Living Leisurely——Beijing in Dai Ze’s Art Work
- show time：2023-09-15 to 2023-10-29
- Organizer：the China Artists Association, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Beijing Fine Art Academy
- venue：Beijing Fine Art Academy
The exhibition titled “Living Leisurely: Beijing in Dai Ze’s Art Work”, which was sponsored by the China Artists Association, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Beijing Fine Art Academy, and co-organized by the Dai Ze Art Foundation, was unveiled to the public at the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy on September 15, 2023. Serving as the 60th program of the 20th Century Chinese Art Masters Series Exhibition, it takes Dai Ze as the subject by displaying 80 outstanding artistic works created by him, including watercolor paintings, oil paintings, sketches and paintings in other art forms, and centers on presenting his art works related to Beijing for the sake of compelling the emotions of visitors by the feat of regional history and culture.
The theme is selected from an idiom—living leisurely, stemming from A Letter to My Sons Yan, etc. whose author is Tao Yuanming. By coincidence, the idiom reflects Dai Ze’s innocent and simple attitude towards art. The exhibition revolves around “Beijing in Dai Ze’s Art Work”, depicting the several-decade changes in Beijing recorded by his unstoppable brush since he set foot in this city in 1946. We are likely to linger in the charming and poetic Beijing and appreciate every unforgettable historical moment together while witnessing this city in Dai Ze’s artistic works.
This exhibition covers realism paintings and landscapes & nature paintings, which are two main types created by Dai Ze. The former portrays humans and objects around him in the manner of sketches, oil paintings and watercolors, with distinctive historical atmospheres and humanistic solicitude, while the latter displays plain paintings, but laden with emotions and strong vitality.
1946-1949: Rise to Prominence
“Believe in your eyes and draw what you see.”
—Dai Ze
The year 1946 marked the intersection of Dai Ze’s life. Back then, his student life just came to an end. He received the invitation of Xu Beihong to hold the post of teaching assistant at the National Peiping Art School where he got acquainted with painting friends, refined painting skills, was dedicated to studying theories of painting, and kept on exploring and practicing artistic creation. In the same year, he participated in the exhibition held at the Zhongshan Hall in Zhongshan Park as the painter of Beggar on the Street in Peiping and Dongzongbu Hutong. From then on, Dai Ze raised the curtain on his art career in Beijing.
Dai Ze, who arrived in Beijing a few days ago, cast a filter on this unfamiliar city after completing the transformation of his role from a student to a teaching assistant. Everything he saw was new and beautiful. Encouraged by his mentor Xu Beihong, Dai Ze resembled a loyal and inexhaustible recorder to draw what he saw and heard in his daily life on paper all the time, depicting streets, lanes and vulgar life in Peiping with plain artistic language. The true epitome of people’s life in the 20th century appeared as he waved his paintbrush, and old Beijing’s customs fixed on the drawing paper. “The superior man keeps his weapon concealed about his person, and waits for the proper time to move.” The then training of sketching to the view and creating portraits of humans stimulated Dai Ze to take solid steps toward realism.
1949-1959: Detailed and Well-stored Records
“Looking back, all romantic figures have gone, leaving only sketches of the times.”
—Dai Ze
Since the founding of New China, it has witnessed the earthshaking changes that have taken place in the entire society. Without doubt, Dai Ze also threw himself into the social construction of New China by joining two land reform tasks in the suburbs of Beijing, recording the process of renovating Tian’anmen Square, going to locomotive plants for sketches, participating in constructing the Ming Tombs Reservoir, and many others. Inspired by the times, he drew the brand new Beijing with his brush, revealing people’s joy as masters of the country and the vibrant, progressive spirit of the times. During this period, he created the Renovation of Tian’anmen Square, Construction of the Ming Tombs Reservoir and other classical works that embodied the construction of New China. His significant watercolor painting Striking Iron at Changxindian was once acclaimed by Qi Baishi. Both thematic paintings and art works concerning the description of Beijing urban construction unveil the spiritual power brought by realism vividly with his superb artistic skills, composing numerous odes to the times.
Since 1960: Living Leisurely
“I like drawing what I see outside the window silently, one after another.”
—Dai Ze
In his old age, Dai Ze was still passionate about artistic creation and diligent to freeze the modern Beijing on his canvas. His paintings at this period were likely to draw for himself. His brush followed the place where the heart led. He created classic works including Spring Snow on the Wanshou Mountain and Agricultural Exhibition Center. In the later years, Dai Ze understood the true artistic meaning of returning to simplicity. When creating artistic works, he blended traditional elements with Western techniques without limitations of patterns and contents, and all sights in his eyes were at his fingertips. Even though he had some trouble with walking, he still made great efforts in creating the series of works titled “Living Leisurely” supported by the scenes in front of his window the time he leaned against the window. The prosperous and bustling urban changes came into his eyes and also fell on the brush tip. As time went by, the individual inside the window treated art and life with a diligent and zealous heart as always.
This exhibition also set up an interactive zone with a set of works themed “Hutong” to reappear these Hutong scenes in old Beijing, allowing visitors and artists to wander among Beijing streets in an immersive way. It also arranged for an audience experience zone named “Painting Beijing in Memory” where visitors were permitted to draw Beijing as they remembered at the exhibition site. By this way, visitors were access to the exhibition on their own. The “window” was regarded as the carrier of the exhibition design, and each section began with a window which led audiences to unlock the “window” of Dai Ze’s art together and watch the scenery in the painter’s eyes after following his perspective.
“I don’t regret the past, and I am satisfied now. I have always followed the trend of the times. All things have occurred naturally and calmly. I would like to express my gratitude to the universe and those individuals I met for their kindness to me.”
—Dai Ze
The centenarian once roamed among Peiping streets, bore witness to the founding of New China, made a dialogue with the world as a Chinese art representative, etc. At present, he is still imbued with enthusiasm for life, strolls in the world of art, and always embraces generations of viewers with his enthusiastic, plain and assiduous artistic spirit. For Dai Ze, painting is undoubtedly like breathing. It also plays the role of nutritive substance for life and the driving force of practices and constant drawing. He has always practiced the words given by his mentor Xu Beihong, “The realm of art has always lied in a pretty atmosphere which requires painters to make every effort and cultivate all the time.” Dai Ze once said, “Painting is life.” It is just the sincere, pure attitude toward art and consummate, lifelong painting techniques that contribute to Dai Ze’s life of art.
