Revisiting Traditional Visual Culture in Contemporary Chinese Painting

In the context of economic globalization, contemporary art trends and concepts have increasingly influenced Chinese painting. The focus has shifted from emphasizing technique to considering what cultural values a painting should convey or lead from an international perspective. As Chinese painting has developed to the present day, a key focus has become how to transform traditional culture into something meaningful in a contemporary context, thereby giving Chinese traditional culture broader international influence. This article explores how visual elements from conventional culture are reinterpreted in contemporary Chinese painting, seeking the essential factors for contemporary painting’s return to tradition. The views presented in this article are a further extension of my master’s thesis, “A Study on the Phenomenon of Irony in Contemporary Chinese Painting”.