Abstract: By combing through the process of scholar Huang Binhong’s three times of “being” discovered in the field of modern art， this study finds that the development of Chinese and Western art presents different orientations in their transition from tradition to modernity. The West regards“aesthetic self-discipline” as the symbol of modern art， while Chinese art always emphasizes its sociality. For social acceptance， art arena is always subjected to politics， academic opinions， and economic interests. The three times of Huang Binhong“being” discovered， political， academic， and economic factors all play an important role that can not be ignored. The generalist and independent quality of Chinese scholar-artists marks the difference between the Chinese and the Western art field. First, Bourdieu’s“loser wins” phenomenon would be seen by scholar-artists such Huang Binhong as rooted in cultural logic rather than in economic logic in the West. Second, with the development of occupational specialization in modern China， the generalist quality of scholar-artists tends to give in to more specific professional identities such as“painter”. Nevertheless, scholar-artists， with the help of unique intermediaries，continue to exert their influence on the Chinese modern art in a two-way interaction with the art field.

Key words: scholars, art field, aesthetic self -discipline, discovery, narrowing