Young artists express inner world through painting

Gongbi paintings at the exhibition.Courtesy of the museum

Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

More than 140 gongbi paintings mostly created by Chinese young artists are on display at Guan Shanyue Art Museum.

Gongbi (工笔) is a meticulously realist technique in Chinese painting, the opposite of the interpretive and freely-expressive abstract style. One of the oldest Chinese painting techniques, gongbi requires tidy yet intricate command of the paintbrush. In works of gongbi, highly-detailed brushstrokes delimit details with precision, without independent or expressive variation. It is often full of color and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects.

The gongbi style’s origins can be dated back to approximately 2,000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), when the political stability and prosperity favored the advancement of the arts. The production of these paintings peaked between the Tang and Song dynasties (7th-13th centuries) when they were most endorsed and collected by the royal families of China.

“The Shenzhen exhibition is in its fifth year. It’s a platform for young artists to display their creations and learn from established artists. So we have also exhibited paintings by established artists, such as Chen Xiangbo and Yao Shunxi,” said Chen Junyu, one of the exhibition curators.

“In the past, we found young artists focused more on techniques but this year, some artists express their inner world in the paintings. In Hua Ling’s ‘Search,’ the artist depicts a bird flying out of a field of cactus to reflect the artist’s desire to escape from plight and fly higher,” said Chen.

Dates: Until April 17

Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, 6026 Hongli Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路6026号关山月美术馆)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit B