In traditional museum studies, the main function of art museums is to collect, display, and study collections. The "New Museology" proposed in 1984 emphasizes the shift of the core of art museums from the study of objects to a human centered approach. With the widespread application of computer and network technology, China began to enter the construction of digital art museums in the late 1990s. The theme of International Museum Day 2022 is "The Power of Museums", specifically "The Power of Achieving Sustainable Development, the Power of Digitalization and Accessibility Innovation, and the Power of Community Building through Education.". The current art museums have a trend towards becoming a vast information complex, gradually shifting from simple digital construction to exploring the new intelligent system of digital art museums. The external information dissemination of art museums has also shifted from one-way output to two-way communication with audiences, and constructed new possibilities for growth in the future. We need to discuss and utilize digital technology in the context of an information age to enable art museums to better and sustainably provide higher quality public cultural services to the whole society.

 In view of this, the "Digital Era and the Future of Art Museums" academic forum will invite professionals from representative and important institutions in China, as well as interdisciplinary digital technology experts, to discuss the development and construction of digital art museums, exploration and practice in the technical field, as well as the expectations and challenges of digital art museums.

Date: December 11, 2022

Format: Tencent Meeting QR Code

Chief Academic Host: Zhang Zikang, Director of the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts

Host: Zhang Xinying, Chief Editor of Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum

Meng Yao, Editor in Chief of Illustrated Magazine

Organizers: Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum and "Illustrated Magazine"

Funding: Shenzhen Special Fund for Propaganda and Cultural Development

Jinggangshan is the cradle of the Chinese revolution and the spiritual home of the CPC.  Jinggangshan is the cradle of the Chinese revolution and the spiritual home of the CPC. President Xi Jinping pointed out that "the most precious wealth left to us during the Jinggangshan period is the spirit of Jinggangshan that transcends time and space." Against the strategic background of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen has entered a golden development period driven by the "dual zone". Through the research and exhibition of the Jinggangshan themed works by Guan Shanyue, we have used our ideals and beliefs as a light to illuminate the way forward, transforming them into a persistent pursuit of our goals, a steadfast commitment to noble sentiments, and a courageous commitment to difficulties and obstacles.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Guan Shanyue Art Museum and to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Mr. Guan Shanyue's birth, this year the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has carefully planned and launched the annual academic exhibition of Guan Shanyue in its collection, "High Road to the Cloud: Spiritual Shaping and Looking Back at Jinggang Mountain and Water". The exhibition was supported by the Shenzhen Municipal Propaganda and Culture Fund and was selected for the 2022 National Fine Arts Museum Collection Exhibition Season project by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. We strive to carry out curatorial narratives through in-depth academic research and vivid exhibition forms, striving to present excellent exhibitions with profound thoughts, emotional warmth, and artistic height that people love. The exhibition takes Mr. Guan Shanyue's Jinggangshan themed works in the collection as the core, with the integration of artistic form and revolutionary spirit as the entry point. Through the organic connection and resonance between artistic works and revolutionary cultural relics, it leads the audience back to the historical time and space of the revolutionary cradle of Jinggangshan, establishes a channel for combining aesthetic education with revolutionary historical education, and excavates, interprets, and transmits the connotation of the revolutionary spirit of Jinggangshan at the artistic level. The establishment of the revolutionary path in Jinggangshan and the breakthrough of new Chinese landscape painting also form a meaningful contrast, jointly shaping and awakening the memories of a period of time.

The exhibition is divided into four parts: "towering and majestic, starry fire", "holy sites climbing, full of emotions", "Jinggang charming, overflowing with meaning", and "form and spirit melting, spreading". A total of 29 Guanshan Yue Jinggang Mountain themed landscape paintings and 5 borrowed works are exhibited in the museum's collection. Most of these works were created in 1962, 1972, and 1977, reflecting Mr. Guan Shanyue's repeated deliberation and exploration of the theme of Jinggangshan at different times. These special themes rich in revolutionary spirit not only did not limit Guan Shanyue's exploration of the brush and ink language in landscape painting, but also allowed him to transform the forms, colors, and rhymes triggered by the themes into pioneering explorations of traditional brush and ink language, making him the culmination of modern brush and ink language in Chinese landscape painting at the end of the 20th century.

