More than 100 of Henry Moore's sculptures traveled to the Guangdong
Museum of Art last December after a showing in Beijing.
Although the exhibits had yet to arrive, local reporters were
already gushing.
A
leading local newspaper published a story with the headline "The
best Western sculptures exhibit in Guangzhou." Pictures of three
pieces of artwork accompanied the prominently displayed story,
which said Moore's sculptures would sell for millions of British
pounds each.
Unfortunately, the main picture was mistakenly given the caption
"Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge" (1961) even though the picture
was actually an abstract work by veteran Guangzhou sculptor Liang
Mingcheng that has nothing to do with knives and has actually stood
at the museum entrance for years.
Case Study
The mistake shines the spotlight on the problematic relationship
between art and media in contemporary Chinese society.
It
triggered much debate at a recent symposium in Beijing entitled
"Passionate Interaction: Art and Media in the 21st Century."
More than 100 journalists, scholars, critics, artists, curators and
business executives nationwide examined the role the media play in
critiquing artwork and called for caution among reporters in their
coverage of artistic events.
"The Guangzhou case indicates at least some major problems facing
art journalists in China today," said Han Ming, a Beijing art
critic. "The problems won't be solved without the joint efforts of
the art and media circles."
Han said that the lack of efficient arts education is one
culprit.
"The lack of interaction among arts organizations, media and the
public" is also partly to blame, he said.
The reporters and editors who made the newspaper caption mistake,
for example, were not even aware that the sculpture by the
well-known local artist had been in front of the city's art museum
for years, he said.
Such a mistake could have been avoided if only they had
communicated, Han said. Han further said that the media have failed
to remain objective and consider the artists' point of view,
instead of pursuing sensational story angles only.
The mindless praise of mediocre arts and artists -- including
painters, singers, theatrical and movie actors and actresses -- in
some media reports is even more worrisome, according to Cheng Dali,
deputy editor-in-chief of the China Fine Arts Publishing House.
"It is necessary for the media to be objective, clear-minded,
serious and balanced in their coverage of artists and artistic
events," Cheng said. "To avoid misleading and irresponsible
reports, being selective is in every way important.
"It is the reporters' responsibility to help improve the aesthetic
taste and knowledge of the general public, especially foreigners
who may have difficulty understanding Chinese art."
Cheng criticized irresponsible reports on such topics as young
"prodigies."
He
said these reports have prompted many Chinese parents to force
their children to learn painting, calligraphy and the piano --
regardless of their true talent or aspiration.
"This only hurts their children because it goes against the
principle of arts education, which emphasizes personal feelings and
human nature," Cheng said.
Art Journalism
To
elevate the quality of media coverage of the arts, Zhu Qi, an art
critic and artistic director of the art website www.CL2000.com, said it's time to
teach arts journalists who write for the general public to be art
critics.
"Criticism essays by professional art critics and scholars today
have much less impact on the actual art market, compared with the
powerful influence of mass media reports," Zhu said.
It's true that a large number of people in China today buy artwork
or go to a concert primarily because newspapers or TV programs note
how famous, important, or interesting the artists are from a social
point of view. Most arts reporters, unfortunately, lack the
professional knowledge and acumen needed to judge art.
As
a result, fake and mediocre art floods the market and is collected
by buyers who don't know any better, Zhu said.
"It has become urgent for arts journalists to be trained in art
history and criticism to improve the accuracy in their reports,"
Zhu said.
But Zhu Hongzi, a former China Culture Daily reporter and
now editor of Art Education magazine, argued that art
journalists should remember they are journalists first and art
critics second.
"What we need to learn is how to improve our journalistic acumen
and skills, that is, how to be a good journalist," he said. "We
must think more about the needs of our audience, rather than trying
to please the person we are covering."
Change of Role
Zhu Qingsheng, an art studies professor at Peking University,
said media today have evolved from passive "reporters" to cover
artists and artistic events to active "operators" of artistic
trends.
"The new type of close relationship between art and media begs the
question: What should the media do in artistic activities?"
Zhang Ming, an official with the Shanghai Cultural Development
Foundation, which is a major organizer of such important events as
the Shanghai Art Fair, responded by saying: "It is wise for art
organizations to cooperate with media in promoting excellent
artists to the public. Above all, they should join hands to develop
new trends conducive to the policy-making of the government and an
ideal cultural environment."
Curators Gu Zhenqing, Chen Yang and Dong Wei also said it has
become necessary for artists, curators and arts administrators to
be more aware of the importance of mass media in developing an
environment in which Chinese contemporary art can prosper.
Caution
Media gives the public lots of information on art. But it is also a
fact that media can hurt people by making them too dependent on
media for their entertainment, Zhu Qingsheng said.
Media also have gradually dominated people's judgment, he said.
People often wrongly make decisions based on the information that
media give them and do not think things by themselves, he said.
"On the one hand, we praise the existence of media and rely on them
to live. On the other hand, it has become necessary for the media
to re-examine their role in real life," he said.
(China Daily November
7, 2001)