An exhibition entitled “Bold Spirit: Works of Shi Lu from the Collection of the National Museum of China” (筆墨展懷 –中國國家博物館館藏石魯藝術精品展) is being co-hosted by the Macau Museum of Art (MAM) and the National Museum of China (NMC) (中國國家博物館) in conjunction with the Macau Foundation (FM).
According to a statement on the museum website, Shi (1919-1982) was a revolutionary artist during the Yan’an (延安) period, as well as the theoretical leader and style designer of the Chang’an Painting School (長安畫派). The exhibition features more than 150 sets of works such as landscapes, figures and bird-and-flower paintings, calligraphy, seals, poetry, literature, and artistic theory.
The exhibition is divided into four parts: “Revolutionary Epic’’, “Praise of the New Era”, “Chang’an New Painting” and “Strength of Character”.
“Revolutionary Epic” (革命史詩) includes artworks during the Yan’an period in the 1940s. Shi created a series of artworks in woodcut prints and other forms that reflect the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and China’s New-Democratic Revolution, according to the statement.
“Praise of the New Era” (時代禮贊) showcases artworks of Shi living with construction workers. He painted portraits of the working class in praise of the new era and the new life in China. Moreover, Shi’s sketching trips to India and Egypt in 1955 and 1956, respectively, convinced him to adopt the heritage of China’s unique traditional style of painting, the statement pointed out.
“Chang’an New Painting” (長安新畫) reflects the early period of the People’s Republic of China. Shi was sent to work in Xi’an and introduced the guiding ideology of the Shaanxi Artists Association. By combining the revolutionary romantic value of the new era, it reflects the socialist revolution, its construction and style of the time, the statement said.
The last session is called “Strength of Character” (風神兼彩) which shows Shi’s work after the 1970s. He began to use traditional literacy paintings, poems, calligraphy, paintings and seals to show his determination to defend the truth as well as insisting on artistic concepts in the nation’s new era, the statement underlined.
The exhibition runs until tomorrow. It is being held on the 4th-floor gallery of the museum at the Macau Cultural Centre complex. It opens daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (no admission after 6:30 p.m.). It is closed on Mondays but open on public holidays. Admission is free. For more details, visit http://www.mam.gov.mo/e/exhibition.
As part of the government’s COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures, all visitors to the museum must wear a facemask, have their temperature checked and present a valid Macau Health Code.
Photos: Camy Tam