Looking back at the Chinese painting scene of the 20th century, the red landscape painting represented by the Jinggangshan theme that emerged in the 1950s and 1970s was not only an intuitive and pure spiritual feedback and cultural memory of the specific era after the founding of New China, but also an aesthetic image of the people's hearts during that period. It became a common theme for artists to create landscape paintings at that time, and was a rare opportunity for innovation and transformation in their creative ideas and language exploration.

Chen Xiangbo, Director of Shenzhen Guanshan Yue Art Museum

Exhibition site

"Jinggangshan" by Guan Shanyue

In 1984, People's Fine Arts Publishing House

Preface to "Jinggangshan" (excerpt)

Jinggangshan - this resounding name, even children know it. It is the cradle of the Chinese revolution and the famous revolutionary base founded by Chairman Mao both domestically and internationally. Its history is so colorful, tragic and moving; This glorious flag has triumphantly flown for half a century; Until now, it seems that we can still hear the footsteps of this newly established people's armed forces, circling and echoing in this lush forest and the undulating peaks

How to praise the unparalleled heroic spirit of this revolutionary holy land? How to depict these high mountains, the most beautiful and beautiful mountains and rivers? How to reflect the victorious beginning of the great Mao Zedong Thought? Is this something that can be expressed with a paintbrush? I feel a surge of emotions, but at the same time, I feel powerless.

Learning is naturally indispensable. I have read Chairman Mao's 1928 poem "The Struggle in Jinggangshan" many times. In this article, Chairman Mao drew a distinct outline for the Jinggangshan base area. Chairman Mao said, "Jinggangshan is located at the intersection of Ninggang, Lingxian, Suichuan, and Yongxin counties. To the north is Maoping in Ninggang, and to the south is Huanggui in Suichuan, with a distance of 90 miles between the two. To the east is Nashan in Yongxin, and to the west is Shuikou in Lingxian, with a distance of 80 miles between the two." The total distance between the two is 550 miles. Obviously, this is just a floor plan. Chairman Mao once again said, "Throughout the mountains, there are paddy fields and villages, and fortifications have been built on mountain passes." If there is sufficient supply, the enemy cannot enter. ". Chairman Mao repeatedly mentioned that "it is necessary to take advantage of mountain risks in the red regime surrounding the white regime.". This pointed out to me the focus of looking at the problem: the grandeur, grandeur, and danger of Jinggangshan are closely related to the revolutionary war, the establishment and persistence of revolutionary base areas.

What is most inspiring is Chairman Mao's poetry about Jinggangshan.

At The Foot Of The Mountain, Flags Are Waving, And At The Top Of The Mountain, Drums And Horns Are Heard. The Enemy Is Besieging Countless Times, And I Remain Steadfast. The reorganized defensive fortifications are now well prepared, so we are more united as if a fortress has been built. The Sound Of Gunfire Echoed On The Huangyang Boundary, Reporting The Enemy's Escape At Night. "Xijiang Moon: Jinggangshan"

I have had grand ambitions for a long time, and today I am once again climbing Mount Jinggang.Thousands of miles to search for the old place, the old looks change into new ones.Everywhere warblers sing and swallows dance, there is even babbling water, and the high road leads into the clouds.After Crossing The Huangyang Boundary, There Is No Need To Look At Dangerous Places. The Wind And Thunder Move, The Flags Are Fluttering, It Is The World. Thirty Eight Years Have Passed, With A Flick Of A Finger. By flying towards the sky to pick the moon, one can also dive into the deep sea to catch fish or turtles, and sing triumphant songs while chatting and laughing.There Is Nothing Difficult In The World, As Long As You Are Willing To Climb. "Shui Diao Ge Tou: Returning To Jinggangshan"

From these two words, we can clearly see the "old appearance" and "new appearance" of Jinggangshan. At that time, Jinggangshan was steep and dense, with undulating peaks and continuous valleys, making it a battlefield filled with artillery fire. Thirty eight years later, it has become Xintiandi, where "Everywhere warblers sing and swallows dance, there is even babbling water". Many poems depict Jinggangshan as extremely dangerous, majestic, and solemn. And all of these are based on the needs of war and the establishment of revolutionary base areas, rather than simply from the perspective of the beauty of nature. For example, the grandeur of this mountain is the grandeur of the revolutionary war momentum; This danger is a favorable condition for the Red regime; This solemnity is the inviolable dignity of the revolutionary regime and revolutionary base areas. As a landscape painter, I believe that only with such basic ideas can we discover the beauty of the landscape here. Otherwise, appreciating its unique peaks, waterfalls, flowing water, and clouds in isolation, and using it as a way to express one's personal interest in mountain and water tourism,that would make a very serious topic vulgar and meaningless.

