The Painter from Shanghai: A Novel | 
| Author: Jennifer Cody Epstein
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 7403
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.5
ISBN: 0393065286
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780393065282
ASIN: 0393065286
Publication Date: March 31, 2008
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Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
Reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha, a re-imagining of the life of Pan Yuliang and her transformation from prostitute to post-Impressionist.
Down the muddy waters of the Yangtze River and into the seedy backrooms of "The Hall of Eternal Splendor," through the raucous glamour of prewar Shanghai and the bohemian splendor of 1920s Paris, and back to a China ripped apart by civil war and teetering on the brink of revolution: this novel tells the story of Pan Yuliang, one of the most talentedand provocativeChinese artists of the twentieth century.
Jennifer Cody Epstein's epic brings to life the woman behind the lush, Cezannesque nude self-portraits, capturing with lavish detail her life in the brothel and then as a concubine to a Republican official who would ultimately help her find her way as an artist. Moving with the tide of historical events, The Painter from Shanghai celebrates a singularly daring painting styleone that led to fame, notoriety, and, ultimately, a devastating choice: between Pan's art and the one great love of her life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
If you liked Memoirs of a Geisha you will love this book July 18, 2008
This is a remarkable fictionalized story of Pan Yuliang, a famous painter. What makes this book unique is the writing style that draws you into the bittersweet life of Pan Yuliang. Yes, she was sold into a brothel at the tender age of 14, but her resilance and luck of united with Pan Zunhua changes her life dramatically. He takes her in as his concubine, and then later as his second wife.
This story does not end there, which could have been a happy ending. Pan Yuliang would go onto study art, and become a famous painter despite her special view of life. She was fiercy independent, painting nudes, and being accepted into universities where a woman had never previously completed a program. She would go to Paris to continue her studies, and live in poverty. Yet, the story does not end there. She would go back to China.
Her life continues, her uniqueness, her resilience shines through this book. You can get a feel for what her life was like, and you can understand her as a person. She goes from the one being rescued, to the rescuer. This is much more realistic than the Memories of a Geisha, and leaves with such a warm affection for Pan Yuliang that you simply must pick up this book and read.
'Artists are after life's reflections, not life itself.' July 15, 2008
68 out of 70 found this review helpful
Jennifer Cody Epstein steps into the pantheon of fine contemporary writers with her first book THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI, a work of 'historical fiction' so polished in research, so rich in detail not only of the turbulent period in China during the first half of the 20th century, but also in the mysterious social customs of that country, and a source of insight into the changes in the manner in which the visual world was captured by artists as East and West met and married in the art capital of the world - Paris. Yet overriding all of this fascinating information is Epstein's gift for delivering a story of passion and love with a poetic prose style that comes together in this novel in a manner not unlike creating the painting technique that this novel's heroine describes her world. It is a grand feat and a work worth repeated readings.
Westerners may not be familiar with the name Pan Yuliang, one of the more important Chinese artists who influenced the Post-Impressionist art movement, but in Epstein's eloquent novel we grow to know this gifted artist from her birth as Xiuqing in 1895, and her early years as an orphan protected by her opium-addicted uncle who sold her into a brothel at age fourteen. Enough space is allotted in this tale to allow us to learn the traditions of the 'flower houses' and the brutalities and consequences of life as a prostitute, but Epstein is careful to balance the sad with the radiant in the relationship between the newly renamed Yuliang and her beautiful 'teacher' Jinling with whom she has her first love affair, and Yuliang's subsequent rescue from the brothel through the kindness and concern showered upon her by a handsome gentleman Pan Zanhua - the man with whom she not only enters into the relationship of being his concubine, but also benefits from his support of her position as a woman and as an artist.
The story spans Pan Yuliang's life from these early beginnings to her death in 1977, a life that brought her exposure to the West, with awards from the schools of art in China, Italy and France resulting in renown as a gifted artist who just happened to be a woman with a past, the many private and public pains she endured as her native country moved from the reign of the Emperors through the rise and fall of Chiang Kai-shek, the invasion by the Japanese, and the new order of Communism, and the influence of the world perception of art that included defeat of some of the finest artists as the battle of the sexes altered the perception of painting the nude figure as an acceptable subject matter in a climate of global turmoil.
Epstein manages to write as intricately about history and Chinese tradition as well as luminously about the act of creativity. Few writers can match the descriptive language of the emergence of the visual: 'But true art must contain an emotional range that speaks to the viewer. Speaks...not by lulling them into a false sense of complacency, but by probing. Challenging. Even hurting, if need be. Anything to force us beyond life's easier thoughts.' 'Has it ever occurred to you that our wounds are what drive us to create?...What if those who've lost something compensate for it in their work? In that case the damage helps them. It's what compels them to create...And it might explain why the best artists tend to be the poorest.'
THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI begs to become a film. But until that happens, this elegant and passionate book is one to treasure repeatedly. It is a work of art. Grady Harp, July 08
The Painter of Shanghai July 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Xiuqing grew up believing that she was destined to become an artist, the next great female poet or perhaps a talented painter. When her mother died, little Xiu was taken in by her uncle. While he fanned her dreams, his own opium addiction would take the young girl on a very different path. Thus, at fourteen, Xiuqing became Yuliang, one of the girls working at The Hall of Eternal Splendor.
For several years, Yuliang's existence was dictated by the whims of the Godmother who ran The Hall and the men who frequently the establishment. However, after the murder of her best friend, Yuliang's life suddenly changed. She met a man who appreciated and encouraged her natural curiosity and love of learning so that Pan Yuliang's true talents could eventually surface.
If you liked Memoirs of a Geisha, you'll love The Painter of Shanghai. Both stories share the stories of young girls thrown into a world beyond their comprehension who rise above their circumstances. However, I have to admit that I actually preferred The Painter of Shanghai. In life, Pan Yuliang was a courageous woman who followed her truth no matter what the consequences. Her strength and perseverance is an inspiration to us all.
A fictionalized novel of the life of Pan Yuliang... June 21, 2008
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com
The Painter From Shanghai is a fictional account of the life of Pan Yuliang. She was born Xiuqing in 1895, orphaned at five, and raised by an opium-addicted uncle. At fourteen, he sold her to a brothel, The Hall of Eternal Splendor, where her name was changed to Yuliang.
Jinling becomes her mentor, friend, and lover, helping her to adjust to her new life. A government official, Pan Zanhua, buys her contract and makes her his second wife. It was during her marriage that she began painting. The influence of her younger life was a factor in her art. The culture she lived in did not appreciate her great talent for painting female nudes. Her work was considered shameless and pornographic. She was forced to move to France where she resided until the time of her death.
The details in Painter From Shanghai are amazing. Jennifer Cody Epstein uses words to paint a stunning portrait of Yuliang and the China she lived in. Written with beauty and intelligence, Painter From Shanghai will mesmerize readers. In this novel, her husband deeply loves her, but Yuliang was never truly capable of returning that love. Painter From Shanghai is a work of epic proportions.
A Captivating Journey June 12, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been transported, which is, in my opinion, the best thing you can feel at the end of a novel, especially historical fiction. THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI is a captivating journey to an unfamiliar land, culture and time; a fascinating introduction to a remarkable woman. The amazing bonus here is that the main character, Pan Yuliang, child-prostitute-turned-acclaimed-artist, really did exist.
Pan Yuliang was born in China in the early years of the 20th century. Orphaned at a young age, she lived with her opium-addicted uncle, who sold her to a brothel at age 14, for drug money. Unlike the vast majority of women sold into sexual slavery, Yuliang was able to escape. Through sheer force of will and an undeniable, irrepressible artistic talent, she ultimately transformed herself into one of China's most pioneering modern painters.
Not without controversy and challenge: Unable to find models to pose nude for her in China's Confucian-based society in the 20's and 30's, she often resorted to painting herself nude -- gorgeous, lush and provocative paintings that evoke Cezanne and Matisse, and led to fame and infamy both at home and abroad. Ultimately clashing with the neo-Conservative movement in China, just prior to the revolution of 1949, she left China and lived the rest of her life in relative obscurity in Paris.
I was a little skeptical about this book, in the early chapters. How authentic and accurate could all of this be? It certainly read well, but I wondered: Is the author Chinese? (Jennifer Cody Epstein? Chinese heritage doubtful, at best.) Did she live or visit China extensively? Study Chinese history and culture? Art?
These questions were an issue only very early on. As the story unfolded, THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI, became an epic novel of place and time, with glimpses of politics and history, and world-changing events in the background of this unconventional woman's incredible personal and artistic struggle to survive and create, to fulfill her own destiny.
THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI is thoroughly-researched and richly-imagined by a very talented writer. Turns out, Jennifer Cody Epstein has a BA in Asian Studies; a Masters in International Relations; lived seven years in Asia; and researched extensively for this book during her MFA program at Columbia University.
Enjoy THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI as a fictional biography, based on a real life. Allow yourself to submerge in a re-imagined masterpiece, rich with accurate detail and authenticity.
To learn more about Jennifer Cody Epstein and THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI, don't miss the Focus on the Author feature interview on [...].
-- Sherri Caldwell, Humor Columnist & Reviewer at [...]
Co-Author, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!
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