郑午昌（1894——1952），浙江嵊县（剡溪）人。是我国著名学者型画家、美术理论家、美术教育家。1924年任中华书局美术部主任，先后兼任多所学校的教学工作。郑午昌所处的年代正是中国社会急剧变化的时代，西方文化的大量传入猛烈冲击着中国的传统文化，中国画领域在这一社会变革的重压下也产生了深刻的变异，上海画坛也同样没有幸免。在上海画坛30年，为了维护中国传统国画的地位，郑午昌和上海的书画家们作出了不懈的努力。 郑午昌在近代中国美术界具有多重身份，他在绘画、书法、诗词、画学著述、结社、教育等方面都取得了杰出的成就。作为画家，其山水画作品荣获1939年纽约国际艺术博览会金奖，为中国画在国际画坛赢得荣誉；作为一个书法家，他的笔墨形象别具特色，以画入书的理论被称为对汉字的“写意”，他的书法作品中处处体现他作画时的“杨柳之风”。他的诗词成就斐然，经常借诗寄托感时忧国的无限深情，他的很多题画诗，不仅道清画理还针砭时弊。最值得一提的就是郑午昌作为一位美术史论家，其《中国画学全史》被蔡元培先生赞为“中国有画史以来集大成之巨著”；郑午昌还是众多美术社团的重要组织者，他在20世纪初的美术活动和论争中担任了极其重要的角色，他组织并参与“蜜蜂画社”、“中国画会”等多个极具影响力的绘画团体，他所负责的展览会和杂志期刊很大程度上充当了当时“革新派”和“国粹派”论战的舞台，如《国画月刊》和《国画》先后成为两派论争的绝佳阵地。同时，郑午昌还是一位出版革新家，首创汉文正楷活字，打破了洋人在印刷界的垄断，这一举被赞为“中国文化事业之大贡献”。郑午昌桃李满门，是一位优秀的教育家，为中国美术的发展培养了人才。 郑午昌在中国现代美术史及美术史论研究中扮演着不可忽视的角色，在推进中国美术事业的发展进程中是功不可没的。本论文旨对郑午昌的生平及艺术活动和艺术贡献进行梳理并加以系统整理，从生平、艺术历程、艺术成就、美术理论等方面对其进行详细研究及论述，以兹将关于郑午昌的研究向前推进一步并使郑午昌被更多的人所熟知和重视。
Zheng Wuchang whose hometown is Sheng Xian in Zhe Jiang Province was a well-known scholar-painter, art theorist and art educator in our coutry. He had been teaching in many schools for a long period of time. In 1922, he was employed by Zhonghua Book Company in Shanghai. Zheng Wuchang lived in the era of rapid changes in Chinese seciety when westen culture impacted Chinese traditional culture severely. Thus, Chinese painting had a profound mutation under the stress of social reform. The painting in Shanghai aera didn’t survive inevitably. Zheng Wuchang and other painters in Shanghai made unremitting efforts for the maintenance of the status of traditional Chinese painting. Zheng Wuchang has so many status that he had obtained excellent achievements in painting, calligraphy, poetry, art theories writing, association, teaching, etc. As a painter, his landscape painting have won the gold medal in New York International Art Fair in 1939, which made China won the honor in the global art world. As a calligrapher, his distinctive writing image was regarded as a “freehand” of Chinese characters, that was also reflecting the theory of painting the characters. His calligraphy shows special image just like his willow painting. He wrote lots of remarkable poems with which he usually expressed his patriotic sentiments. The most worth mentioning is that Zheng Wuchang, as an art theorist he wrote a book called“The Whole History of Chinese Painting”that is praised by Cai Yuanpei as the most successful book in that time. Zheng Wuchang was an impertant organizer in art community and he played an extremely important role in art actibities and debtes in the 20th century. He organized and participated in many influential painting group such as “Bee Painting community”and “Chinese painting community”. To a large extent the exhibitions and magazines，“Chinese Painting Monthly”and “Chinese Painting”, under his charge was playing a role as the debating stage for innovators and conservatives at that time. At the same time, Zheng Wuchang is aninn publishing innovator for he was the first inventor of Chinese block typewritting. His action break the monopoly of foreigners in the printing industry, and was praised as “ a great contribution to national culture”. Besides, Zheng Wuchang is an outstanding educator, for he has fostered numerous talents for the development of Chinese Art.Zheng Wuchang’s role in the modern Chinese art history and art theory can not be ignored. He devoted himself to promote the development of Chinese art. This paper focus on Zheng Wuchang’s life and art activity and art contribution. Try to explore his life story and achievements in details in order to promote the previous research and let Zheng Wuchang be known and highly regarded by more people.