I also gained the same inspiration from the poems of comrades such as Zhu De, Dong Lao, and Chen Yi. Comrade Zhu De's poem states: "Revolutionary heroes will gather in Jinggang, concentrating their strength to become stronger. After the leadership of the Red Army was elevated, the Five Breakthroughs Siege consolidated the battlefield." Jinggang's meeting marks the starting point for the increasingly powerful revolutionary forces to crush the enemy's five encirclements and suppression campaigns. Mr. Dong's poem goes: "The cradle of revolution, Jinggangshan is famous. It is connected to Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, and people gather in Maoziping. It is surrounded by mountains and obstacles on all sides, and five rivers are winding and lingering around it. The red root has been deeply rooted, and today it is thriving." This makes me pay close attention to the scenery of the meeting place of Ciping and the scenery of "four mountains and obstacles, and five rivers are winding and lingering around it". Comrade Chen Yi's poem "Counterattacking Longyan in Tingzhou" reads: "The Fujian Jiangxi Road is thousands of miles away, and the spring flowers are laughing and spitting red. The iron army is really iron, and they have taken Tingzhou and Longyan at one fling." This overwhelming and joyful mood deeply infected me. My works "Flying Waterfalls and Flowing Rivers" and "Splendid Mountains and Flowers" have some meaning of "spring flowers laughing and spitting red".

In short. From the poems of many of our revolutionary predecessors, I can feel to some extent the struggle situation in Jinggangshan at that time, and to some extent the majestic spirit of this high mountain range; From their strong willpower and optimistic revolutionary spirit, I can somewhat appreciate the poetic and picturesque charm of this great revolutionary cradle. In order to strengthen my understanding of Jinggangshan, to confirm the poetic and picturesque meanings I have gained from books and poetry, and to explore the structure and painting techniques of this 500 mile stretch of Jinggangshan, I have crossed Jinggangshan three times. I have made many sketches and come up with various structures. On one hand, I want to highlight various famous places (such as Huangyangjie, Zhushachong, Ciping, etc.), and at the same time, I want to have a panoramic view of the scenery over 500 miles away. Fortunately, I finally divided it into two scrolls and drew it. Although I still feel less than ideal. Not satisfied enough.

From the creation of this Jinggangshan scroll painting, I deeply feel the difficulty of Chairman Mao's teaching of "the unity of politics and art, the unity of content and form, the unity of revolutionary political content and the most perfect artistic form". I am not sure if this attempt can reach one thousandth of this level, and whether it can express one thousandth of the brilliant image that I want to express in my mind.

Guan Shanyue

In 1981, in Guangzhou

The exhibition mainly includes the following aspects:

After 25 years of hard work, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has successfully explored a development path that combines the functions of the Famous Masters Memorial Museum with the National Art Museum, complementing the development of Shenzhen's urban culture and the construction of the art museum. It has established an academic positioning led by "Guan Shanyue Art and Research on Chinese Art and Contemporary Design Art in the Middle and Late 20th Century", and created an exhibition brand for Guan Shanyue Art and Chinese Art and Contemporary Design Art in the Middle and Late 20th Century. It has formed a collection system characterized by Guan Shanyue Art and Chinese Art and Contemporary Design Art in the Middle and Late 20th Century, as well as excellent contemporary art works both domestically and internationally. From exhibition halls to contemporary art museums, from elegant art halls to high-quality public cultural service spaces, in 25 years, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has witnessed two important transformation nodes in the development of China's art museum industry. Now, feeling the pulse of the digital age, it will embark on a new journey.

