Abstract

In continental China, the impact of modern Western ideologies such as Marxism and the anti-traditional movement at the turn of the 20th century continue to play a significant role in current debates in the visual arts. Specifically, the question of whether contemporary Chinese visual arts should preserve, reinvent, or react against their traditions has become a very controversial topic. This essay attempts to show the relevance of dialogue with the past by focusing on a traditional theme – cloud imagery – and the ways it was used in the Mao Zedong era (1942-1976). In spite of the political and social radicalism that promoted a break from tradition, cloud imagery was reinterpreted to convey such a radical ideology. Hence, in a hermeneutical irony, by promoting the idea of a better “cultural present” severed from tradition the Mao era simply confirmed how vital it is as a principle to maintain a relationship with the past. However, whether such a re-appropriation for socio-political purpose can be called a dialogue remains open to debate.