Stages and Features of the Development of Chinese Monumental Sculpture

Van Fan PhD in Art History Department of Art Theory and History, Moscow Pedagogical State University 109052, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Ryazan str., 9, office 3 wangfang@internet.ru Other publications by this author

1. Overview of the development of monumental sculpture in ancient ChinaChinese sculptural art has a long history.

Classical sculptures include bronze of the Xia dynasties (2070-1600 BC), Shang (1600-1046 BC) and Zhou (1066 — 256 BC), terracotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), stone carvings of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), Buddha statues from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, Sanzai from the Tang Dynasty and others. However, there were very few sculptures created for the purpose of perpetuation.

The bronze art of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties achieved great success. It was then that bronze products with human images appeared, which performed the function of perpetuation and praise. However, in the society of that time, such sculptures were somewhat taboo. Many similar sculptures that appeared during the Chunqiu period (from 770 to 476 BC) were used only as substitutes for live sacrifices.

During the Warring States period (V century - 221 BC), the official Li Bing built the Dujiangyan irrigation system to eliminate the threat of flooding of the Minjiang River. Later, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, stone statues of Li Bing were carved, the purpose of which was not only to commemorate his achievements, but also to convince people that these stone statues could calm the water in the Mingjiang River.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, portrait stones and portrait tiles were the main carriers for memorializing heroes and major historical events, but they were used to decorate tombs rather than to perpetuate.

From the time of the Qin and Han dynasties to the end of the Qing Dynasty, during this long historical period, sculptures for the purpose of perpetuation and praise have never appeared, and there is no literary source that can prove the existence of monumental sculpture. Therefore, the achievements of ancient Chinese sculptural art are mainly reflected in the sculptures of mausoleums and religious statues.

2. The history of the development of monumental sculpture from 1840 to 1949.In 1913, the Sichuan Chuanlu Corporation built the first monument "Monument to those who Died during the Xinhai Revolution" [The monument is located in the northwest of the People's Park in the center of Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

The height of the stele is 31.85 meters, it is a stone structure and consists of four parts: the platform of the stele, the base of the stele, the body of the stele and the head of the stele. The platform of the monument is modeled after a railway platform and has a cylindrical shape.]. The monument is dedicated to the memory of those who died in the Sichuan uprising of 1911. In 1914, a monument to Robert Heard was unveiled. [This bronze sculpture was built in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the work of Robert Hurd, who was the head of the tax department of the Royal Customs during the Qing Dynasty.] This monument was erected in front of the customs building on Hankou Road, Shanghai. Due to years of war and unrest, public monumental sculptures did not appear until the foundation of New China.

Throughout the history of sculptural art in the world, public monumental sculpture has had a high status, especially in the ancient Roman period and the Renaissance. If we take the ancient Roman period as an example, then some statues of emperors, such as the bust of Caracalla, are masterpieces of public monumental sculpture. Figures from mythology are also an important subject of ancient Roman sculpture, such as the famous statue of Venus, Dionysus and Hercules of Farnese. With the exception of some of these sculptures, which at that time were placed in temples, most of them were exhibited in squares, theaters, and altars.

Compared to the sculptures of Ancient Rome and the Renaissance, Ancient China was dominated by tombs and religious sculptures, and it lacked public monumental sculptures. So, what exactly caused the absence of such sculptures in ancient China? It is inextricably linked with traditional Chinese culture and socio-economic development.

First of all, it should be noted that Confucianism reached its highest development during the Han Dynasty and influenced China for thousands of years. A typical feature of Confucian culture is that it attaches importance to groups of people, not individuals. On the contrary, public monumental sculptures in the ancient Roman period and the Renaissance often demonstrated respect for the individual. Respect for the individual was demonstrated, for example, by some statues of emperors of the ancient Roman period and monumental sculptures of famous people. For example, Michelangelo's famous Renaissance statue "David" illustrates the biblical image of David as a hero preparing for battle, with a strong figure and determined eyes. All these sculptures are based on personality as the main element and show the rich inner world of the characters through their dynamics and expressions. The traditional cultural thought of ancient China claimed that at that time it was impossible for the Chinese to turn personal images into sculptures and place them in public places, because this did not correspond to the teachings of Confucianism.

Secondly, the development of public monumental sculpture is inextricably linked with the development of the city. In the ancient Greek period, urban life was open, and people participated in gatherings and various religious, recreational and sporting events, forming an early urban public space. Urban public spaces can be squares, bazaars or various entertainment venues. The prosperity of public space has led to the development of urban sculpture. At that time, there were about 4,000 sculptures in Ancient Rome, most of which were placed in public places such as squares, theaters, parks, temples, etc. Conveying ideology, these sculptures were also decorative and became an important part of urban civilization. On the contrary, Chinese cities at that time mainly performed political and military functions, and magnificent palaces and high and thick city walls all demonstrated the superiority of imperial power. It is obvious that the political and military functions of ancient Chinese cities were superior to commercial and social functions. In addition, the separation of the hierarchical system allows ordinary people to carry out activities only in a limited space. The public spaces of ancient Chinese cities were "linearly elongated" ^{[1, p.52]}, and people were mainly concentrated on streets and bazaars, and not on squares where they could gather, as in Ancient Rome. Thus, the public space of Chinese cities was not fully developed in ancient times.

Finally, compared to Ancient Greece and Rome, although there were no public monumental sculptures in Ancient China, tomb sculpture and religious sculpture flourished. Terracotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty are a classic example of tomb sculpture, and the Longmen grottoes in Luoyang are one of the representative works of religious sculpture. The widespread use of sculpture in this form actually limited the development of public monumental sculpture in Ancient China to a certain extent.