"Yuan" has various definitions in traditional Chinese culture, such as "initial", "origin", "infinite", etc. Here, it takes the meaning of "origin" and "infinite". Data is the foundation of infinite digital change, and the accumulation, research, and application of data are also the most core issues faced by future digital art museums. In the 25 years since its establishment, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has accumulated a collection of more than 8000 items, among which Guan Shanyue's works, letters, manuscripts, and other collected literature are the most precious. The wide coverage and large number of its literature make the Guan Shanyue Art Museum undoubtedly an important center for global research on Guan Shanyue art and the development of Chinese art in the 20th century through Guan Shanyue art research. In 2015, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum began to launch the "Guan Shanyue Digital Humanities Research" project based on digital technology. This section focuses on the digital presentation of Guan Shanyue's works and the achievements of Guan Shanyue's digital humanities research project, showcasing to the public a work model of digital art museum data collection, accumulation, research, and expansion application that is parallel to traditional art museum collection, research, and promotion education work.

"Yuan" Exhibition Scene Map

"Jie" refers to the boundary and scope, and when used as a verb, it also means defining, adjacency, division, and definition. Here we take the meaning of criticality and conversion. In the 25 years since its establishment, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has witnessed an important transformation of the Chinese art museum industry from an exhibition hall to a modern art museum, from an elegant art hall to a tasteful public cultural service space. Located in an important window city in southern China, it has also witnessed the development process of China's reform, opening up, and innovation. It is precisely under the inspiration of such pioneering spirit that the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has been keeping up with the pace of the times for 25 years, adjusting its positioning, and planning and organizing academic activities that have been repeatedly selected by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the "Collection Fine Exhibition Season", "National Art Museum Excellent Exhibition Project", and "National Art Museum Excellent Public Education Project". In 2011, it was named one of the first "National Key Art Museums" by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. With the increasingly widespread application of digital technology in people's daily lives, its proportion in various aspects such as exhibition, research, and public services in art museums is also increasing. Based on this trend, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum has timely launched the Guan Shanyue Art Museum on the basis of the "Guan Shanyue Digital Humanities Research" in the past decade? Digital Gallery. This is not just a simple intervention of digital technology in the business of traditional art museums, but also a transformation and upgrading of traditional art museums in the context of the digital age, aiming to break through the limitations of time and space in a way that is more closely related to people's daily lives and habits, and provide higher quality public cultural services to the general public.

"Jie" Exhibition Scene Map

AR (Augmented Reality) "Mountain Village Leap Forward Map"

The painting of "Leap Forward in Mountain Villages" was completed in 1958. At that time, Guan Shanyue from Wuhan Central South Art College, in response to the national trend of rural labor in the art industry, accompanied a Hubei higher education system tour group to visit Li Dagui's mountainous water conservancy construction in Lijiawan, Xijiadian, Jun County. After returning to Wuhan, Guan Shanyue couldn't resist reflecting on this meaningful new theme because the themes were too rich and difficult to summarize, so she had to use the traditional form of long scrolls. It took more than three months to complete the "Mountain Village Leap Forward Map". This work follows the chronological order of winter, spring, summer, and autumn, with the national agricultural water conservancy construction in the early period of New China as the background. It provides a panoramic depiction of the touching scenes of digging mountains and canals, diverting water up the mountains, constructing reservoirs, rural construction, and reaping bountiful harvests in Jun County, Hubei Province. This exhibition relies on AR (Augmented Reality) technology to digitize the presentation of this artwork. The original information of the artwork is digitally interpreted and compiled through a computer system, bringing the static artwork to life and enhancing the audience's perception and experience of the current social reality.

Physical and sensory interaction "Lianhua Mountain is shrouded in brilliant clouds and rosy clouds"

This work digitally deconstructs the Chinese painting work "Lianhua Mountain is shrouded in brilliant clouds and rosy clouds" by painter Chen Xiangbo, which portrays the achievements of Shenzhen's reform, opening up, and construction. Combined with the use of sensory interaction technology, two-dimensional painting art is derived and transformed from material form to digital form, creating a visual and auditory experience space where audiences and works can interact and communicate. The audience can immerse themselves in the changing scenery, engage in dialogue with technology, and exchange ideas with art. They can not only intuitively experience the transformation of Shenzhen from a border town to an international metropolis, but also immerse themselves in the artistic conception of traditional painting and appreciate the charm of classical aesthetics.

