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“Back to the nature”——Research Exhibition of Lai Shaoqi

  • show time：2015-12-24 to 2016-02-24
  • Organizer：Chinese Artists Association, Anhui Artists Association, Beijing Fine Art Academy, Anhui Painting and Calligraphy Academy, Hefei SMG
  • venue：Beijing Fine Art Academy
     In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lai Shaoqi, co-organized by Chinese Artists Association, Anhui Artists Association, Beijing Fine Art Academy, Anhui Painting and Calligraphy Academy, Hefei SMG, “Back to nature——Research Exhibition of Laishaoqi” will be open at 12.24, 2015 at museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy, which is the closing exhibition after the activities of commemorating the 100th anniversary of Lai Shaoqi touring from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hefei and etc. We cooperate with Hefei Lai Shaoqi Art museum, Guangzhou Art museum and the family members associate the works of Lai Shaoqi’s  art pieces copied from ancient style, sketching of Huangshan in the 80s, transforming works after he returned his hometown at his 70s, and the works that reflecting his mind after he has been tortured by the illness in his 80s. What rare is that this exhibition has borrowed  stuffs like the couplet, inkstone, and brush pot and lithography carved by Lai Shaoqi, which fully reveals Lai’s carving skill, offering the audience a valuable chance to know a vivid Lai Shaoqi.
 
Back to nature, seeking the essence of art by the spirit of “the stone and the wood”
 
     In the 1930s,  the new woodcut movement initiated by Luxun is spreading nation wide. Lai shaoqi is one of them who is trying to relate their art works with the liberation cause of the Chinese and the fate of the Chinese mass. But he felt himself so useless and small in front of such chaos. He wrote a letter to Luxun to express his hesitation. Luxun wrote back and said”We are unable to show those too magnificent changes, but it is not worth being pessimism. It is the accumulation of a singe stone and wood that makes up the gigantic building. Why don't we be the stone and wood?” After that, Lai Shaoqi encouraged himself by this spirit of “the stone and wood” which directed his whole life: the national awareness since the new woodcut movement in the 30s, the cultural self-awareness to protect the traditional art since the 50s, the regional concept of revitalizing local art, extraordinary courage to reform in his 60s, etc. These are all the reflections of how Lai Shaoqi has been adhere to the spirit of “the stone and the wood” in front of the great social transformation, and finally become true to the essence of the art. The name of the exhibition”Back to nature” is also trying to show Lai’s responsibilities and practice as a pioneer and leader in the art field. 
 
Art career, unusual knack
  
     It is hard to simply use a single word to describe Lai Shaoqi. He is a new blood,  trying to use his wood cut paintings to arouse the fight will of people in the suffering times; He is a fighter, 10 years fighting for the prosperous of the country. He is a cultural officer, practicing for the development of art, promoting the progress of local art course, cultivating a group of excellent young artists; He is a Chinese painting master, benefiting from the tradition, imitating the nature. Besides, he is also a poet, a play writer, a publisher, a person who always take leading the progress of the art world as his responsibilities at any time. 
 
     In order to let the audiences see a comprehensive Lai Shaoqi, the exhibition is divided into four parts:”carving with passion”, “learning from the ancient”, “learning from the nature”, “Association with Huang Binhong” on the fist floor of the exhibition room to show his life experience and art career.
 
     Lai is mostly known for his print art, which is not included in this exhibition for we are trying to lay our emphasis on the transformation he made in the Chinese painting so that we can understand him in a new angle. In the “carving with passion” part, Lai’s works at new woodcutting time and “new Anhui print” time will be shown in media form.
 
     In the 1950s, under the direction of Huang Binhong, Lai Shaoqi started to learn Chinese painting. Enlightened by Huang Binhong, he learned from the tradition of the spirit of the ancient people and the brushworks of various genres. He mount the mountain Huang many times to grasp the charm and majesty of mountain Huang. In “learning from the ancient” part, Lai’s works copied from old style from the 50s to 80s was exhibited, especially his “Painting of flowers and birds of Chen Laolian” is good enough to pass for genuine. He is fascinated by the brushworks of Chensui, after almost imitating all of his works, Lai Shaoqi finally has master his dry but hard brushworks. In the 50s, and 60s when the traditional art was being depreciated，it is a great courage to study it. 
 
     After the Cultural Revolution, in order to improve the down circumstances of  “Xin’ An School of Art” and “Huangshan School of Art”, Lai shaoqi started his Chinese painting career and sketching for the Mountain Huang in his 65. The “learn from the nature” part exhibits the sketches of Mountain Huang during this time.
 
     Huang binhong’s extreme investigation into the brushworks and his good command of   art history has trained his vigorous and dripping brushworks. But his talented art works were not appreciated by the public. In the 50s when Lai Shaoqi was the leader in East China art field, he had shown his great admiration for Huang Binhong. He elected Huang Binhong as the president of east China art association, and organized several exhibitions for him, even awarded the “Excellent Chinese Artists ” prize for him. This was how heroic pity hero. In the part of “Association with Huang Binhong” , edited by Lai Shaoqi in 1955, and documentations of manuscripts of in memory of Huang Binding will be shown to reproduce this history.
 
     Lai Shaoqi reformed his art twice in his old ages, which made him entered the masters of modern art. He treated the various schools of art with an open mind, drawing their superiority, and finally leading the Chinese modern art to his own approach with a  mild way. His position in the history of modern Chinese art will be different without his two reform in art. The emphasis of this exhibition will be the works after his reform in old age, which was divided into two parts——“Reform in the 60s”, “After his 80s” according to the timeline.
 
     Poet Baozhao has a saying”I have a heart of missing my hometown”. In 1986 when Lai Shaoqi moving back to Guangzhou after retirement, he demonstrated his courage with his reform. He creatively used the light changes in the western impressionism to reform the Chines painting brushwork. In his own article about this reform, he wasproclaiming to the world”Ink painting should follow the times”. In the “Reform in the 60s” part, we will demonstrate how Lai Shaoqi incorporate things of diverse nature in a mild gradual way without standing still and having a sense of inferiority. His creations at this time, he used casual and simple brushworks to depicts the Mountain Huang in his memory, or he depicted the southern landscapes with thick brushwork and bright color. His brushworks has been more simple and carefree, being an important   model of investigation into the modern art.  His work in 1991, Lai Shaoqi introduced the interest from the carving decoration on the basis of traditional brushworks. Besides, Van Gogh’s passion for color, Cezanne’s chase for the shape, etc have been the nutrient of Lai’s works.

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