Pan Yuliang
This afternoon I saw a movie called “画魂” (Hua Hun, or Soul of a Painter). The movie stars GongLi, and as expected is a very sad, rather tragic, and moving story. While some people find her grating, she has a great talent on the screen, and it was fun to see director Zhang Yimou in a small role as well. I was interested to see that the movie was directed by a woman, Huang Shuqin. Considering the amazing works of art by Pan Yuliang, it is sad to see people more interested with her illustrious life, her beginnings in a brothel and marriage as a second wife.
Her work and outstanding place as an artist, as a woman who worked so hard to make it, to stand by her artwork, even at the risk of her life, her happiness. In fact, her perseverence and strength as an artist took a lot away from her, but she still let the art move through her. She also worked so hard to be seen in her own country. This, to me, is more interesting than her lurid past. Her amazing eye for the female figure, her use of color, her daring crossing of art styles from Europe and China. Those are what make me see her as an amazing woman.
The China Daily wrota about Pan Yuliang’s work, but fell into the same trap of sensationalism with the title, “From Red Lights to Painting the Town Red“. CRI (China Radio International) has also written about her work in a segment on culture.
Her work truly is really neat, though my words don’t really do enough justice. The movie is worth seeing, if only for it’s true to life moments and moving bits of simplicity. At times the verbal sparcity and packed meaning overwhelmed me.
This is an online gallery of some of her work. The fan dance, and this piece called woman are some of my favorit pieces. I also really like the self portrait seen in the CRI piece.
Pan Yuliang is someone I can say I admire and hope to learn more about.
August 17th, 2006 at 10:33 am
There is further discussion on this at http://biji2005.blogspot.com/2006/06/soul-haunted-by-painting.html
April 15th, 2007 at 5:42 am
i have been trying so hard to find more information about her.. there are little books written about her. especially ones in english.
I am truly touched by her life too. and have decided to work on an extended paper on her.
I really like the way you think about her cuz i strongly feel the same way. especialyl the part on how her artwork was judged through her life..and not through the very strokes that brought her women figures to life philosophically.
thank you very much =)
March 21st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Echohawk makes an excellent point regarding Pan Yuliang’s fame resting on the details of her life rather than her talent and achievements. I have spent many years traveling to China and Paris to research Pan Yuliang’s life and will publish a book in 2009 with a long story that reveals, finally the truth, based on atributed documents and sources. None of the Internet entries, not one, from any source, Chinese or other, about her life, is correct. The fictional legend of her life simply perpetuate itself over and over in varying versions.