Personality at Brush-tips

Exhibition on Yangzhou School Paintings of Tianjin Museum and Henan Museum

Duration: Jun. 29, 2023 - Sep. 28, 2023

Venue：No.16 Gallery on the first floor in Henan Museum (Eastern Special Gallery)

Opening ceremony

On June 29, the exhibition “Personality at Brush-tips:Exhibition on Yangzhou School Paintings of Tianjin Museum and Henan Museum” which was opened to the public at Henan Museum.

In the early and middle Qing dynasty, Yangzhou was characterized by booming commercial economy, awakened civic consciousness, thereby, the trend of pursuit of personality and demonstration of individuality came into being, under such a circumstance, the preeminent Yangzhou School of Painting, which was quite differentiated from the tradition styles, took shape. The representative painters include Hua Yan, Li Shan, Li Fangying, Jin Nong, Luo Pin, Huang Shen, Min Zhen, Zheng Xie, Gao Fenghan, Wang ShiShen, Gao Xiang, Chen Zhuan, Bian Shoumin, etc. By following the freehand painting styles and natural artistic characteristics of former masters such as the Zhu Da(pen name Bada Shanren), Shi Tao, (active in late Ming to early Qing period), and in pursuit of knowledge and  morality, innovations, and profound skills as their artistic pursuits, the painters forged their own unique styles of freehand brushstrokes and drawing inspirations from the nature, which prompted them to take the lead as a preeminent faction of Chinese painting in the 18^th century.

The exhibition comprises of 76 masterpieces by 13 painters of Yangzhou school Paintings, including the large size works and small ones such as the elegant fans-formed works, the themes have not only landscapes in color, but also the bird, flower, and human figure. The famous works include the Plucking Lotus album, Cottage in the Pine Trees under the White Clouds in handscroll by Hua Yan, folding screen Wild Geese and Reeds by Bian Shoumin, Flowers and Fruits album by Li Shan, Court Ladies handscroll and Landscape with Figures and Floras by Huang Shen, Landscape album by Gao Xiang, etc. From the perspective of art and aesthetics, the exhibition aims to demonstrate the Chinese people's perception of nature, society and the related politics, philosophy, religion, ethics, literature and nature, reflecting the Oriental culture and the Chinese national spirit.