Camy Tam
An exhibition entitled “Jao Tsung-I’s Painting and Calligraphy from the Collection of the Macau Museum of Art”, hosted by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), is being held at the Jao Tsung-I Academy.
The exhibition displays 13 selected works from the collection to give the public a glimpse of Jao’s erudition and diverse creations, according to an article on the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s website.
The unsigned article notes that Prof. Jao did his utmost to support Macau’s cultural development and in 2011 donated 30 pieces and sets of paintings and calligraphic works to the permanent collection of the Macau Museum of Art (MAM).
With the aiming of raising public awareness of Prof. Jao’s artistic accomplishments, the bureau decided to display some of his work at the academy. The artworks were created in different styles, covering a wide range of subject matter, including traditional Chinese calligraphy in four fundamental scripts and paintings about landscapes, flowers, trees, bamboo and stones as well as Taoist and Buddhist figures.
Prof. Jao, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 100, was a world-renowned sinologist who made major achievements and outstanding contributions in the fields of literature, art and academia, and has been hailed as “a leading figure of the three disciplines,” the article points out.
“He advocated a concurrent pursuit in academia and art; in addition to the techniques he learnt from predecessors, his academic knowledge and observation of natural scenery also play an essential role in his artistic creation.
“In his calligraphy and paintings, he inherited the remarkable literati traditions from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
“His Chinese paintings comprise a wide variety of themes including landscapes, human figures, flowers and birds; some of his works emulate the traditional schools of techniques while some are landscape sketches of the world’s beautiful scenery, while others are creations of his own.
“Prof. Jao developed his own painting style by learning from various masters; in calligraphy, he was deeply rooted in ancient scripts and integrated ancient scripts into his works,” according to the article.
The exhibition runs until March 28 at 95, C-D Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (no admission after 5:30 p.m.), including public holidays (except Mondays). Admission is free.
Prof. Jao was also known as Rao Zongyi.
As part of the government’s COVID-19 epidemic prevention measures, all visitors entering the gallery need to wear a facemask, have their temperature checked and present a digital health code.
For enquiries visit https://www.icm.gov.mo/en/news/detail/19135
Photos: Camy Tam
