展讯｜国际视野下的中国绘画——中国国家画院作品交流展（瑞典展）

前  言

徐涟

Introduction

Xu Lian

Presenting the entirety of current Chinese painting in a single exhibition is an impossible task. The 54 pieces of Chinese painting on display here tell the personal stories of their creators through different techniques, concepts, and forms. They offer their viewers a window not only into the artists'thoughts and feelings but also the thousands of years of history of Chinese art and the zeitgeist of contemporary Chinese people.

“Wandering through Mountains & Forests”, is an eternal theme celebrated by Chinese artists. Through traditional Chinese ink painting, they try to extol the solace and peace found while ambling in nature, the harmony between man and nature, and a state of mind where time and space are transcended and the boundary between the self and surroundings melts. Those artists remind us that even in the modern, high-rise concrete jungles, one can still find their spiritual home if they can find peace within.

“All We Mortal Beings”,with their different appearances, identities, and postures, come to life under the artists'brushes. Coming from real life and rendered realistically or with exaggeration or distortion, they became subjects of observation, revealing the artists' compassion towards them.

“There is a Soul in Everything”, and humans are not the measure of all things. Whether it's the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, which Chinese people use as metaphors for themselves, or the birds in flight and galloping horses, everything is endowed with human characteristics in the artworks. In this vibrant world, the artists'inner richness and completeness shine through, as well as the concept of ecological protection that the Chinese people have long embraced.

Tradition and innovation is the path of exploration that Chinese artists have steadfastly followed. A total departure from tradition, however, is never the goal of art; rather, innovation is pursued to breathe new life into and even reinvent tradition. For Chinese artists, technical innovation and improvement in skills in cultural traditions with a history of thousands of years ultimately serve the quest of their hearts. Therefore, you will see Chinese artists delving into the same themes throughout their lives, with a dedication that borders on the religious. The viewers, correspondingly, assess an artist by the level of the ineffable spiritual profundity they can convey and their continuously refined techniques to fathom those depths. In this sense, the brush and ink techniques of Chinese painting are nothing but the artist's lifelong spiritual self-cultivation manifested as objects of artistic appreciation. In the era of the Internet and globalization, Chinese artists combine ideas and imagination, the virtual world and reality, illusion and nature, forming unique individual languages that offer a compelling glimpse of the overall landscape of contemporary Chinese art.

Human emotions are universal, and we are all capable of perceiving beauty. Therefore, an artwork's value is best reflected in its resonance with its admirers. I hope that, through this exhibition, Chinese art finds more kindred spirits in the countries where it visits.