Pan Yuliang
Encyclopedia
Pan Yuliang, born Zhang Yuliang (1899–1977), was an award-winning Chinese
painter
, renowned as the first woman in the country to paint in the Western style. She had studied in Shanghai
and Paris
. Because her modernist works caused controversy and drew severe criticism in China during the 1930s, Pan returned to Paris in 1937 to live and work for the next 40 years. She taught at the École des Beaux Arts, won several awards for her work, had exhibits internationally in Europe, the United States and Japan, and was collected by major institutions. In 1985 after her death, much of her work was transported to China, collected by the National Art Gallery in the capital of Beijing
. Her life as an artist has been portrayed in novels and film in China and the United States.
, where she was raised to become a prostitute. She attracted the attention of Pan Zanhua, a wealthy customs official, who bought her freedom. He married her as his second wife and helped with her education; she adopted his name as her surname.
They moved to Shanghai, where she passed the exams to enter the Shanghai Art School in 1918, where she studied painting with Wang Jiyuan. After graduating from there, she went to Lyons and Paris for further study, sponsored by Pan Zanhua. In 1925, she won a scholarship to study at the Roman Royal Art Academy in Italy.
Pan left Shanghai for France in 1937, and settled in Paris. There she won some acclaim. After moving to France to pursue her work, Pan joined the faculty of the École des Beaux Arts.
She worked and lived in Paris for the next 40 years. Chinese expatriate artists in France elected her the chairman of the Chinese Art Association. Her works were exhibited internationally, especially in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Greece.
Pan died in 1977 and was buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery
of Paris.
In 1985, many of her works were returned to her native country, where they are held by the National Art Gallery in Beijing
and the Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei
.
Marie Laure de Shazer, specialized in Chinese language, wrote a book about Pan Yu Liang: Pan Yu Liang La Manet Chinoise. She depicted how Pan yU Liang became a great painter like Manet in France. Her novel is based on the true life of Pan Yu Liang in France and in China.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, renowned as the first woman in the country to paint in the Western style. She had studied in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Because her modernist works caused controversy and drew severe criticism in China during the 1930s, Pan returned to Paris in 1937 to live and work for the next 40 years. She taught at the École des Beaux Arts, won several awards for her work, had exhibits internationally in Europe, the United States and Japan, and was collected by major institutions. In 1985 after her death, much of her work was transported to China, collected by the National Art Gallery in the capital of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Her life as an artist has been portrayed in novels and film in China and the United States.
Early life and education
Zhang Yuliang was born in 1899 in Anhui Province, China. After the death of her parents when she was 14, she was sold by her uncle to a brothelBrothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
, where she was raised to become a prostitute. She attracted the attention of Pan Zanhua, a wealthy customs official, who bought her freedom. He married her as his second wife and helped with her education; she adopted his name as her surname.
They moved to Shanghai, where she passed the exams to enter the Shanghai Art School in 1918, where she studied painting with Wang Jiyuan. After graduating from there, she went to Lyons and Paris for further study, sponsored by Pan Zanhua. In 1925, she won a scholarship to study at the Roman Royal Art Academy in Italy.
Career
In 1926, Pan Yuliang won the Gold Prize for her works at the Roman International Art Exhibition. In 1929, while she was still in Rome, Liu Haisu invited her to teach at the Shanghai Art School and she returned to China. She had a solo exhibit in Shanghai, where she was honored as the first Chinese female artist to paint in Western style. She was also invited to be a professor of the Art Department of the Central University of Nanjing. She gave five solo exhibitions in China from 1929 to 1936, but her work was severely criticized during this period by government officials and conservative critics - in part because she featured paintings of nudes.Pan left Shanghai for France in 1937, and settled in Paris. There she won some acclaim. After moving to France to pursue her work, Pan joined the faculty of the École des Beaux Arts.
She worked and lived in Paris for the next 40 years. Chinese expatriate artists in France elected her the chairman of the Chinese Art Association. Her works were exhibited internationally, especially in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Greece.
Pan died in 1977 and was buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery
Montparnasse Cemetery is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, part of the city's 14th arrondissement.-History:Created from three farms in 1824, the cemetery at Montparnasse was originally known as Le Cimetière du Sud. Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the closure, owing to...
of Paris.
In 1985, many of her works were returned to her native country, where they are held by the National Art Gallery in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and the Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei
Hefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
.
Legacy and honors
- 1926, her works won the Gold Prize at the Roman International Art Exhibition.
- 1959, she won the Paris Gold Prize and the Belgium Silver Prize.
In popular culture
- Her story is loosely told in the novel Hua Hun (A Soul Haunted by PaintingA Soul Haunted by PaintingA Soul Haunted by Painting is a 1994 Chinese film starring Gong Li and directed by Huang Shuqin....
) (1984) by Shih Nan. It was adapted as the Chinese film by the same name, which was released in 1994 starring the actress Gong LiGong LiGong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
as the artist.
- Jennifer Cody Epstein's internationally best-selling first novel The Painter from Shanghai (2008) is based on Pan Yuliang's life, and has been translated into fourteen different languages.
Marie Laure de Shazer, specialized in Chinese language, wrote a book about Pan Yu Liang: Pan Yu Liang La Manet Chinoise. She depicted how Pan yU Liang became a great painter like Manet in France. Her novel is based on the true life of Pan Yu Liang in France and in China.
- Her life story is re-enacted in the 2004 TVB Drama "Painting Soul" where her role was played by Michelle ReisMichelle Reis-Biography:Reis was born in Macau which was then a Portuguese colony. Reis is of mixed ancestry as her father is Portuguese and her mother is Chinese. So, she can be considered as a macanese. Reis attended Maryknoll Convent School, and matriculated from St. Paul's Secondary School.Reis started...
.
External links
- "Pan Yuliang's Paintings", Jennifer Cody Epstein Website
- "Pan Yuliang", Anhui Museum
- "Pan Yuliang 2", Anhui Museum
- "Pan Yuliang", Express Paintings
- "Pan Yuliang", Lingnanart (in Chinese)