The Guan Shanyue Digital Art Museum was initially completed and began trial operation by the end of 2021. In early 2022, it applied for the city level standards for digital art museums and was approved. It is a systematic digital platform built in the form of a virtual community, including 1 portal, 4 professional platforms, 6 main application systems, and 5 infrastructure construction entities. Covering several aspects, including a smart management platform for urban art museums, an open virtual community for art museums, professional data collection management and expansion research laboratories, and forward-looking research on digital art museum standards. And it will be open to the public in the near future through four business modules: collection center, research center, exhibition center, and education center. This never-ending art museum will provide high-quality public cultural services to the public 24/7. This exhibition relies on VR (Virtual Reality) virtual reality technology and utilizes various technological means such as computer technology, computer graphics technology, and sensing technology to construct an immersive virtual Guan Shanyue Digital Art Museum. Visitors can experience the public cultural services that Guan Shanyue Digital Art Museum will provide to the public through multi sensory experiences, which are different from traditional art museums. At the same time, relying on digital twin technology, two types of online interactive experience modes, mobile and PC, have been developed, allowing more viewers to freely walk through the art museum through online means.

Realistic view of Hall D

Current · Reset -2021 Guan Shanyue Art Museum Creative Institute Exhibition (Fifth Session)

Exhibition Preface

2021 is a year of special importance in the process of China's modernization drive, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the CPC, a year when the people of the country have gone through the pandemic test to re-establish order, and the first year of the second centennial journey and the 14th Five Year Plan. The scientific connotation of high-quality development in the important speech of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping attending the 40th anniversary celebration conference of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and inspecting Guangzhou and Shenzhen reminds us that only by promoting high-quality development of cultural undertakings can we better meet the people's new expectations for spiritual and cultural life. Based on this, the Guan Shanyue Art Museum adheres to the spirit of "nurturing new opportunities in crisis and opening up new opportunities in change", as well as the mission of building a high-quality urban cultural new bureau. The Guan Shanyue Art Museum has gathered the latest outstanding creative achievements of Shenzhen's core creative forces and held the "Current · Reconstruction -2021 Guan Shan Yue Art Museum Creative Institute Exhibition (Fifth Session)".

The Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum is the first public cultural institution in China to carry out corporate governance structure reform. Since its establishment, it has adhered to the development strategy of "striving to create a modern art museum based on the collection, combining the functions of the Art Masters Memorial Museum with the National Art Museum, and adapting to the development of Shenzhen's urban culture". In practice, it has gradually established the development concept of "research as the leader, collection as the foundation, display, education, and promotion as the means to meet the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the people, and build a complete and efficient public cultural service system", as well as the academic positioning of "Guan Shanyue Art, Chinese Art in the mid to late 20th century, and contemporary design art research and exhibition". Over the past twenty years, under the leadership of previous museum leaders and the efforts of all colleagues, our museum has become an important planning and hosting base for large-scale domestic art exhibitions and a platform for international art exchanges.

The Guan Shanyue Art Museum Creative Institute is an art creation and research institution established by the Guan Shanyue Art Museum with the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. On the basis of strengthening cultural confidence and doing a good job in art museum work, it fully utilizes its own resources and platforms, leverages the professional advantages of art staff, integrates and optimizes excellent art resources in Shenzhen. It is based on the art creation personnel of the museum and also incorporates other excellent art creation personnel from Shenzhen to participate.

This exhibition is the fifth summary of the achievements of the "Guan Shanyue Art Museum Creation Academy" after its first appearance in 2017. In the past 2020 and 2021, the participating artists have gone through difficult times of the pandemic and economic pressure together. They have never forgotten their original aspirations, using their brushes to record and reflect their feelings and insights during special periods, as well as their confidence and determination to rebuild order and embark on a new journey through artistic means. Therefore, we take "reset" as the annual theme of this series of exhibitions, launching a "reset" plan for the creative work of Shenzhen artists, presenting their rethinking of the artistic essence in the post pandemic era, as well as their repositioning of their own creations.

