「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」”Silent Illumination “See the Art in the Ordinary

Curator Lin Song has devoted his reverence for art history to the exhibition “Silent Illumination”, featuring works by nearly 60 Chinese contemporary and modern artists in various media such as ink wash and oil painting. Surprisingly, Chen Danqing was left out! Here is a supplementary image to make up for the regret.

Still life may seem ordinary, but it is an eternal subject in art. This exhibition not only sketches the outline of art history, but also showcases the dedication of the older generation of artists in infusing life into still life.

In Guan Liang’s “Chinese Rose Vase Painting”, the brushstrokes of oil painting and the ink colors collide, with the blooming flowers and the green outside the window igniting the passion for life together. In Shang Yang’s first work, the precious dried fish and eggs are the artist’s return gift to life in the era of scarcity. In her later years, Zhou Sicong’s ink paintings returned to the core of Chinese literati spirit in a freer form. Li Jin embraces the myriad aspects of life with still lifes full of the flavor of daily life. Wu Guanzhong, with his sketches and watercolors, captures fragments of time under the colorful blocks of color.

In an era of videos flooding, where sensory stimulation is rampant, the stillness of still life aesthetics becomes even more precious. In these works, still life is the “absent” presence, which retains time, allowing us to temporarily bid farewell to grand narratives and touch the essence of life, encountering the opportunity to meet the soul of art.

The theme of “still life” can serve as a perspective for understanding art and life. “Silent Illumination” is an exhibition worth savoring. At my strong request, the exhibition, which was originally scheduled to end at the end of this month, has been extended to July 15th. You may take this opportunity to understand the interpretation of life by Chinese contemporary art within the small space of still life.