Find 22 Teenage Painters! Shenzhen Children's Painters Night Scene Creation Competition kicked off

In the more than 40 years of reform and opening up, Shenzhen has developed from a border town into an international metropolis, which has attracted the attention of the world. Shenzhen has a beautiful and bustling night scene, colorful nightlife, and a vibrant night economy, showing the brilliant achievements of China's reform and opening up for more than 40 years.

In the eyes of different people, the night in Shenzhen has different beauty. Zhang Chuang, director of the Guangdong Provincial Artists Association and vice chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association, told Nandu reporters that he came to work deeply in 1992, and in his heart, the night sky in Shenzhen in the 1990s was quiet and clear, and now Shenzhen is lined with high-rise buildings and neon at night. Such changes are like many people's journey from being lonely and strange when they first set foot in Shenzhen to gradually becoming more exciting in life. By observing the changes in the night scene, he also witnessed the development of Shenzhen from a border fishing village into a high-profile star city.

Each generation has a different way of seeing the world. Children born in the new century are bathed in the spring breeze of reform and opening up, and Zhang Chuang grew up in a completely different era background, it seems that from the time I can remember, Shenzhen has been an endless stream, the appearance of flashing lights. In their hearts, what will the night in Shenzhen be like?

In order to find the answer, on September 28, the Nandu Cup Shenzhen Children's Painters Night Scene Creation Competition, co-sponsored by The Southern Metropolis Daily and the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, undertaken by Shenzhen Big Thing Media and the Young Goose Tribe, and supported by the Shenzhen Children's Palace, was officially launched.

This event will recruit 22 outstanding children's young painters aged 7-16 in Shenzhen to jointly draw a 10-meter long scroll reflecting the night in Shenzhen with their perspective and imagination - Shenzhen Night View Edition "Qingming River Map". The work will have the opportunity to be included in the Shenzhen Museum.

At present, the judging panel of the competition has been established, consisting of Chen Wending, deputy secretary of the party committee and general manager of the Southern Metropolis Newspaper and chairman of Shenzhen Dayi Media, Yang Xiaoyang, currently vice president of the Shenzhen Academy of Painting and vice chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association, Zhang Chuang, vice chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association and director of the Futian Art Museum, Chen Xiangbing, vice chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association and dean of the School of Fine Arts and Design of Shenzhen University, and Zhang Hao, chairman of the Shenzhen Graphic Design Association and visiting professor of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (in no particular order). The jury will continue to screen and judge all entries.

Painting the Night View of Shenzhen with Ancient Metaphors for the Present "Qingming River Map"

It is reported that the competition will be divided into two stages: audition and final, and the 22 outstanding painters who stand out in the sea selection will participate in the long-scroll painting creation of the Shenzhen Night Scene Edition "Qingming Upper River Map" in the final.

When it comes to judging works in the competition, many judges mention a key word - imagination. "Before the Shenzhou 12 astronauts announced the night scene of China taken in orbit, the brilliant lights in the dark outlined the vitality of the city and the lives of the people. I hope that the selected works this time can fully and deeply reveal the diverse charm of Shenzhen at night, and the imagination and picture performance of children must be the biggest highlights of the work," said Zhang Hao, chairman of the Shenzhen Graphic Design Association and visiting professor of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

Zhang Chuang, a member of the China Artists Association and vice chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association, said that the creativity of the competition is very good, and the well-known "Qingming River Map" is the prosperous scene of the city depicted by the Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan in Tokyo. The event, titled Shenzhen's night view version of "Qingming on the River Map", used ancient metaphors to the present, reflected the great changes brought by reform and opening up to Shenzhen, and revealed the great achievements made by Shenzhen since its reform and opening up.

But Zhang Hao hopes that the children who create will not be limited by the imagination of the "Qingming River Map", and that everyone will jointly create a theme that reflects beauty and carries expectations, and not stick to the "Qingming River Map" in terms of composition and theme, in addition to the "artistry of the picture", Zhang Hao hopes that the contestants will pay more attention to "the imagination of the content and the uniqueness of the perspective".

Yang Xiaoyang also suggested that the children who create should let go of their imagination and boldly use various ways to express their impressions and love for the city of Shenzhen.

