As a "new tradition and living culture" that has grown from the open and innovative soil of Shenzhen, "design" activates the urban genes of Shenzhen with a "pioneering" attitude, becoming the most distinctive urban cultural form of Shenzhen.

As an art museum in China that regards "design" as its main academic positioning, Guan Shanyue Art Museum takes the lead in promoting the integration and development of Shenzhen culture and design through design as a medium. As early as 1999, Guan Shanyue Art Museum hosted the "9th National Art Exhibition - Art and Design Exhibition", which was the first "Art and Design" exhibition area in the national art exhibition and had epoch-making significance in the Chinese art and design industry. Afterwards, Guan Shanyue Art Museum successively held important exhibitions and forums such as the "Graphic Design in China" series exhibition, the "11th National Art Exhibition · Art Design Exhibition", the "2009 (Shenzhen) International Design Forum", and the "International Design Masters Series Exhibition", deepening the exploration in the field of design. In 2012, the Ministry of Culture of China held the "China Design Exhibition" in Shenzhen, and it has been successfully held for four sessions so far. As the executing agency, Guan Shanyue Art Museum has accumulated rich experience and resources in the organization process of the exhibition. Since 2017, Guan Shanyue Art Museum has launched a series of academic projects called "Salute to Design", which systematically reviews and studies the main achievements and contributions of Chinese design masters, further consolidating its academic foundation in the field of design research

Over the past 28 years since its opening, Guan Shanyue Art Museum has accumulated rich experience in design art research and exhibition planning by hosting important design art exhibitions, competitions, and forums at home and abroad. Through targeted collection, it has also formed a collection of contemporary design art. As of now, the Guanshan Yue Art Museum has a total of 3203 design collections from both domestic and international sources, including works by renowned designers as well as selected and award-winning works from international and domestic design exhibitions. It has formed a collection system and characteristics mainly focused on graphic design. These rich and diverse design works have brought cultural accumulation to the city of Shenzhen, while also providing strong academic support for the development of the design industry.

Starting from highlighting the cultural characteristics of Shenzhen and exploring the revitalization of our collection, this exhibition presents over 100 representative graphic design works from our museum's collection. I hope to showcase the important role of "design" as the "pioneer" of urban development through this exhibition, and stimulate the audience's thinking on the symbiotic relationship between design and urban innovation culture. In the future, Guan Shanyue Art Museum will continue to strengthen its collection efforts, with richer and more exquisite design collections, allowing the audience to enjoy the precious artistic wealth and cultural achievements accumulated by this young city of Shenzhen. Through the exhibition and research of its collection design, it will expand the influence and radiation of "Shenzhen design", better serve and promote the cultural construction of the city, and contribute greater strength to the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and the demonstration zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics!

Shenzhen Guanshanyue Art Museum

June 2025

The exhibition is based on General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Two Mountains" theory that "green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver", and revolves around the academic positioning of our museum as "Guan Shan Yue Art and Chinese Art in the Middle and Late 20th Century". It is based on the collection of landscape, flower and bird paintings from the middle and late 20th century, supplemented by works of the same theme from the early 20th century and the new era. In the context of Chinese style modernization development guided by ecological civilization ideas, it aims to rediscover the new significance of the times contained in the collection of works.

The 20th century was the most dramatic period in the development of Chinese art, and it was also a century of great achievements. In the field of Chinese painting, a series of landmark events represented by the "Art Revolution" banner launched by Chen Duxiu and Lv Ying in 1918 broke the monopoly of "literati painting" and subsequently formed different forces, such as the traditional school represented by Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong; Academic and realistic ink painting schools represented by Xu Beihong and Jiang Zhaohe; The traditional "Beijing School" represented by Chen Shizeng and Jincheng; The Lingnan School of Painting, represented by Gao Jianfu and Guan Shanyue, emphasizes the integration of Chinese and Western painting; The group of artists represented by Lin Fengmian, known as the "Western Style with Chinese Characteristics"; The "Houhai School" represented by Wu Hufan and Zhang Daqian, and so on.

Entering the mid-20th century, especially with the establishment of New China, artists were in a transitional period of how to express the concept and image of socialist New China. Under the new ideology, works that entertain oneself, commemorate the ancients, and emphasize nature over society are gradually declining. Explore the rapid development of new traditional Chinese painting that is in harmony with national construction, real life, and the themes and styles of working people. In the field of landscape and flower and bird painting, gradually formed works with themes that conform to the ideals of socialist society, represented by depicting the socialist new countryside, the industrialization construction of New China, Mao Zedong's poetic landscape, and revolutionary holy land landscape.

After the reform and opening up, driven by various factors, China's open economy has been promoted, which in turn has accelerated China's accession to the globalization process. Chinese painting has gone through a stage of returning to art forms and borrowing and absorbing from Chinese and Western cultures. In the new century, the country has put forward the Scientific Outlook on Development based on the summary of reform experience. In the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping's scientific statement that 'green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver' has also revealed the relationship between economic development and ecological protection, that is, 'protecting the ecological environment is protecting productivity, and improving the ecological environment is developing productivity'.

