Exhibition of Gu Ping’s Chinese Painting, ‘The Romantic and Carefree Landscapes of the Six Dynasties,’ Opens at Nanjing University

On the afternoon of April 11, the sky was clear and the wind was gentle. “The Romantic and Carefree Landscapes of the Six Dynasties – Gu Ping’s Chinese Painting Exhibition” opened grandly at the Art Museum of Nanjing University Xianlin Campus.

Yang Zhong said in his speech that General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized many times that “culture is the soul of a country and a nation. A prosperous culture will prosper the country’s fortunes, and a strong culture will make the nation strong.” As a cultural center, a talent highland and an education base, universities are An important position in building a cultural power. Nanjing University has always shouldered the historical mission of continuing civilization, inheriting culture, and continuing cultural context. He said that in recent years, the museum has held more than 70 colorful exhibitions of various types, playing an irreplaceable and important role as an important carrier for inheriting culture, educating people with culture, and educating people with culture. Yang Zhong pointed out that the artist Gu Ping in this exhibition is a famous contemporary figure landscape painting master. His “carefree landscape” reproduces the humanistic style of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, transcends the ordinary, and is highly consistent with the ideals, style and realm pursued by traditional literati paintings, integrating It captures the spirit of the times and personal artistic language, conveys his profound exploration of the modernization of traditional artistic spirit and an artist’s high sense of social responsibility.

Lu Qinglong said that Nantong has outstanding people and famous people. Gu Ping is an outstanding representative of Nantong-born painters. His paintings reveal the free and easy temperament of Jiangnan talents. The theme of this exhibition is the Romance of the Six Dynasties, with rich exhibits covering many aspects including landscapes, figures, and sketches. His paintings convey the profoundness of traditional Chinese culture and the life complex of the Chinese people.

Gu Huaming focused on Gu Ping’s research works, making contributions to the research of the Chinese Academy of Painting and the history of Chinese art. These academic works reflect a strong new historical perspective and a profound historical consciousness, which is relatively rare among contemporary artists.

Su Jincheng said that Gu Ping’s painting creation not only has traditional skills and pen and ink language, but also has a strong personal style, which is inseparable from his long-term creative research.

As the producer of this exhibition, Shi Mei, the former deputy director of the museum, introduced the origin of the exhibition in detail. She said that the reason why the opening date was chosen today is because today is the Shangsi Festival on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar. It was also the day when Wang Xizhi and his friends wrote the poem Eternal Orchid Pavilion at the Yinliu Shangqu River in Kuaiji Mountain in the ninth year of Yonghe. Holding an exhibition of paintings with the theme of leisurely landscapes on such a special day is a continuation of the elegant culture of the Six Dynasties. This exhibition not only displays paintings and calligraphy, but also integrates Wei and Jin costumes, music, tea art and other cultural elements, giving the audience an unprecedented immersive viewing experience from all aspects and angles.

At the opening ceremony, artist Gu Ping donated two masterpieces, “The Rise of Poetry in the Orchid Pavilion” and “Eight Immortals” and his works to the Nanjing University Museum, and Secretary Yang Zhong issued a collection certificate to them. In his speech, Gu Ping recalled the unforgettable time of studying and living in Nanjing, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. He said that it was Nanjing’s rich history and humanity and the nourishment of the beautiful environment that gave him the passion for painting the landscape and humanity of the Six Dynasties. Over the past forty years, he He has been consistent since then, constantly expressing his admiration and admiration for this ancient capital through calligraphy and painting. I would also like to thank Nanjing University, the curatorial team of this exhibition, and relatives and friends for their support and affirmation.

Finally, the leading guests completed the ribbon-cutting ceremony and took photos together. Liu Yiping, former Secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Zhou Tiegen, Chairman of the Social Construction Committee of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress, Li Jiusheng, former Vice President of Nanjing Normal University, Gu Huaming, former President of Jiangsu Education Press, Qin Hua, Director of the Nantong Municipal People’s Government Office in Ningxia, Teachers and students from the Art Department of Nantong University and Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, as well as heads of relevant departments, departments, teachers and students of Nanjing University attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was hosted by Li Hao, Minister of the Academic and Engineering Department of the Nanjing University Party Committee and Vice Dean of the Undergraduate School.

This exhibition brings together more than 130 masterpieces by Gu Ping, including humanistic and elegant figure paintings from the Six Dynasties with the style of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, as well as landscape paintings depicting natural postures and a carefree state. Complement each other and shine. All reflect the artist’s profound cultural heritage and superb painting techniques. In addition, the artistic expression of painting landscapes and figures on porcelain is a major feature of this exhibition. The exhibition runs until April 30, 2024.

Introduction to the artist: Gu Ping, born in 1960, is from Nantong, Jiangsu. Artist of China National Academy of Painting. He is a member of the Senior Professional Title Evaluation Committee for Art Research of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a member of the Central Cultural Committee of the Democratic League of China, the Executive Director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts of the Democratic League of China, and a member of the Chinese Artists Association. He once served as a professor at the School of Art of Nantong University, dean of the School of Media and Art at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, and a master’s tutor. He is good at painting figures, landscapes and calligraphy. His figures and landscapes are called “Xiaoyaoshanshui”. His brushwork is free and easy, his ink rhyme is clear and elegant, and his pictures are vivid. He is mainly created with the humanities of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and he likes the Shengliu of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. His “Seven Sages in the Bamboo Grove” was selected for the 8th National Art Exhibition, “Preface to the Orchid Pavilion” won the Jiangsu Province Excellence Award for the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China, and “Orchid Pavilion to Repair the Wind” won the Excellence Award at the 2006 Chinese Painting Exhibition. He has held personal calligraphy and painting exhibitions in Beijing, Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, Nantong, Taizhou, Xuzhou, Macau and Japan. Executive deputy editor of “History of the Chinese Painting Academy”, he has published books such as “Painting Documents”, “An Examination of the Ancient Chinese Palace Painting Academy”, “Chronicles of the Chinese Painting Academy – Ancient Volume”, “Xiaoyao Landscape – Research on Contemporary Figure Landscape Painting”, etc.