Yu Xiaofu’s Historical Painting Language: A New Paradigm of Spatio-Temporal Reconstruction and Visual Narrative

The subject of this research is the formation and functioning of the language of historical painting by Yu Xiaofu in the context of the contemporary artistic process. The object of study is his works on historical themes, in which the artist constructs a unique system of visual expression. The author analyzes in detail aspects such as the use of the technique of "spatial-temporal displacement," the creation of a dialogical narrative model, the dramatic organization of composition, as well as the synthesis of realistic modeling with the calligraphic expression of Chinese painting "xi-yin." Special attention is given to how Yu Xiaofu integrates the spirit of Chinese cultural tradition into the medium of oil painting, transforming historical representation into an open intertemporal communication rather than a linear reproduction of the past. The study emphasizes that Yu Xiaofu's artistic practice not only expands the expressive possibilities of Chinese historical painting but also demonstrates a commitment to preserving cultural identity in the context of globalization, as well as renewing the artistic language based on a national aesthetic model. The research employs comparative-historical analysis, iconographic analysis, and formal-stylistic methods, which allow for a comprehensive identification of the specifics of the language of historical painting by Yu Xiaofu. The main conclusions of the conducted study are that Yu Xiaofu has formed a unique language of historical painting that combines spatial-temporal displacement, a dialogical narrative model, and the synthesis of realistic and expressively calligraphic elements. His creativity demonstrates the possibility of renewing the historical genre in the context of globalization while maintaining a national cultural position. The author's significant contribution lies in the comprehensive analysis of the visual, cultural, and aesthetic mechanisms that define the specificity of Yu Xiaofu's artistic method, as well as in identifying the connection between his worldview, scenographic thinking, and the formation of a new model of historical narrative. The novelty of the research is manifested in the fact that it systematically considers Yu Xiaofu's historical painting for the first time as a modern intertemporal communicative structure that reveals the potential of the national artistic tradition in the creation of a new type of visual historical representation.

Yu Xiaofu, historical painting, oil painting language, Shanghai painting, spatio-temporal displacement, visual narrative, Shanghai culture, humanistic spirit, national identity, theatricality