New reality and new ideas will change the coordinates of past things in people's value system. Based on this, we have planned the "Two Mountains" series of collection exhibitions. 'Two Mountains' aims to reinterpret the work from the perspective of ecological civilization, and to experience the modern way of living in which humans and nature coexist harmoniously in the beautiful mountains and rivers of our motherland, characterized by the unity of heaven and man and the abundance of virtue. We hope that through exhibition, public education, communication and other ways, we can interact and learn with people who promote Chinese path to modernization in green waters and green mountains, and find the traces left by national development in a macro sense on individuals or regions from the perspective of art.

foreword

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during his inspection of the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University that art, science, and technology complement each other, promote each other, and complement each other. This profoundly elucidates the common logic of collaborative innovation between art and science in the process of building human civilization.

Guan Shanyue once said, "If I don't move, I won't paint. If I don't feel the stimulation of the earth, I won't paint." The word "move" runs through Guan Shanyue's artistic journey, and his footprints cover the southwest, northwest, Southeast Asia, Europe, and America of our country. His landscape painting sketches seek change and innovation in motion, ultimately becoming classics. This exhibition uses digital humanities research methods to explore the dialectical relationship between the perspective transformation, "painting path innovation", and the forms of mountains and rivers, emotions, and temporal and spatial changes in Guan Shanyue's journey of sketching. It presents and deeply analyzes the important significance of sketching behavior in the construction of Guan Shanyue's artistic style in digital form.

The launch of Wuhan University's Luojia-1 satellite in 2018 provided people with another dimension of viewing - an aerial perspective. In 2019, the exhibition "The Light Boat Has Passed Mount Wanzhong - Guanshan Yue and the Modern Scenery of the Yangtze River Gorge" for the first time combined the use of sketching data and geographic information systems (GIS) to present Mr. Guanshan Yue's 1978 Three Gorges sketching route. From then on, our museum collaborated with the Aerospace Information Department team at Wuhan University to systematically collect sketching data from Guan Shanyue's creative career. These data include the time period, time point, location, route direction, and related painting patterns, styles, and brushwork techniques of sketching. On this basis, this exhibition aims to re-examine Guan Shanyue's sketching journey from an aerial perspective and explore the path of the generation of her work style and style. The exhibition visualizes information, applies remote sensing images, digital AI and other technologies to construct and restore real-life scenes, presents more comprehensive geographic data and geomorphic features, traces back to the source, and explores the inherent connection and dialectical relationship between Guanshan Yue sketching activities and natural landscapes. Simultaneously providing intelligent interactive services, expecting viewers to gain diverse experiences and cognition from the presentation of visual space; To provide more intuitive visual materials for relevant researchers, helping them further explore the relationship between Guan Shanyue's artistic creation and the generation of landscape painting styles in the second half of the 20th century, and to explore the potential value and significance of Guan Shanyue's artistic activities.

foreword

Since 2017, the Guanshan Yue Art Museum in Shenzhen has launched a series of academic projects called "Salute to Design", which aims to systematically review and study the main achievements and contributions of Chinese design masters. The project has received long-term support from the Shenzhen Municipal Special Fund for the Development of Propaganda and Culture, and has held six case study exhibitions on Zhang Ding, Zhang Guangyu, Pang Xunquan, Zhou Lingzhao, Chen Zhifo, and Chen Hanmin.

The professional team of this project is composed of our museum's curatorial team and academic strength from domestic design professional colleges. This year, we will continue to collaborate with the School of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University to co host the "Salute to Design - Lei Guiyuan Design Literature Exhibition". The exhibition focuses on "Salute to Design" and aims to comprehensively present Lei Guiyuan's design ideas, achievements, and contributions in art practice and design education within the framework of 20th century design history.

Lei Guiyuan was the founder of modern design education in China, as well as a pioneer in modern Chinese arts and design practice. He was also the main creator of the only independent design institution during the Republic of China period, Sichuan Provincial Art College, and the first design higher education institution in New China, Central Academy of Arts and Crafts. I studied abroad in France in my early years and paid attention to the French decorative arts movement, studying arts and crafts and modern design. Under the influence of democratic and scientific ideas, he integrated teaching, research, and practice into one (i.e. the "trinity"), "from ancient times to the present, from home and abroad, with me as the main focus", and published more than ten works such as "New Pattern Studies" and "Theory and Practice of New Patterns", creating a far-reaching modern pattern study system in China. Creating a reasonable way of life "is his design ideal. He holds the educational ideals of" saving the country through aesthetic education "and" saving the country through industry ", faces the world, serves industry, and actively develops modern design education in China; He led teachers and students from the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts to participate in the decoration and interior design of the top ten buildings in the capital for the 10th anniversary of the National Day, creating a simple, bright, and elegant style of the times, laying the foundation for the aesthetic style of design in New China; He founded the "Pattern Professional Class" and, together with Zheng Ke, paved the way for industrial design education in higher education institutions in New China; He practiced and explored in the fields of craftsmanship, design, calligraphy and painting, and designed unique works of "New Drawing Studies".

