“Flower Speaks, Bird Talks”- The Collected freehand-style Flower-and-Bird Brushwork Exhibition of Beijing Fine Art Academy

         “Writing” and “artistic conception” are the two significant characteristic of Chinese flower-and-bird painting. Inspired by the Chinese philosophy notion of “harmony between man and nature”, it has formed the cultural psychology of comparing natural to human being’s characters and emotions through Chinese flower-and-bird paintings. The so-called” artistic conception” means through the selection of flower-and-bird themes, to set up literators’spirit and moral integrity and demonstrate their subjective personality and artistic talent. The so-called “Writing” is to illuminate stylized themes through individualized words; to let continuous-repeated, generalized cultural symbols convert to the specificity of artistic figures, which brought by individualized painting techniques. The Collected freehand-style Flower-and-Bird Brushwork Exhibition of Beijing Fine Art Academy has assembles finest works from 20th century’s freehand-style flower-and-bird brushwork masters, from “Shanghai School” artists Wu Changshou, Pan Tianshou, Tang Yun, to “Beijing School” artists Chen Sizeng, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Chen Banding, Li Kuchan, Guo Weiqu, Wang Xuetao and Zhou Sicong etc. These works have reviewed how the 20th century’s freehand-style flower-and-bird brushwork has gained its virility; how it walks from personality of humanity paintings to local secular interests; and how the comparative tradition themes have expand to the lively folk and tropical rain forest ones. These paintings not only contain tradition, but also gestate the transformation of humanity notions in 20th century. Particularly, some collaborated flower-and-bird painting masterpieces are already became the distinct stamps of that era. Wish this exhibition could provide a history-observed guidance for the creation of contemporary freehand-style flower-and-bird brushwork. Shang Hui 9th Jan 2007