A primary school student in
Beijing, works on her pastel drawing hanging in the National Art Museum of China as part of the ongoing American art
exhibition.
The staging of the exhibition in China has been hailed by Pan
Gongkai, president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts as
absolutely "a historic event".
"The knowledge of American art was very limited for various
reasons," Pan said at an academic symposium held at the National Art Museum of China last Saturday.
"Cultural and academic exchanges between China and the United
States have increased dramatically over the past two decades thanks
to China's opening up and reforms," he noted.
However, according to Pan's personal observations, most Chinese
artists and art scholars have so far shown more interest in
contemporary American art.
"This exhibition gives us a systematic picture of American art.
Strolling the exhibition halls, I can even see and feel its vibrant
growing process hidden behind the paintings, sculptures,
installations and videos on show," said Zhang Qing, vice-director
of the Shanghai Museum of Fine Arts and a key organizer of the
Shanghai Biennale.
"Still grappling to find their own identity on the international
art arena, contemporary Chinese artists can surely learn something
from the rise of American art after World War II."
"After watching the exhibition, I feel even more confident about
the future of Chinese ink art in the 21st century," Chao Hai, a
Xi'an-based Chinese ink painter, renowned for his innovative ink
portraits of rural Chinese at the loess plateau.
"In my view, Western art, including American art, is
complementary to Chinese ink art," he said.
Apart from art academics and artists, the grand exhibition of
American art has drawn throngs of common Chinese viewers since its
opening last Friday.
"People of all ages have come to watch the show," said Li Yinan,
an art management major with the Central Academy of Fine Arts . Li
and a dozen others have been conducting a survey of Chinese
visitors to the exhibition. She has collected at least 100
questionnaires filled by both adults and children who came for the
show.
"Months ago, I watched the TV documentary Rise of the Great
Powers on China Central Television," said Guo Tingchun, a retired
clerk of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural
Heritages.
"That raised my interest in how Western countries such as the
United States rose to power and prosperity. Now comes the
exhibition of American art. I see it as a visual representation of
American history."
Ma Xiaozhou, a young oil painter who currently studies art in
Berlin, saw the exhibition as a rare opportunity for students
majoring in Western art.
"Not so many of them can afford to see all these artworks in
different museums abroad," she said.
"Printed catalogs and photos available through the Internet
cannot substitute for the closer look at the subtle details of the
original art works in person," she said.
To make it easier for Chinese viewers, the organizers, besides
offering electronic audio guides, have trained at least 70
volunteer lecturers who will guide the visitors through the major
showpieces, according to Li Jingyue with the General Office of the
National Museum of China.
The exhibition has also been featuring a number of academic
lectures, Li said.
After its Beijing debut, which ends on April 3, it will tour
Shanghai Museum and Shanghai MOCA from May 1 through June 30, and
then move on to other countries, according to Krens.
(China Daily February 26, 2007)
