The Female Nude Images in Pan Yuliang's Paintings

As a representative figure among modern Chinese female oil painters, Pan Yuliang was profoundly influenced by Western traditions of female nude painting during her studies in France. Drawing upon her distinctive emotional and life experiences, she produced a substantial body of nude artworks. This article, based on the complex trajectory of nude art in early 20th-century China, undertakes a comparative analysis between Pan Yuliang’s nude paintings and those of her male contemporaries to examine the emergence of modern female subjectivity and gender consciousness in her work. It also situates her oeuvre in dialogue with Post-Impressionist female nude art, highlighting the incorporation of Chinese aesthetic sensibilities and national identity. Through the evaluations of her contemporaries and later generations on her nude art, it is concluded that Pan Yuliang's nude paintings have profound significance in promoting the development of modern Chinese art and the liberation of women.