Demystifying the Judging Criteria The judges encouraged the contestants to use their imaginations

As a judge of the organizer, Chen Wending revealed the evaluation criteria and said that this competition aims to build a platform for children's innovative creation and convey the spirit of Shenzhen in the new era, and "innovation" is the key word. It is hoped that the young contestants will not only combine the reality of life, but also give reasonable play to their imagination, adding a strong touch to the record of Shenzhen's urban night scene.

As a painter who has long been engaged in urban ink painting and mainly uses night scenes as the subject of his creation, Yang Xiaoyang said that his works over the years have been deeply rooted in the local area, recording the urbanization process of Shenzhen, and the urbanization reform has also provided a cultural resource different from the traditional agricultural civilization background for the creation of local artists.

Yang Xiaoyang shared that the works of Ducheng Landscape Ink Painting, which choose the theme of urban night color, are more in line with the simple materials of rice paper and ink painting in traditional Chinese ink art, counting black and white, simplifying and simplifying complexity, and can use the most simple pen and ink language to awaken the audience's interaction and association with artwork creation.

Speaking of the judging of works, Yang Xiaoyang hopes that the works participating in the competition should be able to show the characteristics and creativity of children's paintings, without overemphasizing and restricting the skills, techniques and materials of painting, nor to express the urban steel forest in a uniform way. Shenzhen's brilliant neon lights also have a rich modern life, children can choose their own creative themes from all angles of life.

Zhang Chuang revealed that when judging works, he looked at creativity and materials, techniques and techniques. A work with good creativity and good performance is a good work of children's painting art. Zhang Chuang suggested that the children participating in this activity should carefully observe the night scenery of Shenzhen and use unique personal feelings, rich brushes and wise eyes to explore the night scenery of Shenzhen.

Zhang Hao said that for a single painting, he pays more attention to the imagination of the content, the uniqueness of the perspective, and the artistry of the picture; and when considering the whole, it is necessary to take into account the diversity of the subject matter and style.

Chen Xiangbing, vice chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association and dean of the School of Fine Arts and Design of Shenzhen University, was also impressed by the beauty of Shenzhen's night scene and created oil paintings that took the opportunity to overlook the night view. He said that when judging, he hopes to see children's works less routine, more vitality and imagination.

Yang Xiaoyang commented that this activity has positive significance for promoting children's art creation in Shenzhen, and is conducive to discovering and cultivating children's art creation talents. "Innovation is the soul of Shenzhen city, and children are the masters of the future of the city, cultivating children's pursuit of beauty, love for the city and home, is an important part of Shenzhen's future entry into the international cultural metropolis, showing the soft power of urban culture."

The time, method and requirements for participation are attached below

Registration and voting channels for the Contest have been opened

1. Audition stage

Entry Requirements:

Artwork size: A3 or A4 size is preferred, and uploaded and submitted by taking photos.

Creative theme: unlimited, with Shenzhen night view as the theme is better

Painting material: Unlimited

Creative requirements: Contestants independently create and complete works on an individual basis. Each entrant may submit only one submission.

The title of the work is self-proposed by the entrant.

Works must comply with laws and regulations, and must not contain prohibited elements such as pornography, and no trademarks or corporate logos are allowed.

Registration Period:

Submissions close from now until October 8, 2021.

Registration Age:

7-16 years old

Selection Method:

The audition is divided into public voting + judges' selection, and 22 outstanding players are selected to enter the final. Around the middle of October, the contestants who participate in the final creation will be selected through comprehensive screening, and the list of finalists will be announced on the "Education Matters" public account. At present, the voting channel has been opened synchronously.

2. Final stage

Contest Content:

The 22 contestants will create their own painting scenes and areas according to the theme and content stipulated by the main committee of the competition, and draw a 10-meter-long scroll in groups of two.

Competition Time:

October 23, 2021 (tentative)

Selection Method and Award Settings:

According to the on-site painting and combined with the preliminary scores, the first prize group (2 people), the second prize group 3 group (6 people), the third prize group 7 groups (14 people) were awarded according to the group. Awards of honor and corresponding prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Written by: Nandu trainee reporter Yan Zhaoxin