Teaching history and results of leading art academy shows skill of teachers
"David" by Lu Zhengyuan, 2001
"Full body portrait of a man" by Wei Junkai, 2023
"Kung Fu – True Nature of the Exhibition of Basic Teaching History in Central Academy of Fine Arts" is on show at the Bund 18 Jiushi Art Gallery through September 8.
The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing is one of the top art academies in China.
The exhibition, divided into Sketching, Color, Walking and Inheritance, features nearly 130 artworks from the Department of Basic Modeling of the Central Academy of Fine Arts since its establishment in 2001.
In addition to the teaching history, the exhibition also includes a cluster of masterpieces created by heavyweight names including Li Hua, Dong Xiwen and Jin Shangyi.
Sketching is the highlight of the four sections.
Xu Beihong (1895-1953), one of the pioneers of Chinese modern art, once said: "Sketching is the foundation of all plastic arts." As the core of the plastic arts, sketching not only reflects the basic elements of art, but also reveals the exquisite capturing of shape by the artist.
In the Sketching section, viewers can admire the subtlety the artists capture. The works, outlined in black and white, intricately show the contrast between light and dark. Even without color, the work is filled with profundity.
These paintings are in the Walking section.
The Color section is a comprehensive demonstration of teaching on color, which, alongside sketching, form a core part of art teaching.
Through the paintings on display, visitors can observe how the artists use color to create each work by skilfully blending nature and humanity, the figurative and the abstract.
Walking showcases a series of works created by students outside their traditional classrooms, that present a dialogue between nature and society.
"Holiday, Viewing the Bridge" by Bai Xiaogang, 2023
A salute to teachers is paid in the last section, Inheritance. Here, the inheritance means the passing down of teaching philosophy and academic tradition from one generation to another. Such inheritance and development are defined in the basic teaching of modeling disciplines at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Exhibition Info
Date: Through Sept 8 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm
Admission: Free (no entry after 5:30pm)
Venue: Bund 18 Jiushi Art Gallery
Address: 18 Zhongshan Rd E1
