L’arte cristiana in Cina nel XX secolo tra tradizione e ibridazione / Christian Art in China in the 20th Century between Tradition and Interbreeding

Vincenza Cinzia Capristo

Historian; Member of the Italian Association of Chinese Studies – AISC

This short essay focuses on Christian art in China. In its early days, it was a movement which clearly imposed Christian models and symbols in the Mission countries during the so-called phase of acculturation before the birth of the Apostolic Delegation with Celso Costantini. Since then, the artistic forms attempted to meet the local people’s customs and traditions, as they also sought to merge both cultures, creating something that locals could relate to; therefore, the foundations were indirectly being laid for the inclusion of an indigenous Christian art of the Missions, a theme repeatedly addressed by Costantini in various studies.

Thus, within the new churches, religious pictorial representations had faces with oriental features, but also religious clothes and accessories had eastern tastes. We recall that in Paris in 1933 in the wake of what has been said, an exhibition of modern Chinese paintings took place: hence, Chinese artists were influenced by Europeans in the same way.

In the Archives of Campania, as well in other areas, ecclesiastical material that brings Christian and Chinese tradition closer, came to light. For this reason, it was decided to bring forth this material to the attention of a wider public to enrich sector studies.

Cinzia Capristo. Bachelors in Political Science (International level) from the University of Florence “Cesare Alfieri”, with a concentration in Political History and the Diplomacy of Oriental Asia. Pursued a Master’s in Religious and Historical Studies from The Oriental University of Naples where she collaborated with a series of research projects. Currently she collaborates with various universities. Member of the Association Italian Studies on China (AISC), specialist in the Contemporary History of Christianity of the Far East (China and Japan), deals with in diplomatic relations between China and the Holy See. Author of the volume, “Founding the Church in the Far East. The Catholic Missions in China from 1928 to 1946 (Editore Ursini, Catanzaro, 2001) and End of an Empire – Beginnings of a Republic. Antonio Cipparone’s Testament of China. OFM (1908-1920) (Frati Editori Quaracchi, 2012); currently active in diverse publications for papers and periodicals.