In order to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the "Emerging Woodcut Movement", The Paper learned that the "Year after Year Archives 2021 - The First Shanghai Contemporary Emerging Printmaking Promotion" is being held at the Liu Haisu Art Museum in Shanghai. The exhibition is the first year of the "Year after Year" ten-year printmaking plan, with two major sections of "Re-reading China's Emerging Printmaking" and "Shanghai Contemporary Printmaking Artist Promotion", systematically reviewing the growth history of "Emerging Printmaking", and exhibiting 61 printmaking works by 9 Shanghai printmakers. During the exhibition, a series of online and offline experience activities were held to let the public understand the birth of printmaking.
Exhibition site
It is reported that "Year after Year Archives 2021 - The First Shanghai Contemporary Emerging Printmaking Promotion" is an exhibition project that plans to operate continuously for ten years, starting from 2021 to 2031 as a phased node, which will be the occasion of the centenary of China's emerging woodcuts. The organizer hopes to create an influential exhibition brand, gather an excellent artist creative team, create a collection library that includes Shanghai's contemporary outstanding printmaking works, and even write a more detailed history of the development of Shanghai's contemporary emerging printmaking art.
Re-read contemporary prints in retrospect
Printmaking is an important category of Chinese art, and ancient prints with woodcuts as the carrier have left works with independent artistic value in the history of Chinese culture and art with their uniqueness. Mr. Lu Xun once commented: "Cut like wood, print plain paper, to go far and reach the public, Gaishi began in China." In 1931, Mr. Lu Xun held the "Woodcut Seminar" in Shanghai, and left a distinct mark of the times by using the distinct and strong art form of black and white woodcut to express the joys and sorrows of life.
After the emerging woodcut movement, the "National Printmaking Exhibition" has demonstrated the whole process of verifying the modern and contemporary development of printmaking 24 times in the past eighty years, using printmaking works as a practical carrier to expound culture and spirit, expressing from visual intuition, to psychological debate, to thinking maturity, and forming a unique aesthetic rhyme and the inherent logic of art with its whole process and multiple dimensions.
Wang Xilin, The Women of San Qarcuso, 90x71cm, 2013, chromatic woodcut
Today, when we talk about this new woodcut movement 90 years ago, printmaking has taken deep root in the land of China, becoming a special artistic medium and expression that allows artists to participate in social change and touch the pulse of society up close.
In view of this, "Liu Haisu Art Museum launched a 10-year plan for the promotion of printmaking creation, in the form of annual archival records, continue to pay attention to the contemporary printmaking group, stimulate the artistic responsibility of printmaking creators, and promote artists to carry out creative practice with higher spiritual pursuit, more solid creative skills and more diversified artistic expression, leaving better works for society and history." Bao Weihua, director of Liu Haisu Art Museum, said.
Fang Xiaolong 《Chinese Drying · NO.1》 60×90cm 2013 Out of print chromatic woodcut
The exhibition brings together the creations of nine Shanghai printmaking artists, namely Wang Xilin, Fang Xiaolong, Ning Shuai, Sun Ling, Jin Xianglong, Zhao Yongquan, Xu Zengying, Liao Yang and Xiong Youfei, to explore the connection between the characteristics of printmaking and contemporary visual culture. Their different ages and different experience backgrounds express individual reactions to urban development, and together they build a corner of the current Shanghai printmaking. Among them, Jin Xianglong recently donated a batch of works to the China Art Palace (Shanghai Art Museum), covering the black and white woodcuts of the printmaker born in the 1950s during his early military service, the customs of ethnic minorities in southwest China, the customs of Jiangnan water towns, the development and opening up of Pudong, and the new appearance of Shanghai.
Jin Xianglong "Rising Tide River" 120x200cm 2018 Chromatic woodcut
However, the "Year after Year" project is not limited to exhibitions and collections, but also through the cultivation of printmaking talents, academic research combing, excellent works display, creation process records, art collection, etc., to continuously explore contemporary printmaking creative talents and reflect the survival status of printmaking art. For example, the works of the young artists participating in the exhibition are even more in touch with their current living conditions, which has aroused many resonances. In particular, the exhibition systematically exhibits the more representative works of artists in a certain period, as well as notes, sketches, photos and videos recording the creation site during the creation process, so that the audience can understand their creative concepts, creative processes and methods. The excellent works and related materials in the exhibition will also be systematically recorded and archived as the collection of the art museum.
Liao Yang, "Old House No. 4", 100×70cm, 2005 Silkscreen print
Public participation to understand the printmaking process
Printmaking is not only a popular art with a long history and youth, but also its painting process (cutting, carving, cutting, scratching, drilling) is a kind of memory, but also an immortal brand. With the continuous changes in printing technology, a variety of plates and special printmaking techniques have also been formed. Among them, the four types of woodcut, copperplate, lithography and screen printing have become the four basic editions of prints created by artists.
In addition to the exhibition, the museum has also set up a number of experiential printmaking activities, inviting the public to complete the production of printmaking by themselves in addition to appreciating the works of art, popularizing the knowledge and skills of printmaking - choosing the favorite color, scribbling on the woodcut master, covering the rice paper, and brushing it lightly, and a unique printmaking work was born. Many viewers who are new to prints for the first time are even more pleased with this.
Printmaking experience site
In China, woodblock prints are an ancient form of printing, woodcut art was first created in the Tang Dynasty, song and Yuan dynasty woodcut art entered a period of prosperity and development, the Ming Dynasty entered its heyday, and qing dynasty woodcut entered a period of universal development. Book illustration printing, folk New Year paintings, etc. are all products of woodblock prints, and have influenced the creation of Japanese ukiyo-e.
Woodblock prints produced
In addition to woodblock prints, copperplate engraving originated in Europe; lithographs are painted with oil-based ink on slate or zinc, lead, aluminum and other metal skins, and after painting, the surface of the slate is treated with a kind of gum extracted from an acidic bark in Arabia, and the printing surface is formed by using the principle of oil and water repulsion; screen prints are like industrial flower cloth printing methods, which are widely used in commerce. It is widely welcomed by society for its fast, economical, flexible size, and ease of production and printing.
In fact, printmaking has gone through two stages in history: copying and creation. In the early days, the painting, engraving, and printing of the prints divided their labor with each other, and the engravers only engraved the manuscript, called the reproduction of the prints; later, the paintings and engravings were completed by the printmaker alone, and the printmakers were able to give full play to their artistic creativity, which was called the creation of prints.
Xu Zengying, Shanghai - The First Departure of the Subway, 93x183cm, 2018, chromatic woodcut
During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger, Liu Haisu Art Museum will launch a series of multi-edition experience activities, including a "Woodblock Experience of welcoming the God of Wealth" brought by participating artist Xu Zengying on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year (February 5), and the "Lantern Festival - Silk Screen Experience Class" and "Gravure Experience Class" will be held on February 13 and February 19, respectively, when the public can print prints by themselves to bring New Year's blessings to themselves and their families (Note: Offline activities need to be registered in advance on the WeChat public account of the museum).
Painting of the Year of the Tiger
At the same time, Liu Haisu Art Museum will also launch 4 online courses, including themes such as "Meng Hu on Huangshan Mountain" and "Out-of-Print Print Printing", which the public can also participate in at home.
Online Course "Meng Hu on Huangshan Mountain"
Note: The exhibition is hosted by Liu Haisu Art Museum, organized by Shanghai Hongqiao Peninsula Printmaking Art Center, and co-organized by New Hongqiao Culture and Art Exchange Center, and the exhibition will last until February 20, 2022