As the Opium War unfolded in Guangdong Province, the painter Su Renshan (1814- c.1850) exploded onto the art scene with a bold, paradigm-turning new voice. A Defiant Brush takes a fresh look at this under appreciated artist in the context of a nascent Chinese modernism.
In 1839 Guangzhou shifted from a cosmopolitan trading center with a diverse art world into a place of violence. During the following decade, one voice of discontent and defiance rang outabove all others: Su Renshan's. His provocative, uncompromising, and sometimes ugly paintings berate Confucius for his hypocrisy. He...
As the Opium War unfolded in Guangdong Province, the painter Su Renshan (1814- c.1850) exploded onto the art scene with a bold, paradigm-turning ne...
