2011 is the centennial birthday of the remarkable artist Xiao Shufang(萧淑芳). Combined with Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts, Beijing Fine Art Academy hold the Delicate Character----Centennial Commemorate Exhibition of Ms.Xiao Shufang’s which will be opened on 9:30 a.m. 25th Mar. 2011 and last to 10th Apr.2011, at the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Museum. This exhibition is hosted by China Artists Association, Beijing Fine Art Academy, CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts), and organized by Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy and Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts. Approximately eighty watercolor paintings are drawn from the personal collection of Xiao Shufang’s family will be displayed on the exhibition and they will be divided into five parts: flower, figure, landscape, still life and sketches created on Dun Huang Mogao Grottoes. Most of them are created in 1950s; they are the represented art works finished during the artist’s mature years of her art career. This is the first time that Ms.Xiao’s watercolor paintings meet the audience; the exhibition displayed the artist’s achievements in the arena of watercolor comprehensively.
Just like a female poet in Song dynasity wrote delicate character, beautiful but also natural, Ms.Xian’s personality is just like the sentence described. Chinese traditional art emphasizing the personal character, there is a close relationship between art level and artist’s personal character. Ms.Xiao is an amiable lady in her daily life, just like the watercolor flower paintings under her brush, paintings reflected the artist’s quality.
As one of the most recognized exhibition in Beijing Fine Art Academy, the series exhibition had experienced five years. The exhibition is the first one of the series this year, Xiao Shufang is the second female artist in this series. Drawing sketches in front of nature is an important theme and the exhibition adhered the concept which had been exemplified in the exhibitions of Wu Zuoren (吴作人)，Dong Xiwen(董希文)，Zhou Sicong(周思聪)’s. The exhibition provided a good opportunity of studying the relation between sketch and art creation. From the research and display of old masters’ art career, the holders would like to arouse public’s contemplate on the relationship between sketch and Chinese traditional paintings.
Qi Baishi’s Remarks to Ms.Xiao’s Paintings
Born in an artistic family, Ms.Xiao influenced deeply by her father’ lover of Chinese classical literature, she also learned play piano with his uncle. At the age of 15, she learned western paintings in art academy of national Beiping university, followed Ke Luoduo, Li Chaoshi etc. and then she followed Wang Shensheng(汪慎生), Chen Shaolu (陈少鹿) to study Chinese traditional art, and had visit Qi Baishi for further understanding of art, Qi Baishi had wrote an inscription on her painting Lotus which remarks her painting is quite good at the ink and brush using. Ms.Xiao had studied in Europ when she was young, she had been to Switzerland, France and England, she learned sketch, oil painting, woodcut, sculpture when she stayed in Europe. Ms.Xiao had held his solo Chinese traditional painting exhibitions when she was in London and Switzerland, and she also published album of the Chinese Children’s Games (English edition), as a result she is considered as a pioneer of cultural exchanges between China and western countries on 1930s.
Education Periods of Ms.Xiao
Ms.Xiao was invited by Xu Beihong (徐悲鸿) to teach at national Beiping university， she studied at Chinese painting dept. of CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts) as vice professor and professor. Her paintings such as Lilac and Young Pioneer had been hand on the wall of corridor in the teaching building. In this exhibition, the audience will be influenced by Ms.Xiao’s teaching years by the still life and plaster figures displayed in the galleries. Accompany with these scenes, documentaries such as sketch books used by Ms.Xiao are also can be seen in the exhibition.
The First Couple in the Series Exhibitions of 20th Century Chinese Art Masters
Ms.Xiao had learned painting with Mr. Wu Zuoren at the Xu Beihong studio in the early years, the couple also worked as teachers at the consequential years, the two artists share the similar art career and the same art pursuit. As the first couple in the series exhibition, the presented watercolor paintings are finished major in 1950s, some of them laid the foundation of flower watercolor paintings for the artist’s later art explore, though these art works, we can see Ms.Xiao combined western painting technical and Chinese traditional art. Besides, the paintings such as Mai Jishan Grotto, Nadam Fair of the Mongolian people etc. which created at 1950s are the shared themes between Ms.Xiao and her husband Mr.Wu, paintings just like Liao Jingwen and Indian Madam are also painted by Mr.Wu, audience can make references with paintings displayed in Wu Zuoren exhibition which held two years ago.
