The Painter from Shanghai

Jennifer Cody Epstein's The Painter from Shanghai is the story of one woman's artistic awakening during the tumultuous beginnings of the twentieth century.  Epstein's sensuous prose reflects the exoticism of her subject, and her reimagining of the life of Chinese Post-Impressionist painter, Pan Yuliang, is as lush as the paintings Yuliang created.  This is a novel best read slowly and savored as it is rich in detail and atmosphere.

The daughter of a talented embroiderer, Xiuqing is orphaned at a young age and raised by her opium-addict uncle.  Although he offers her an uneven education, comprised mostly of learning classical poetry, his familial loyalty runs out when he can no longer pay for his habit.  Xiuqing believes she's being taken to enter a workshop to become an embroiderer like her mother, instead she's sold into a brothel ironically named The Hall of Eternal Splendor.  At only fourteen she must quickly learn to adapt in order to survive.  This will be the first of her transformations.  Her innocence lost, Xiuqing becomes Yuliang, or Good Jade.

The life of a prostitute is a dire one, made only slightly more bearable by Jinling, the brothel's top girl.  Beautiful and optimistic that she can buy her way out, she takes Yuliang under her wing.  It's Jinling's beauty that inspires Yuliang to make her first drawing, which is confiscated by the brothel owner.  Jinling's image will haunt her long after she leaves the brothel.  Few escape, but Yuliang catches the eye of a government official who buys her freedom.  Pan Zanhua is a decent man.  His interest in the brothel isn't of a lascivious nature, rather his desire is to put a stop to corruption perpetrated by other government officials and the merchant class.  Zanhua is progressive in his beliefs, and an ardent follower of revolutionary ideals.  He makes Yuliang first his concubine, and then to prevent a scandal takes her as his second wife.  She becomes Pan Yuliang and moves to Shanghai, while he remains behind to continue his work.  Unlike his first arranged marriage, his relationship with Yuliang is based on love and respect.  He teaches her to read and exposes her to revolutionary literature, which is changing the political face of China.

With Panhua's help Yuliang is accepted to the Shanghai Art Academy, one of the few women taken on as a student.  Basing their instruction on western methods, female nudes are often the subject of the student's studies, which are considered controversial in China's still conservative society.  Controversy, however, will continue to dog Pan Yuliang's long career as she often chooses to paint nudes, sometimes even making studies of herself for lack of willing models, which is considered vulgar and shocking.  Her artistic education is continued when she receives a scholarship to study in France.  As she adapts her art and way of living towards the modern West, she finds it still clashes with her beloved country despite its progressive revolutionary leanings.  Like so many other artists and women especially, she eventually must choose between her love for painting and her love for her country and for Zanhua.        

I've given you only the briefest outline of the story, but Yuliang's life spanned three quarters of the twentieth century, so it's impossible to go into any great detail without ruining the plot.  I'm also a little shaky on Chinese history and the many reverses politically that occurred during the upheaval of the early part of the century.  This is a story you'll want to explore on your own without knowing all the details, as Yuliang  lived a full and dramatic life, so this is a story that opens out before you begging for your complete attention.  The author notes that while the book is based on Pan Yuliang and her art as described in the few available sources, the rest is based on what she imagined her life to be like.  "The characters, events, and places depicted are like the paintings that inspired them--impressionistic portraits."  As a work of literary fiction, I thought Epstein created a wonderful story of a woman of great depth and character.  Hers was a life not without certain paradoxes, but then how often is life straightforward.    

This is a bittersweet story, and it's impossible not to feel sympathetic towards Yuliang in her search to find out who she really is and express herself through her art, and to understand what she had to give up to do what she loved.  I think it was not so much as just loving what you do, but feeling empty and lost when you're not doing it and then having to make heartbreaking decisions in order to feel fulfilled.  Before reading The Painter from Shanghai, I had never heard of Pan Yuliang.  I've yet to find a book of her work, though you can view some of her many paintings here.  I'm curious to learn more about her and see where she and her work fits into the scheme of things.  I find it amazing how her early life experiences helped shape her artistic life, though it was a past that in the end she could not escape from.  Highly recommended. 

Be sure to check out Jennifer Cody Epstein's website here.

Comments

[Lisa Munley]

Fabulous review, Dani! Wow, it sounds so good. I can't wait to read it. The artwork is stunning. Thanks so much for all the time and effort that went into this!

[Jeane]

Excellent review! I was unfamiliar with the artist before reading the book, too. I enjoyed it very much, although a lot of the cultural references (especially events) went over my head...

[claire]

Sounds so wonderful. I really want to read this book. Thanks for your thoughts!

[Samantha]

That is one story and a half! And your review has definitely tempted me - does the book include any of her paintings?

[Danielle]

Lisa--Her work is really beautiful. I'm glad the author chose her as a subject to write about--her life was fascinating!
Jeane--I also hadn't heard of her, but I'm glad now I have. You're right--there were a lot of cultural references, which I also was not familiar with--so many names of things were very poetic, weren't they? I should read more about Chinese culture now.
Claire--I really enjoyed this. If you like books on art/artists or like historical fiction, this is an excellent book to pick up.
Samantha--Unfortunately there are no photos in the book, but the author has a nice selection of them on her website. I haven't found any books in my library on her, though surely there must be something out there.

[Stefanie]

Wow, that's some story! the book sounds great and Yuliang and fascinating person of whom I have never heard before. I assume the little pcitures you have in your post are of her art. They are lovely. Thanks for the review, I'll keeop my eye out for this book.

[iliana]

I'd never heard of the artist before either but am so curious to read the book. I love stories that take on the lives of artists and give us a glimpse of what could have been. Great review, Danielle!

[Dorothy W.]

That sounds really good -- a good story, interesting historical background, all the stuff about art and about women's roles and social expectations -- I can see that it's a book you'd want to read slowly!

[Danielle]

Stefanie--Yes, those tiny pictures (I couldn't make them any bigger for some reason and was too lazy to go out and look for others to snag) are her work. I think she's quite good. She lived quite an amazing life (at least it was an amazing story).
Iliana--I love stories about artists (particularly women artists) as well, so was happy to come across this one. It's very well written.
Dorothy--I'd like to read about the actual Pan Yuliang now. It sounds like the facts are all there, but the author fleshed it all out into a novel. There was lots of detail--it was such an interesting time--so much upheaval--it amazes me sometimes what women put up with and excelled anyway.

[litlove]

This book sounds wonderful, thanks to your beautiful review. Were the paintings reproduced as part of the text or did you track them down afterwards? They are glorious. This is definitely one for the TBR pile!

[Vipula Gupta]

Hi, its a lovely review. I am definitely going to buy this book soon.

[Danielle]

Litlove--Unfortunately their were no illustration in the book, which is a pity. The author does have some of her paintings up on her website, and you can also Google the artist as well. I really liked them, too. I think you might like this book!
Vipula--If you like historical fiction, you are in for a treat with this novel. You can tell it's well researched, but the story is also captivating, too--not just dry details.

[Zoya]

I hope to get hold of a copy of this one sometime atleast before this year end... Thanks for the detailed review. The story though reminds me so much of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' for the simple reason that the protagonist in that story has to struggle through similar circumstances initially.

[Danielle]

Zoya--Yes, it is reminiscent of the Arthur Golden book--and similar time periods. The stories otherwise are very different but both are very hard to put down. I hope you enjoy it when you do finally get a chance to read it.