The dissertation is devoted to the study of women’s painting in Chinese fine arts during the 20th and early 21st centuries. Women’s painting is regarded as a new phenomenon that emerged in Chinese art criticism only at the end of the 20th century. Its rapid rise to prominence within Chinese fine arts is linked to the broader transformation of the country's artistic processes and shifts in the patriarchal identity of Chinese society.
The object of the research is the issue of gender representation in Chinese fine arts throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, while the subject of the study focuses on women’s painting as an artistic phenomenon.
The dissertation identifies the main stages in the development of women’s painting within Chinese fine arts in the 20th and early 21st centuries. It integrates Chinese professional literature on the subject into the broader context of art history studies. The author traces and analyzes the evolution of gendered artistic stereotypes, examining their progression from localized “female themes” in the early 20th century to the significant emergence of women's art in the early 21st century. The research generalizes the genre characteristics, thematic repertoire, and figurative elements of women's painting. The dissertation consists of an introduction, four chapters, conclusions, a list of sources used and appendices, including an album of illustrations.
The first chapter, entitled “History, Sources and Research Methods,” analyzes scientific studies conducted by Ukrainian, Chinese and European researchers from the late 20th to early 21st centuries. Based on the analyzed historiographical sources, the doctoral candidate identifies the following stages in development of the topic: 1) The stage of establishing the chronological space of women’s painting (mid-1990s – early 2000s); 2) The stage of defining and researching the historical traditions of women’s art (2000s – 2010s); 3) The stage of positioning women’s painting as commercially successful and internationally recognized phenomenon (2010s); 4) The stage of recognizing the universality of women’s painting (2010s – 2020s).
In the second chapter, entitled “Female Images in a Retrospective of Chinese Painting of the First Half of the 20th Century: Gender Issues,” the primary focus is on analyzing the first generation of modernism in Chinese painting through the lens of women’s art. The analysis reveals that the generation of women artists, whose creative peak occurred in the 1920s–1940s, is often described by both Chinese and Western researchers as a generation of “missing artists.” This term reflects both their marginal position within the broader history of painting and their underrepresented gender status.
The chapter concludes that the formation of the modernist face of women’s painting in Republican China of the first half of the 20th century took place on the basis of a new thematic and genre repertoire.
The third chapter, entitled “Periodization of Women’s Painting in the Context of the Development of Fine Arts in China in the Second Half of the 20th - Early 21st Centuries,” outlines the key stages of the development of this artistic phenomenon.
The paper demonstrates that women’s painting of the 1950s – 1970s led by the “older” generation of artists, faced challenges arising from the rejection of Chinese modernism. This shift prompted the search for new creative foundations, which, during this period, were rooted in socialist realism.
By the late 1970s – early 1980s, during the rise of “enlightened youth” generation, the Chinese art world experienced a profound revolution in artistic concepts. The real modern foundation of women’s art in China emerged with the “new generation” of artists in the 1990s and 2000s. The contemporary phase (2000s – 2020s) showcases a remarkable diversity of themes and approaches, aligning with global art market trends.
The fourth chapter, entitled “Thematic and Figurative Repertoire of Women’s Art of the Second Half of the 20th – Early 21st Centuries,” provides a detailed analysis of the issues outlined in the title. The dissertation demonstrates that women’s artistic culture, despite periods of social marginalization and the lack of formal recognition, persisted and evolved over an extended period. This persistence enabled the development of a distinct artistic identity shaped by the frameworks of gender representation. These factors had a profound impact on the thematic and figurative repertoire of women’s art.
The dissertation concludes with a summary of the research findings, which align with the stated contributions to scientific novelty.
