The expression, also as the theme of this exhibition, embodies a dual implication. For one, “window” of a room underpins the artistic creation of a painter: It allows for celestial enlightenment carried by figures silhouetted against rays of sunshine, as delicate hues and dancing shadow subtly find their ways into artists’ work. For another, it resonates with the original connotation of Woolf’s “a room of one’s own”, referring to the space and conditions indispensable for female artists to create independently. It also appeals to the correspondent psychological mindset wanted in the 20th century, with which by embracing the world, Chinese females advance in dauntless strides towards their very choice of truthfulness. In such unswerving manner, they fight not only their own fight of spiritual freedom, but also that of their gender and humanity on the whole. Similar spirits were shared by female artists born and bred at a period of social transition in modern China. Through seeking righteous economic and political status and equality of personality, they ventured into self-sufficiency in their “room with windows”. It was the growth and contribution of their generation that paved the way for the establishment of female artists in the history of Chinese modern art.
Works of Pan Yuliang, Zhou Sicong, and Xiao Huixiang shed light on the marked interrelation between the thrive of Chinese females and evolution of Chinese society. As such, the exhibition aims to present the female artists in their artistic exploration by pushing open windows of the room of art for audiences.