History is like a water flow, today's changes are contained in yesterday, recording the imprint of the present and creating new opportunities for the future. In the past year, exhibitions have been held in various places such as Hubei Art Museum, Jiujiang Art Museum, and Kaifeng Art Museum, where they have collided and exchanged ideas with local artists in an open and integrated manner, achieving good results. On the occasion of the Spring Festival in 2022, let us use these outstanding art works with the characteristics of the times, Shenzhen characteristics, and vibrant vitality, and work together with art colleagues across the country to promote the development of China's art industry, promote the cultural construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, and set foot on the second centenary journey of Chinese art, towards the 2035 vision goal, nurturing new opportunities and opening up new horizons!

Guan Shanyue Art Museum

Preface

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the May 4th Movement "promoted the spread of Marxism in China, promoted the combination of Marxism and the Chinese workers' movement, and made ideological and cadre preparations for the establishment of the CPC". It can be said that the May 4th Movement, as a great ideological enlightenment movement and a new cultural movement, had used its great power to inspire the aspirations and confidence of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to achieve national rejuvenation.

The "vernacular writing" movement launched during the May Fourth Movement made vernacular writing, which was then the written form of oral language, the foundation of modern Chinese literature development, and thus triggered changes in the form of Chinese cultural concepts, ultimately leading to the modern transformation of Chinese culture. Therefore, after the May Fourth Movement, vernacular Chinese was not only a construction of a new language, but also a construction of Chinese new culture.

It was also around the May Fourth Movement that there were revolutionary proposals in the field of Chinese painting, similar to the vernacular language in literature. In 1917, Kang Youwei put forward the idea of "focusing on the form and spirit rather than freehand brushwork, focusing on painting in the coloring world, and taking the simple ink brush as another school; the moral integrity is valuable, and the courtyard style is the correct method of painting" in the Wooden Cottage Collection of Paintings. In 1919, Chen Duxiu published "Art Revolution - Answering Lv Cheng" in "New Youth", in which he respected the Tang and Song dynasties, belittled the Ming and Qing dynasties, criticized literati freehand brushwork, and advocated the introduction of Western realism. This is actually a spiritual inspiration for the artistic revolution and modernization of Chinese painting during the May Fourth period.

Due to the decline of Chinese meticulous painting at that time and its relatively realistic nature, the various improvements and changes in early Chinese painting since the May Fourth Movement were mostly carried out within the scope of ink freehand brushwork. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, especially after the reform and opening up, contemporary Chinese meticulous painting emerged as if in a contemporary cultural time and space, responding to the artistic revolution and modernity issues of Chinese painting proposed during the May Fourth period.

The secretary said that Shenzhen is a brand new city created by the Party and the people after the reform and opening up, and a brilliant interpretation of socialism with Chinese characteristics on a blank sheet of paper. The vast majority of cadres and masses in Shenzhen have overcome difficulties and worked hard, and have spent 40 years walking through some international metropolises abroad for over a hundred years. This is a miracle in the history of world development created by the Chinese people. Over the past 40 years, we have also created a miracle in the development of Shenzhen's art industry, producing a large number of excellent art works and artists who have made outstanding contributions to the art industry in Shenzhen. They have shaped Shenzhen's urban cultural characteristics of openness, diversity, inclusiveness, innovative creativity, and modern fashion with their dedication and noble artistic character. This characteristic coincides with the art revolution and the modernity issue of Chinese painting proposed during the May Fourth period.

The "Youth Impression - Guan Shanyue Art Museum Youth Gongbi Painting Exhibition", which has lasted for eight years, is an annual academic brand exhibition that echoes the issues of art revolution and modernity of Chinese painting proposed during the May Fourth period, combined with the urban development of Shenzhen since the reform and opening up and the academic positioning of our museum. At the same time, with the support of the Shenzhen Propaganda and Culture Fund, our museum has also developed a collection plan for Chinese Gongbi painting works. At present, we have collected more than 300 excellent works from the "Youth Impressions" series of exhibitions since the 8th edition, and have preliminarily formed our museum's contemporary Chinese meticulous painting collection system with Shenzhen urban cultural characteristics.

