Dreamland of Flowers and Birds

by+Gong+Haiying

From September 25 to Octo- ber 11， 2015， an exhibition of flower-and-bird paintings by He Shuifa， an eminent Chinese painter， is showing at the National Museum of China in Beijing. The exhibition was jointly sponsored by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles， Calligraphy & Painting Division of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， China Artists Associa- tion， Chinese National Academy of Arts（CNAA） ， China National Academy of Painting， Publicity Department of Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， Zhejiang Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles， China Academy of Art， and Zhejiang Daily. This is Hes third solo painting exhibition in Beijing.

The theme of the exhibition， “Embrace Flowers and Motherland and Chase Dreams，” reflects the painters lifelong pursuits in the realm of art. Many of the paintings in the exhibition have never before been unveiled to the public. Among them are large works such as The Sea of Spring Blossoms in February， Celestial Fragrance， Dreamy Glow， Red Sunset Glow， and Reminiscent of the Past at the Lake View Tower， and small， delicately painted pieces such as Red Blossoms in Drizzle. All of these paintings express his rich inner feelings， thoughts and perceptions of the outside world.

Born in Zhejiang Province in 1946， He is a prestigious contemporary Chinese flowerand-bird painter. As Professor Chen Shouxiang from the Institute of Fine Arts under the CNAA put it， “He persists in drawing inspiration from daily life and has formed his own distinct style， which swept away the euphemistic trend formerly dominating circles of Chinese flower-and-bird painting， reflecting the nations new look in the new century.”

In China， the term “flower-and-bird painting” is a fairly broad concept. Apart from flowers and birds， subjects also include animals， insects， and fish， as well as plants and fruits. Historical records show that flower-and-bird painting had already emerged as early as the Six Dynasties period （222-589） and reached its zenith in the Song Dynasty（960-1279）. By the time， the style developed a subgenre called “scholastic painting”featuring ink-and-wash paintings depicting plum trees and bamboo. The flower-and-bird painting lost its dominant position in modern times. Even so， renowned artists such as Wu Changshuo， Qi Baishi， and Guan Shanyue still earned international fame for their work.

To date， He has held solo painting exhibitions in Beijing， Shanghai， and Shandong， as well as foreign countries including Germany， Indonesia， and Malaysia. His work has appeared in countless multi-artist domestic exhibitions. For instance， his Winter Blossoms， Vegetables in Spring， Green Vines Reaching to the Sky， and Flowers as Red as Flame were displayed at the 6th， 7th， 8th， and 10th National Art Exhibitions of China. His Iron Branches Reflecting Red Spring was nominated for the Centurial Exhibition of Chinese Paintings， and his Flowers as Red as Flame was chosen to be shown at the 1st Beijing International Art Biennale. Furthermore， his work has been collected by many domestic and international art institutions including the National Art Museum of China， the Asian Art Museum of the United States， and the Australian Oriental Artists Association.