Thus, Chinese monumental sculpture originates from the national enlightenment, and not from urban improvement or artistic consciousness ^{[2, p.171]}. The transformation of Chinese monumental sculpture began only in the modern period.

3. Overview of the development of monumental sculpture after the founding of the People's Republic of ChinaAfter 1949, Chinese sculpture entered a period of rapid development.

Monumental sculpture and thematic artistic creativity have become the main components of the history of sculpture in the New China. The sculptors combined the creation of sculptural art with the socialist construction of China and the self-expression of workers, peasants and revolutionary heroes to express the development of the New China in the form of sculptures.

The first wave of the creation of monumental sculptures in the People's Republic of ChinaAt the beginning of the history of the People's Republic of China, the most important forms of sculpture were monumental sculptures and monuments, which were used to perpetuate historical events and heroes.

In order to perpetuate the national heroes who died during the war, the state decided to erect a monument to them in the capital of the country, in Beijing. The monument was placed on Tiananmen Square in 1958. This is the first large-scale monument erected by the state after the founding of the PRC. It represents the highest level of monumental architecture of New China.

The process of creating a monument to national heroes is distinguished by its rigor. First you need to check the important aspects of the project and consult with experts. After each stage of the project is completed, it should be evaluated. An important urban public art project must withstand a certain period of time, be repeatedly revised and improved in terms of artistic concept, design and execution.

The second wave of the creation of monumental sculptures in the People's Republic of China To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as a gift for the National Day, the state decided to build a number of major construction projects in Beijing.

These construction projects included the preparation of the Great People's Hall, the Museum of the Revolution, the Historical Museum, the National Art Museum of China, the Palace of National Culture, the Agricultural Exhibition Hall, the Military Museum, the Beijing Railway Station, the Museum of Science and Technology, and the National Bolshoi Theater. Ten large-scale projects known as the "Ten Great Buildings" [Also known as the "Eight Great Buildings", the construction of the last two buildings was canceled for some reason]. It was also necessary to create sculptures around these buildings, including decorative sculptures in buildings and monumental sculptures in architectural spaces, which became the second culmination of sculptural art after the founding of the PRC.

In the late 1960s, the theme of heroism became popular in the art world. During this period, the cult of personality reached its peak, and a large number of monumental sculptures of Chairman Mao appeared everywhere. These sculptures became a distinctive feature of this period.

The third wave of the creation of monumental sculptures in the People's Republic of China In August 1978, the preparatory group of the Chinese Association of Artists held a symposium on sculptural work in Beijing.

At the meeting, the issues of how the creation of sculptures can serve the common tasks of the new period and how to serve urban construction were discussed. With the active assistance of Liu Kaiqiu [He is a modern Chinese sculptor, founder and organizer of modern Chinese sculpture, whose works include the main relief of the Monument to the Chinese People, the monument to Mao Zedong, etc.] and others, finally, under the leadership of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction, the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Chinese Artists, a National Urban Sculpture Planning Group was formed. As a result, Chinese sculpture marked the third culmination of artistic creativity in the history of New Chinese Art ^{[3, p.12]}.

In the 1980s, after China began a policy of reform and openness, the state shifted the focus of its work to economic construction. From a political point of view, the country has thawed. The policy in the field of culture and art supported diversification, so artists got more free creative space. As for monumental sculptures, the scope of creative subjects has been expanded, and there are more opportunities to choose style and language. Compared to the previous monumental sculptures, which unilaterally emphasized political functions, during this period, the first serious changes took place after the founding of the People's Republic of China. The boom in national urban construction that arose during this period made urban sculpture increasingly valuable and actively supported by the government, which also played a role in promoting the versatile development of public monumental sculpture ^{[4, p.22]}.

By May 1984, the first batch of monumental sculptures was presented for the first time at the Second National Conference on Urban Sculpture Planning, jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Construction and the Association of Artists ^{[5, p.189]}. As a result, a variety of monumental urban sculptures began to appear widely in urban spaces, and with the expansion of the city, a large number of influential monumental sculptures appeared, which became an important component element of urban culture and landscape of various cities. A number of important works appeared during this period. The most famous of them are: Pan He "Zhuhai fisherman", Pan He "Cattle on the Wasteland", "Portrait of Zheng Chenggong", Qian Shaowu "Li Dazhao" and so on. This series of works has become a well-known local landmark and cultural symbol of the city.

In the 1990s, the Chinese economy began to transform into a market economy. Modern cities are richer and more complex in terms of culture or material form. Urban culture is a diverse scene of interaction and coexistence. Although public monumental sculptures are still mainly responsible for promoting socialist culture, they face the influence of foreign mass culture. In modern urban spaces, it is difficult for monumental sculptures to have an independent, perfect and untouched space, as before.

In 2009, a national project was completed to create works of art on major historical themes, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance. The project focused on the completion of a number of large-scale thematic works of art showing major national historical events in China since 1840. The main topics cover China's anti-feudal struggle, as well as topics such as the socialist revolution and construction. With the assistance of the National Committee for the Art of Urban Sculpture, sculptures, including monumental sculptures on non-revolutionary themes, began to appear en masse throughout the country.

The last thing to note is that modern monumental sculptures are strongly influenced by foreign countries, for example, the sculptural art of the Soviet period, which is beyond the scope of this article. In the future, it is necessary to continue studying how Chinese monumental sculpture can be transformed into sculptural art with its own characteristics. We believe that China can rely on its own history, culture and national spirit, and combining China's historical resources with foreign cultures is the way to develop Chinese monumental sculpture.