Jinshiwei: Archaistic Taste and the Cultural Identity of Chinese Modern Graphic Design

• In Event: The Presence of Antiquity in Modern East Asian Visual Culture

Abstract

An important phenomenon in 19th-century Chinese art was the introduction of archaistic design into painting practice. From then on jinshiwei, archaistic taste relating to ancient bronzes and steles, was not only pursued among literati painters, but also deeply influenced graphic design and visual culture in the 20th century. Both intellectuals and cultural conservatives within the government agreed that archaistic taste represented the “national identity” of Chinese modern visual culture. Even some famous liberals of the New Culture Movement, such as Lu Xun (1881-1936), Wen Yiduo (1899-1946), and Qian Juntao (1906-1998), were engrossed in collecting and researching ancient bronzes and rubbings of steles. These people also worked on graphic designs, and other elements of visual culture, in an archaistic mode. This design language is still influential nowadays, as demonstrated by the official logo for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Beginning as an aesthetic trend among intellectual circles, archaistic taste has developed over time into a symbol of Chinese civilization. This developing process is worthy of further exploration.

Author

• Bo Zhou, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Design School