The specifics of the depiction of women in engravings by masters of the 18th-century Suzhou art school

This article presents a study of the depiction of female figures in works by the 18th-century Suzhou school of woodblock printing. These works reflect changes in the perception of women's social roles and status. This provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding not only of the evolution of artistic language but also of the transformation of social notions of women in 18th-century China. The subject of this study is the evolution of artistic language and techniques for depicting women in the context of cultural interaction between China and the West. The goal of the study is to analyze the transformation of canons for depicting women against the backdrop of the fusion of traditional Chinese and European artistic principles. The scientific novelty of the study lies in its identification of the unique artistic language of the Suzhou school, which was formed through the fusion of various cultural traditions. The methodological basis of this study was the work of specialists in Chinese art, as well as an art historical analysis of works from the Suzhou School of woodblock printing. A number of art historical methods were applied, each of which allowed for an analysis of the depiction of women in 18th-century Suzhou School of woodblock printing. Specifically, formal-stylistic, iconological, comparative, and historical-cultural methods were employed. The study identifies the main features of the representation of the female figure in Suzhou woodblock printing. It was established that the school's masters successfully adapted European techniques of chiaroscuro modeling and perspective construction, while preserving the fundamental principles of Chinese aesthetics. Particular attention was paid to studying changes in the canons of female beauty, compositional solutions, and costume detailing. The study revealed that the school's works reinterpreted traditional notions of female beauty, taking into account new aesthetic ideals. The results of the study demonstrate that the Suzhou school created a unique system of depicting women, seamlessly blending classical canons with innovative techniques. This not only expanded the expressive potential of art but also reflected changes in the perception of women in 18th-century Chinese society.