Among artists who
studied abroad and returned to China,
Xu Beihong was exceptionally important in shaping the
twentieth century Chinese art practice as well as art education.
Xu Beihong was born in Yixing, Jiangsu Province in 1895 and
went to study in France between 1919
and 1927.
After he returned to China, he became the advocator of realistic
painting and French Academy style of art training. After the
establishment of the new China, Xu became the director of
the Central Institute of Arts, Beijing, where, French academic
style training was revered as the scientific way of seeing
and positive way of intervening social issues. The credits
of the Chinese mastering of realistic style of oil painting
in the 20th century must chiefly go to him.
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