中華獨立美術協會與早期「超現實主義」譯介

The Chinese Independent Art Association and the Early Translation of “Surrealism” in China

中華獨立美術協會不僅是民國時期重要的前衛美術社團，也是中國第一個全面譯介「超現實主義」的群體。在他們將這個域外藝術觀念譯介入中國的過程中，最為明顯的特徵是在「超現實主義」的語義層中加入「現實性」這個當時中國美術界的進步話語，從而令這場原本旨在譯介域外新銳美術觀念的行動，演變成一場針對專有名詞的改造。然而，這一改造卻使得被譯介入中國的「超現實主義」語義含混，指向曖昧，反而割裂了它與當時本土的美術語境形成互動與溝通的可能，並成為中華獨立美術協會過早解散的內在深層原因。 The Chinese Independent Art Association not only became an important avant-garde art association during the Republican period after 1912, but it was also the first group to carry out the full-scale translation and introduction of “surrealism” in and to China. In order to “translate” this foreign art form for the Chinese, scholars needed to include the new (Western) discussions of “realism” in order better to explain “surrealism”. Translating the avant-garde art concept of “surrealism” thus first meant translating the concept of “realism”. This led, however, to a semantically ambiguous and vague conception of “Chinese Surrealism”, thus hindering a deeper communication and interaction with the local art context at that time. Consequently, it became the underlying reason for the dissolution of the Chinese Independent Art Association.

The Chinese Independent Art Association not only became an important avant-garde art association during the Republican period after 1912, but it was also the first group to carry out the full-scale translation and introduction of “surrealism” in and to China. In order to “translate” this foreign art form for the Chinese, scholars needed to include the new (Western) discussions of “realism” in order better to explain “surrealism”. Translating the avant-garde art concept of “surrealism” thus first meant translating the concept of “realism”. This led, however, to a semantically ambiguous and vague conception of “Chinese Surrealism”, thus hindering a deeper communication and interaction with the local art context at that time. Consequently, it became the underlying reason for the dissolution of the Chinese Independent Art Association.