On the occasion of the Spring Festival in the Year of the Tiger in Renyin and the arrival of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, in order to vigorously create a strong cultural atmosphere during festivals and the Winter Olympics, and enrich the festival cultural life of citizens, we have selected more than 40 exquisite Gongbi paintings from the collection of "Youth Hearts". Through meticulous planning, we have held the "Colorful Welcoming Spring - Collection of Youth Hearts Series Gongbi Painting Special Exhibition". The exhibition is divided into two themes: "Natural Charm" and "Urban Tales". The exhibition also showcases the new media work "Observation of Lotus" created by local meticulous painters with the support of our digital development department. The work is based on the artist's meticulous work "Lotus·Evening Glow" as the basic element, using modern new media interaction technology to interact with the audience, combining traditional Chinese meticulous painting with modern spatial aesthetics, and exploring the possibility of creative transformation and innovative development of traditional meticulous painting in the new era through digital technology empowerment. Wishing friends a happy Year of the Tiger in Renyin!

Vice President of the Chinese Gongbi Painting Society

Director of Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum

Chen Xiangbo

Natural charm

Our ancestors, who faced mountains, waters, and trees for a long time to comprehend the path of sages, would use "fragrant grass beauties" to symbolize their patriotism, and would use objects to express their virtues and aspirations. Today, many people still believe that placing some natural objects at home will bring us good luck. This emphasis on nature is reflected in the field of painting, which has created a unique and inclusive landscape theme in China. At its inception, it quickly spread to various painting genres, including meticulous painting, and developed to the extreme. This type of work has thus become an important part of our museum's "Youth Heart Seal" series of exhibitions and collections.

In the "Natural Charm" exhibition hall, we can see young meticulous painters, inspired by the older generation of meticulous painters, not only adhering to traditional roots, but also constantly keeping up with the times, striving to explore the development possibilities of traditional Chinese art. They first learn the brushstrokes and ink to depict mountains, rocks, plants, and feathered animals from tradition, then appreciate the beauty of nature, and like poets, reorganize the scenery that catches their eyes based on their inner feelings and contemporary aesthetics.

Among the exhibited works, some are familiar with the appearance of Gongbi painting, some boldly deconstruct the "standard" style, some incorporate their own imaginations, and some break away from our usual recognition of traditional Gongbi painting such as double hook coloring and three alums and nine dyes. We hope that the joint presentation of these diverse works can stimulate everyone's thinking and discussion.

Urban Story:

The process of urbanization has given birth to a large group of citizens, and the rapidly changing urban landscape and constantly emerging new technologies and inventions have brought challenges to artists while constantly changing the experiences of urbanites. New experiences require new themes to be expressed, new themes require new techniques to be integrated, and new display environments require new artistic styles to adapt. Many young meticulous painters have embraced challenges and gathered into a powerful trend, making these works another important thread in the collection of the "Youth Impressions" series of exhibitions.

Seeing the artist's exploration in this exhibition hall can also be said to be a more intense pursuit of originality. Here are attempts to draw inspiration from various schools of Western modern art, depicting the most ordinary visual aspects of the city, depicting the mundane and intimate life at close range, and creating works that are far from the "pictorial" nature of art for thousands of years. Compared to the natural charm, urban works are more updated and deviate from tradition. Some works may confuse many viewers, and I believe they will also bring a different experience to everyone.

-From college to mountain village-

In 1959, Lin Fengsu left his hometown of Chaozhou and was admitted to the Chinese Painting Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, becoming the first batch of undergraduate students majoring in landscape painting. As one of the first Chinese landscape painters to be trained and developed through interdisciplinary teaching, I was personally taught by the Lingnan Painting School led by Guan Shanyue and Li Xiongcai. I received systematic training in Chinese painting with Lingnan regional characteristics, emphasizing sketching from life and paying attention to reality. At the same time, he also received guidance from traditional school masters such as Lu Zhenhuan and Lu Zishu, and also cultivated the traditional style and literacy of the Southern and Northern schools of landscape painting. At that time, the open and active atmosphere of the college also allowed Lin Fengsu to directly witness on-site demonstrations and exchanges from people such as Pan Tianshou, Fu Baoshi, Shi Lu, and Li Kuchan, thereby expanding his horizons and not limited to the Lingnan school.

In 1964, Lin Fengsu graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and was assigned to work in Huaiji, a mountainous area in northern Guangdong. He returned to the countryside again from the college. During this period, he did not create many works, but from the sketches he has left behind, it can be seen that he has many creative ideas that have not yet been implemented. Until 1972, he was sent to Guangzhou to participate in the National Art Exhibition to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Chairman Mao's speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art. The works "The New Fields of Shigu" and "Commune Holiday" were created during this time. These two works are precisely the typical artistic images that Lin has obtained through his long-term experience of living in mountainous areas. Coupled with their vivid, relaxed, and unique ideas, they stand out and receive a sensational acclaim. They also usher in a turning point in his life experience, leaving the embrace of ten years of life.

