Abstract:In October 1980, the official art journal Meishu (Fine arts) published an article titled “On Abstract Beauty”by the artist Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010).Referencing the French art terms abstrait (abstract) and non-figuratif (non-figurative), and the paintings of Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), Wu coined a new term, chouxiangmei (abstract beauty),defining it as purely artistic forms, such as lines, colors, and shapes (Wu1980: 37). Wu emphasized the independence of these artistic forms, indicating his aim to question the long-held doctrine that art should serve political propaganda.
