Editor's note:
The exhibition "The World of Fan Calligraphy and Painting" opened at the Chinese Cultural Center in Tokyo on the afternoon of April 8. This exhibition includes the collection of fans from the Ming and Qing dynasties provided by the Shibuya Yongliang Collection, as well as works by Chinese calligraphers and painters in Japan. Guests from all walks of life in China and Japan delivered congratulatory speeches and cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony. The famous painter Wang Zijiang gave an on-site lecture on ink painting after the opening ceremony, which was welcomed by Chinese and Japanese ink painting lovers. The organizers will hold a poetry reading at the Cultural Center on the 11th.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Ms. Yiping Sugiyama. The scene brought together many art figures, cultural media representatives, entrepreneurs, and art lovers. The guests who delivered congratulatory speeches were: Mr. Wang Zijiang, President of the Japan Ink Art Association, Mr. Jiang Feng, Editor-in-Chief of the People's Daily Overseas Edition of Japan Monthly, Ms. Huang Gelei, President of Rimu Medical Co., Ltd., Mr. Kiyoichi Hashimoto, Chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association of Saitama Prefecture, Japan, Ms. Xuan Jiaqing, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Institute of Calligraphy and Painting and Representative of Japan, Ms. Gu Sui, Representative of Shixing Co., Ltd. of Japan, Mr. Li Xuelong, the manager of the IT company, and Mr. Li Yongliang, Director of the Asian Culture and Arts Association, the organizer.
Author: Huang Ling
The magic of Chinese painting and calligraphy is known to all people on the earth. A few brushes, a piece of rice paper, plus water, thick ink, Chinese painting paint, the painter lifts the pen with a wave, or a few brushes, or splashes ink and heavy color, lifting, pressing, turning, folding, and a painting is presented in front of the viewer in an instant. Inscription, inscription, seal, is a collection of calligraphy, painting, seal carving in one of the art of the masterpiece, the painting of other countries in the world can not be compared. The fan painting, with its unique carrier (the Song and Yuan dynasties with the group fan as the mainstream, after the Ming and Qing dynasties with the folding fan as the mainstream), has pushed the art of Chinese Chinese painting to a new peak, which can be described as "the world is magical".
From April 8 to 12, 2024, an exhibition with the theme of "The World of Fan Painting and Calligraphy" will be held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Toranomon, Tokyo, sponsored by the Asian Arts and Culture Association and supported by the Chinese Embassy. Most of the exhibited collections are various fan paintings from the Qing Dynasty in China provided by Japanese collectors, including well-known works by Aixin Jueluo Puru, Ding Fuzhi, Wu Changshuo, Ren Bonian, Zhu Meicun, Ren Xun, Hu Gongshou and others. In addition, the works of modern painters such as Wang Zijiang, Yang Yongju, Le Rong and Lu Juan are also on display.
At 2 p.m. on April 8, the first day of the exhibition, the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the exhibition hall of the China Cultural Center. Representatives of Chinese and Japanese modern calligraphers and painters, entrepreneurs in Japan, media representatives, and Chinese painting lovers gathered together. After the speeches of representatives from all walks of life, Mr. Li Yongliang, who has been spreading Chinese culture and art in Japan for many years, talked eloquently and shared with you the touching story of the fan painting exhibition.
Li Yongliang said that in fact, this type of art exhibition is not the first time, and it has been exhibited in Saitama Prefecture and Shirokanedai in Tokyo in 2023. When it was exhibited in Saitama Prefecture, a Japanese man in a wheelchair who spent three hours and three train transfers made a special trip to see the exhibition, and he was also a lover of Chinese painting. Ms. Yiping gave him a full explanation in Japanese. Art knows no borders, and the beautiful things that exist in the world will always give people spiritual inspiration. Although this Japanese lover of Chinese painting is not physically free, his love for art has given him powerful wings and allowed him to fly freely in the world of painting.
At the Shirokanedai art exhibition, there were also anecdotes. At that time, several blonde and blue-eyed female teachers brought more than 20 half-year-old children to the exhibition, and when they were asked if they were teachers and students of an international school near Shirokanedae. The teacher wants to cultivate the artistic temperament of the children from an early age and accept the artistic influence of Chinese painting. The teacher was worried that these children were still too young to comprehend the breadth and profundity of Chinese painting at this age. I think it's superfluous to worry, and human appreciation of beautiful things is common, just like flowers blooming and falling, birds singing gracefully, and green mountains and green waters naturally make people feel happy. To feel the beauty of Chinese painting, you don't need to deliberately teach and learn, just feel and experience it directly with simple sincerity.
Then, the guests held a cutting ceremony and a commemorative group photo for the exhibition.
After that, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on the 8th, Mr. Wang Zijiang, a painter in Japan, performed ink paintings. Watching the painter splash ink up close is really a supreme enjoyment. Mr. Wang explained the skills of Chinese painting to everyone while painting, and completed a work in a few minutes on average. There are orchids and ink bamboos with traditional themes, huge peonies, graceful and luxurious, black shrimps with Qi Baishi, vivid, lotus leaves and lotus flowers, and dragonflies stand on their heads a little. With a few strokes, between a breath and a breath, a frog with big eyes and a tadpole with a wagging tail jumped onto the paper, attracting bursts of amazement from the crowd watching the scene. The last picture of the street scene of the European style of the horse-drawn carriage drew a successful end to the actual performance. Mr. Wang's seemingly random strokes are actually in the midst of strategizing, which is breathtaking.
The five-day exhibition not only allows you to enjoy the works of the above-mentioned calligraphers, but also carefully arranges various activities in Japanese and Chinese, including ink paintings, gongbi paintings, flower character performances, fan calligraphy performances, and sonnet readings, making the content of this exhibition more fulfilling and interesting. Those who arrive first in the exhibition will also have a surprise and will receive a gift of work. I wish this exhibition a complete success, so that the art of Chinese painting can take root in Japan, blossom and bear fruit.
2024/4/8