creative path under the dual influence of Chinese and Western painting. Transformation and evolution of painting concepts and formal artistic means, claimed in the painter’s “Bloodline-Big Family” series, demonstrate how the “own historical memory” forms new expressive forms of painting. The author compares the interaction of forms and languages in the Western and Chinese painting, as well as analyzes characteristics of the structure of brush strokes of the painter in different periods for showing the formation of the inner spiritual essence. It proves that the clash of concepts of the Western and Chinese painting generated new artistic phenomena, which represent a result of assimilation of painting concepts and “localization” of formal language. The mutual influence of two cultures lead to origination of multiple ideas of plasticity and artistic forms. China has entered the period of “non-modernism”.