The exhibition is divided into two sections: "Eternal Teacher" and "Boundless Artist". With more than 240 exhibits, combined with research illustrations and case studies from the curatorial team, it systematically sorts out and deeply displays Mr. Lei Guiyuan's "Trinity" and far-reaching "Pattern Life"; Presenting works with distinct personality style and unique decorative interest, combining solid skills and superb artistic taste; I believe this exhibition will allow us to rediscover the artistic ideas and personal charm of the older generation of artists, and inspire contemporary design to inherit and innovate traditional cultural contexts. It will also bring more design thinking to Shenzhen citizens.

This exhibition has received strong support from Ms. Guo Qiuhui and her academic team at the School of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University, as well as exhibits from Lei Guiyuan's family and the Tsinghua University Art Library, ensuring the academic quality of the exhibition. We would like to express our sincere gratitude!

Chen Junyu

Director of Guanshanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen

In the field of art, every creator is a shining star, outlining the outline of the sky with unique light. 

Lu Shan is a colleague and friend of mine, but when I saw her paintings, I suddenly felt an inexplicable 

sense of unfamiliarity. Facing her canvas was like facing a familiar stranger, more like standing in front 

of a mirror and staring at myself asking questions, and the reflection happened to constitute another 

latent cognition of self questioning, which may also be a specific mode of cognition of Lu Shan's 

paintings.

There are two types of themes that I pay more attention to in Lu Shan's works: one is the tragic bird 

with folded wings, and the other is the imagery landscape full of personal feelings. To be honest, it is 

surprising to first see these works. The vague and multiple metaphors in their paintings, the complexity

 and contradictions of deconstruction and recombination, and the heavy imagery constitute an 

oppressive and direct attack on the viewer. These works, whether in appearance or expression, do not 

quite fit the role of a female author; However, the content in her paintings is far from the secular world,

 and the emotions portrayed are abundant, revealing her personal feelings and the unique individual 

sentimentality of women. This contrast precisely interprets the author's unique inner existence and 

thus gains self-worth.

It is worth emphasizing that Lu Shan invests sincere emotions in her creation. She regards painting as

 a non utilitarian individual experience and subjective emotional experience. The author's unrestrained 

brushstrokes in front of the canvas are a sensory manifestation of her absolute spirit. Although her 

works are far from narrative and concrete objectivity, it is precisely this distance that allows individuals

 to truly manifest their hearts. From the integration of senses and spirit to the reorganization of 

personal discourse rhetoric, the connection between free will and life context, they are constantly 

reinterpreted and defined. In middle age, no one's life can be forced. The situation is like a fish 

drinking water, knowing its own warmth and coldness. Reading her works completely awakens everyone

's embodied experience and personal perception of facing unpredictable difficulties and being changed

 by fate. The psychological space constructed by the works directly interacts with the viewer, and the 

inner melody contained in her writing is like an explorer in a solitary spiritual world.

Undoubtedly, in terms of her work experience, Lu Shan has been working in an art museum and has

 been accustomed to the ever-changing world of art for decades. Her creations and achievements are

 undoubtedly the result of a long-term reflection on the attitude and significance of art by museum 

staff. As her friend, on the one hand, I am grateful for her. Painting is an instinctive need for the author, 

and it has quietly opened up a space for independent expression; On the other hand, the lingering 

darkness and anxiety in her works are worrying, despite her repeated emphasis that art is an 

opportunity for her to reconcile with the world, and I wish the glory of this reconciliation to fade away. 

In this world of art, I hope she can find true peace and light.

Today, Shenzhen Guanshanyue Art Museum and Xizang Art Museum jointly held Lu Shan's solo 

exhibition, presenting these works of Lu Shan to everyone. I hope every viewer can enter her artistic

 world, feel her inner questioning and changes, and experience that unique emotional resonance. 

Perhaps, in this process, we can also find our own reflection and achieve a deep dialogue with ourselves.

February 2025 in Shenzhen

Continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural nation, and construct modern 

civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the new era. 

"General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and 

Development comprehensively and systematically expounded a series of major theoretical and 

practical issues related to the inheritance and development of Chinese culture, providing us with 

ideological and action guidelines for shouldering new cultural missions and striving to build modern 

civilization of the Chinese nation.

As an important practice in the field of oil painting that actively responds to the call of the times,

 the "Cultural Heritage Inheritance - Exhibition of Works of the Chinese Freehand Oil Painting School"

 has been successfully held for nine consecutive sessions since its debut in 2015, becoming an 

important academic brand in the field of Chinese freehand oil painting.