Song of Spring: Pioneering Chinese Artist Pan Yu-Lin in Paris

Description

Yangzhou-born artist Pan Yu-Lin (1895-1977) is considered to be one of the most influential artists and modern art educators of 20th century China. She was a pioneer in modernising Chinese art with Western painting styles at a time when it was rare for women to achieve independent careers as professional artists.

Unlike most of her compatriots who built their careers back home after overseas education, Pan developed her unique style in the competitive Parisian art world from 1937 until her death.

She is best remembered for her individual style that synthesised Eastern and Western sensibilities as well as her academic contributions as one of the first female art professors in modern China.

Song of Spring explores Pan’s unique trajectory and significance to modern Chinese art history by focusing on her second period in France, exhibiting over sixty works dedicated to the themes of portraiture, nudes, cityscape and landscape, and dance figure painting, which are shown alongside archival materials and videos on her work.