From graduating from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts to the period of Huaiji, it can be seen from his works that he underwent a transformation with the style and language of Lingnan Painting School after experiencing a long-term accumulation of mountain life. Afterwards, the tone of mountain life has always accompanied his future artistic exploration, becoming a source of testing what he has learned, exploring what he has thought, and expressing his feelings.

-Traveling thousands of miles-

Between 1977 and 1978, Lin Fengsu participated in the creative work of "Zunyi Dawn" and "Ode to Peasant Movement Institute" as a painter in the Guangdong group of the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall's traditional Chinese painting creation led by Guan Shanyue and Li Xiongcai. I have delved into life and on-site sketching in multiple provinces such as Hunan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The natural scenery outside of Lingnan can be magnificent and beautiful, profound and unpredictable, or vast and diverse. For Lin Fengsu, this sketching experience is his personal experience of the different landforms and landscapes of the motherland, as well as a test of his own language. It can be said that "reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles". The different landscape features presented by different landforms have to some extent contributed to Lin's self adjustment of brush and ink language. However, in Lin Fengsu's mind, the famous mountains and rivers are just passing by in a hurry, not as friendly and emotional as the "The mountains in my hometown" during his long-term life. But it was precisely after his experience of traveling thousands of miles and half the world that he became more determined in his creative orientation with "The mountains in my hometown" as the theme, and also gained a clearer understanding of his artistic positioning and exploration direction.

-Between lakes and mountains-

In 1975, Lin Fengsu left Huaiji, where he had lived for nearly a decade, and entered the Zhaoqing Cultural Center to work. He began his quiet years settling by the Xingyan Lake at the foot of Dinghu Mountain, until he left Zhaoqing and returned to Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts to teach.

Zhaoqing, formerly known as Duanzhou, was a famous county in western Guangdong. The West River runs through it, and Dinghu Mountain and Qixing Rock (Star Lake) are also famous scenic spots in this area. They are not only recited by literati, but also depicted by Lingnan painters. Works such as Gao Jianfu, Chen Shuren, Guan Shanyue, and Li Xiongcai have all depicted the mountains and waters of Dinghu or Qixing Rock. These also provide valuable language resources for Lin Fengsu's depiction of the surrounding scenery. It is worth noting that Dinghu Mountain and Qixing Rock are home to numerous iconic scenic spots, which also provide us with a realistic experience that can be reconfirmed to rediscover the footprints and viewing perspectives of Lin Feng's folk sketches.

Through comparable real-life scenes, we strive to recreate the visual experience of time and space at that time, revealing the organic recombination and language selection between the selection process and the presentation of painting. How to achieve a balance between reproduction and imagery expression may be the topic that Lin Fengsu is striving to think and explore at this time, while between reality, sketching, and works, to a certain extent, it presents the viewer with this exploratory thinking trajectory.

-Where is the mountain in my own hometown-

After going through the process of leaving the college, returning to the countryside, traveling around the world, and settling in the mountains and lakes, Lin Fengsu transformed from a young man to a middle-aged person, gradually maturing. He was trained by the college and went through social trials. He gradually began to find a path of exploring landscape painting that matched his personal interests. He once mocked himself, "Traveling for thousands of miles and half of the world, returning and still looking at the mountains in my hometown". Based on his special emotions towards his own  hometown mountain, he used his own way to break through the barriers of literati's brushwork, absorb folk colors, integrate modern visual concepts, and form his own appearance on the basis of the original emphasis on sketching and the combination of brushwork language and form in the Lingnan School of Painting. On the one hand, he portrayed the unique images of trees in Lingnan and processed them into portraits; On the one hand, the exploration of poetic beauty in the ordinary mountain village scenery has formed the main theme of his creations since the 1980s.

Famous mountains and scenic spots certainly have unique and extraordinary qualities, but the warmth and warmth of ordinary mountains seem to be the driving force that inspires Lin Shi and the "Peach Blossom Spring" he explores in his heart.