The exquisite exhibition extended from the "Great Series of Chinese Paintings of the Past Dynasties", which took 18 years to compile and publish, and the scholarly time of 320 high-definition proofing and digital works jointly interpreted, have welcomed 345248 audiences to stop and appreciate in the past four months...... On May 19th, the exhibition of "The Theme Exhibition of the Prosperous Revision of the Classics of Chinese Paintings of the Past Dynasties - 'Meritorious Work for a Long Time' Reading and Painting in the Chinese Context" came to an end at the China Millennium Monument. From the cold winter to the early summer, the exhibition was not only postponed for nearly a month according to the needs of the audience, but also had the unique phenomenon of multiple re-viewing becoming the norm. People appreciate the paintings with their hearts and feel the long history of Chinese culture.
I took the train to see the exhibition
"I got up at 6 o'clock, arrived at the station at 7:20, and then went to the China Millennium Monument in Beijing to listen to Mr. Zhu Hong's 'reading and appreciating' calligraphy and painting appointment." This is a diary written by Wang Gedan, a senior psychological counselor living in Tianjin, on May 2. On that day, it was the fifth time she had come to the China Millennium Monument to see the "Prosperous Revision of the Classics 'Chinese Paintings of the Past Dynasties' Theme Exhibition".
"Every time you watch it, you get something." Wang Godan said that each time he visited the exhibition, he would stay for several hours. From her understanding of the general collection of Chinese paintings of the past dynasties, to understanding the meaning of "heart appreciation" in the curatorial concept, to listening to the volunteer docent Zhu Hong's analysis of "Cai Wei Tu" and starting to delve into the Analects, and later appreciating the paintings that reproduce the Lanting Yaji and understanding the farming culture behind the third day of the third lunar month, with the increase in the number of exhibitions, she seems to have obtained a key to absorb and expand her understanding of traditional Chinese culture.
There is no impetuousness of punching in the exhibition, there is no excitement on the surface of taking pictures in front of the exhibits, and one or several people quietly enjoy it, which is the daily life in the exhibition hall. With only two days left before the closing of the exhibition, Dr. Zhang from Shijitan Hospital came to visit the exhibition again. "I've been here more than a dozen times, and each time I've been deeply impressed, I prefer to call it 'soaking'. It's like making pickles and soy sauce, which take enough time to soak and ferment to bring out that flavor. Dr. Zhang said that the immersion in the exhibition hall and in front of the paintings "enriched my spiritual experience". She also noticed that many of the works marked on the exhibition tag are now in museums and art galleries in other countries. "Visiting the exhibition now is like a preview, and when I have the opportunity to see these authentic works in foreign art museums in the future, I won't miss the encounter with them." She's looking forward to it.
The famous paintings of the past dynasties taste the fragrance of books
Painting and reading may seem unrelated, but they are closely linked in China's cultural heritage. Sunshine of International Students, from Somalia, was inspired by the exhibition on 23 April on the occasion of the 29th World Book Day. Before "Weighing the Book Map", he couldn't help laughing, and was surprised by the "play" of ancient Chinese readers. "When you call a book, is it comparing who reads more books? Very interesting. But after laughing, Sunshine thought again, "What is the measure of life?" The more books you read, the richer your life. ”
"In fact, 'reading' as a kind of painting image has appeared on portrait stones and portrait bricks as early as the Han Dynasty. With the flourishing of the imperial examination system, the atmosphere of reading in ancient society has become increasingly strong, and the creation of reading-themed paintings has been further expanded. Gao Jing, planning director of the China Millennium Monument Art Museum, said that there can be many angles to enter the "big series", and this exhibition presents the reading methods throughout the ancient and modern times and the vivid variety of the ancients when they read. After all, art nourishes life, reading changes the world, and seeking promotes development.
Feeling the "two me" in the mirror painting
Scholars, what can be read from the paintings on display is a deeper reflection. In the picture of "Hongli Jian Ancient Map" hanging quietly in the exhibition hall, in addition to Qianlong himself, who is admiring the antiques, a portrait of Qianlong is also hung on the screen. "It's the image of 'me' and the image of 'me' that I present to others." Ding Ning, a professor at Peking University's School of Arts, said that in the painting, one is the real "me" and the other is the "me" in the image. "Just like the Meitu App today, people are accustomed to beautifying their own image in software, hoping that the image of self-presentation is higher than that of themselves, which involves the understanding, acceptance, and acceptance of self in psychology."
In fact, the works that embody the "two mes" in this exhibition are not alone. The high-definition proofing of Gu Kaizhi's "Female History Atlas" of the Jin Dynasty exhibited in the exhibition also aroused Ding Ning's questioning. "The image of the 'two self' in the visual system of Chinese culture can be pushed forward by another three to four centuries from the Song dynasty. There is a person in the picture who is dressing up, and when she is dressing up in the mirror, there is already a mirror image of her in the mirror, which is a very eloquent proof that China already had the image of the 'two self' in the time of Gu Kaizhi or the Tang Dynasty, and that the individual and the image can be separated, but they have the same psychological identity mark. ”
Although the exhibition has come to an end, the curatorial team and many visitors are still unsatisfied, and continue to share their feelings on social media. Gao Jing said that tasting the traditional reading-themed paintings can not only look back at the long cultural context of the scholarly fragrance, understand the spiritual world of the sages of the past dynasties, but also carry forward the spirit of Chinese aesthetic education, so that the "cultural context code" can be passed on from generation to generation through the realm of art, and let the light of Chinese humanities illuminate the way forward.