Shanghai Style: Art and Design Between the Wars by Pan, Lynn(September 1, 2008) Paperback

by Lynn Pan

"Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s was a daring experiment in what it meant to be modern. Its taste for the new was everywhere apparent in its visual culture - in its painters, graphic designers, cartoon and commercial artists, architects and interior decorators. Eclectically blending their own Chinese heritage with European, American and Japanese cultural influences, these artists created what Lynn Pan calls Shanghai Style, the defining look and ethos of the period. Denigrated by some at the time for being slick and superficial, and admired by others for being up-to-date and glamorous, today Shanghai Style is seen to be iconic, a true reflection of the city in its heyday." Shanghai Style - the first in-depth book in any language on the subject - combines a scholar's rigorous research with an obvious delight in the engaging personalities it introduces and the stories it tells.

Genres: History, China, Art

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Miss Haha · Rating 3 out of 5]

didn't read the last chapter. A lot of materials but the Haipai framing does not speak to me. Some obviously personal judgements on Canton.

[Arjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shanghai Style is an interesting introduction to Shanghai Style known in Chinese as Haipai 海派. Lynn Pan recounts the history of the absorption and adaption of western design and styles by Shanghainese in the art, graphic design, architecture, and crafts of Shanghai in between the first and second world war. Pan manages to introduce a lot of different artists without confusing the reader and makes smart links between her different chapters. There are a lot of beautiful illustrations which were printed a bit too small in the edition I read.