On April 10, the exhibition Among the Flowers: Tang and Song Lyrical Paintings opened at NJU at Xianlin. Zou Yajun, Standing Member of CPC NJU Committee and Vice President of NJU, and Jiang Hongwei, Deputy Director of the Chinese National Academy of Arts and Doctoral Supervisor at Chinese National Academy of Painting, attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Shi Mei, Deputy Director of NJU Museum and Library.
On behalf of NJU, Zou welcomed the guests to the opening ceremony. He pointed out that artistic creation should combine contemporary life with traditional culture. One of the highlights of this exhibition is that all the paintings on exhibition are matched with Tang and Song poems selected by NJU students. This is another wonderful attempt at innovative development and creative transformation of traditional culture. He expressed the hope that teachers and students will take such activities as an opportunity to further deepen their understanding and love of traditional culture and modern art, and make due contributions to strengthening the cultural consciousness and cultural confidence of the Chinese nation.
Jiang Hongwei said that this exhibition makes full use of the past for the present and the generates new ideas from old ones. Creating paintings inspired by Tang and Song poems shows that “for paintings and poetry alike, the criteria for poetry and painting are naturalness and freshness.”
Lu Qinglong, Vice Chairman of Association of Jiangsu Artists and Vice Dean of NJU School of Arts, said that the art creations on display are the natural expression of the painters’ dedication and diligence over the past ten years. They combine the elegant style of Chinese painting with modernized classical sentiments. It is wonderful to have them on display on campus.
Li Yuqi, the current president of NJU Poetry Club “Under the Greenwood Tree”, explained that the students from their poetry club chose the lines from Tang and Song poems to match the paintings. The process made students appreciate more deeply the craftsmanship of the contemporary painters and the poesy of the ancient lyricists.
The exhibition, displayed at the Art Museum from April 10 to May 10, is co-organized by NJU Museum and the School of Liberal Arts, with Cheng Zhangcan, Director of the Institute of Ancient Literature and Professor at the School of Liberal Arts as the academic supervisor.
Through the exchange and interaction between painters and students, the exhibition promotes the integration of modern painting and Tang and Song poetry, modern aesthetics and classical sentiments, contemporary context and traditional ink and brush. It provides a wonderful opportunity for NJU students and teachers to experience art and converse with masters at a closer distance.
Translator: Yin Yixin
Editors: Chen Xing, Shao Yihang
