Page 222 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

222

flower paintings by Alison Stilwell (Fig.75). The title of the New York Times report,

“Stilwell Art Show: Work of General’s Daughter on Exhibition Here,” 425 indicated that

the artist was identified by the press primarily as the daughter of Lieut. Gen. Joseph W.

Stilwell, who played a critical role in China-US relations in the 1940s. The exhibition,

therefore, needed be viewed against the backdrop of international politics during World

War II. In the 1940s China was brought into America’s global strategy. According to the

1941 Atlantic Charter issued by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, “By

subscribing to them, China would join the Anglo-American democracies and make the

war against Japan part of the global struggle for democracy.” (Iriye 1986, 528-9) It is in

this context that General Stilwell was sent to China under the order of President

Roosevelt to serve as commander of U.S. forces in China and as Chief-of-Staff to

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

The idyllic landscapes, beautiful flowers, and charming ladies in Alison Stilwell’s

work formed a stark contrast with the brutal battleground where her father was fighting.

The photographs in the New York Times showed the general leading 400 American,

British, and Chinese officers and enlisted men out of Burma during his retreat from the

Japanese in 1942, and the General Stilwell as the stern pursuer of the enemy in 1944 (Fig.

76). 426 The exhibition of works by Alison Stilwell at Loo’s gallery suggested not only the

contrasting but also the complementary role of the father and daughter. Joseph Stilwell

was portrayed in the American press as a hero who respected Chinese people and culture,

425
“Stilwell Art Show: Work of General’s Daughter on Exhibition Here,” New York
Times, May 11, 1943.
426 “General Stilwell Dies: China-Burma Hero Headed 6 th Army,” New York Times,
October 13, 1946.