The Continuing Advance of Modernism

After 1949, the Kuomintang withdrew to Taiwan and pursued a conservative art policy. Since Taiwan has maintained relations with Western countries, especially the USA, this made possible the development of modern art in Taiwan. The Fifth Moon Group in the 1950s and the Oriental Painting Society later showed the continuation of Taiwanese artists’ acceptance of Western modernism, and Liu Kuo-sung (Guosong) was an important representative of this period. Hong Kong’s special historical background also led to the artists there being free to choose their preferred art style, and artists such as Lui Shoukun and Wucius Wong became important artists in the 1960s and 1970s. The art of Taiwan and Hong Kong shows the varying degrees of influence of Western modernism as well as postmodern art.