| |
Mongolian
Arts and Culture > Fine Art
> Two Dimensional Art
 TWO-DIMENSIONAL
ART
Thousands of years of nomadic life and the destruction
of Mongolia's Buddhist monasteries in the 1930s have greatly
limited the survival of pre-twentieth century Mongolian visual
art. Still, the earliest examples of Mongolian painting, petroglyphs,
date to more than two thousand years ago. Significant paintings
also remain from the Uighur people, who lived in the 8th century.
Mongolian art experienced a sort of renaissance
beginning with the flowering of Buddhism in Mongolia during
Zanabazar's time, 1635 - 1723. From this time until the shift
to socialism in the early 1920s, much of the subject matter
in Mongolian art was Buddhist. The work of artists, who were
generally also monks, was used as objects of worship. The
most common media in religious two-dimensional art were mineral
pigments on cloth (photo 1) and appliqu? (pieces of cloth
stitched together and embroidered to form an image.) Applique
(photo 2) was especially suited to Mongolian life, as it was
easy to transport and held up well in the dry climate, as
opposed to paintings, which might be damaged by the climate
and the wear and tear of frequent rolling and unrolling. In
addition, many monasteries were engaged in printing sutras
and religious texts by woodblock.
With political and social changes beginning
in the early 20th century, some artists began to move away
from purely religious art and focused more on people and
everyday life. B. Sharav, who was educated as a monk, was
a painter who adjusted as his world changed and linked the
old with the new in his art. The Mongolian way of life is
depicted in his famous work "One Day in Mongolia,"
(photo 3) which combines traditional Buddhist art aesthetics
with secular subject matter.
With the support of the Soviets, the People's
Republic of Mongolia was established in 1924, and in this
year B. Sharav painted a portrait of Lenin. (photo 4) This
adaptability of Sharav's illustrates a huge shift in Mongolian
art: works created during the period under Socialism were
dedicated to publicizing the new system. In the 1930s, Stalinist
purges destroyed most monasteries and killed many monks in
Mongolia. Also, in the early 20th century, a new aesthetic
was introduced, as Mongolian artists were exposed to Western-style
oil painting. In order to develop Mongolian art systematically,
specialized artists were trained and specialized agencies
were established in Mongolia. In the 1940s, the Mongolian
government began sponsoring art students' travel and study
in the Soviet Union. During this time, Socialist Realism (photo
5) and 19th century Impressionist styles dominated art produced
by Mongolians.
In the 1950s many genres of fine art,
carpet and porcelain production were introduced in Mongolia
and developed. During this period many artists and architects
became very famous for their thematic work, namely, painter
O. Tsevegjav for animals (photo 6), U.Yadamsuren for workers,
N.Tsultem and G.Odon for history and everyday life, L.Gavaa
for nature, and architect S.Choimbol for monuments.
The 1960s and 70s saw two interesting trends
in Mongolian art. One is that after decades of almost solely
working in Soviet and early-Russian styles, some Mongolian
artists began to incorporate the older Mongolian aesthetic
into their pieces, which remained Socialist in tone. Thus,
for example, one finds stylized flowers, clouds, and rivers
surrounding the Mongolian seal and all the ethnic groups;
or, an idyllic Socialist scene very reminiscent of Sharav's
"One Day in Mongolia." (photo1) Also, the technique
of applique resurfaced, (photo 2) especially in the mid-1960s
when the government commissioned a number of applique works
to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Revolution.
A second trend during these decades and
beyond was that Mongolians began to look outside the Soviet
Union for influences to Eastern Europe. Their work began
to show more individualism: artists began refusing to use
realism, linear perspectives, and harmonization of colors,
and explored other techniques of painting. (photos 9 and
10) However, throughout these decades, the government kept
a close eye on art, and was known to close exhibitions,
punish artists with fines, and denounce abstract work as
bourgeois. One banned piece was "The Mother's Love,"
(photo 11) by O. Tsevegjav, painted in 1968.
In 1990, Mongolia changed to a multi-party
system and market-based economy. This meant both positive
and negative influences on the art world. With the change
in the economy, inflation and supply shortages caused widespread
poverty, and the Socialist system's support of the arts collapsed.
But it also meant the beginning of the revival of Buddhism,
and freedom for artists to express themselves without restrictions
on subject matter or style. (photos 12, 13, and 14)
Source: "The Development of Modern
Mongolian Art", Yuko Yamaki, Modern Paintings of Mongolia:
Its Origin up to Today, 2002.
Print This Page::Go Top |
 |
