AN EXPLORATION OF THE MECHANISMS BEHIND THE REVIVAL OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE LACQUER PAINTING AND ITS CONTEMPORARY RECONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The backdrop of globalization and the convergence of contemporary artistic media, Chinese lacquer painting confronts a structural tension between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary concepts, necessitating a theoretical framework that transcends binary opposition. This study aims to resolve the oppositional theoretical dilemma facing Chinese lacquer painting between tradition and modernity within the contexts of globalization and contemporary art, while revealing the intrinsic mechanisms through which traditional lacquer art and contemporary lacquer painting interact. Employing three research methods literature review, case analysis, and theoretical construction and taking representative works by artists such as Shen Kelong, Tang Mingxiu, and Zhou Jianshi as analytical subjects, this study systematically examines the pathways through which traditional lacquer art transforms into contemporary expression across four dimensions: cultural core, aesthetic spirit, technical system, and media boundaries. The findings indicate that tradition is not a constraint on innovation in contemporary lacquer painting, but rather its cultural foundation and source of legitimacy. Traditional regeneration and contemporary reconstruction form a dialectically unified symbiotic relationship: the former accomplishes the extraction and revitalization of the traditional spiritual core, while the latter achieves aesthetic translation, linguistic renewal, and conceptual expression. The study argues that the organic integration of tradition and contemporaneity that is, the contemporary transformation of tradition is the key to lacquer painting establishing cultural subjectivity and the spirit of the times. It is recommended that contemporary lacquer painting creation uphold the ontological value of natural lacquer, simultaneously advance the revitalization of techniques and innovation of concepts, and establish a pluralistic evaluation system centered on spiritual depth, linguistic precision, and cultural contribution. Supplementary data indicate that all successful contemporary lacquer painting practices retain the core spirit of traditional lacquer art, making contemporary adjustments only at the levels of medium, form, and subject matter; the incorporation of social issues has been shown to significantly enhance the contemporary value of artworks. Among the cases examined, Shen Kelong’s Empty Mountain series confirms the contemporary transformation of the traditional spiritual core; Tang Mingxiu’s Urban Lacquer Shadows series achieves the translation of traditional natural aesthetics into urban concepts; and Zhou Jianshi’s Vessel · Image series reconstructs the spirit of objects into contemporary spatial concepts. This study provides an actionable theoretical pathway for the modernizing transformation of lacquer painting and offers a reference paradigm for indigenous artistic media to maintain cultural subjectivity within the context of globalization