Some of the 200 paintings, prints and porcelain pieces, including My Home in Hangzhou and Untitled (Portrait of Lan Lan) donated by the family of Zao Wou-ki. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
When the China Academy of Art was founded in 1928 near West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province by Cai Yuanpei, the scholar and educator explained in his speech the importance of art education. He said the academy should fill minds and hearts otherwise occupied by superstitious ideas, with the beauty of art, to help people live fulfilling lives through the pursuit of beauty.
Now, with three campuses in Hangzhou, the academy has turned their 97th anniversary into an occasion to announce developments and plans for art education at the academy, and among the public.
The celebration is being marked by a full program, including the inauguration of the Zao Wou-ki Research Center, which is based on a nucleus of work and documents donated by the artist's family. A graduate of the academy, Zao rose to international prominence for his semi-abstract oils that blended Western and Chinese aesthetics.
Some of the 200 paintings, prints and porcelain pieces, including My Home in Hangzhou and Untitled (Portrait of Lan Lan) donated by the family of Zao Wou-ki. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A Chinese Calligraphy and Seal Research Center has also been set up. The academy has been focusing on teaching classical Chinese ink art, including calligraphy and seal engraving, two integral parts of the tradition.
A Xiao Feng Art Museum has also been opened. Named after the 93-year-old oil painter who studied and taught at the China Academy of Art for decades, its opening exhibition is a display of work by Xiao and his late wife Song Ren, who was a professor of oil painting at the academy before retiring.
Thanks to a generous donation from Xiao, the museum owns more than 500 pieces of their art, and the exhibition navigates the couple's artistic journey of some eight decades, reflecting in the process developments to national art and art education.
Some of the 200 paintings, prints and porcelain pieces, including My Home in Hangzhou and Untitled (Portrait of Lan Lan) donated by the family of Zao Wou-ki. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Some of the 200 paintings, prints and porcelain pieces, including My Home in Hangzhou and Untitled (Portrait of Lan Lan) donated by the family of Zao Wou-ki. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Xiao Feng at the opening ceremony for his eponymous art museum which is dedicated to the art of the 97-year-old painter and his late wife, Song Ren. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A drawing of Xiao Feng. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A painting of Song Ren. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The ongoing Black Myth: Wukong Art Exhibition at the Art Museum of the China Academy of Art, is part of celebrations for its 97th anniversary. Several of its graduates were involved in the production of the RPG video game. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
