“Chinese traditional culture is so charming!”
"It's so beautiful. I like traditional Chinese culture, especially Chinese ink painting." "Chun Shen Mo Yuan - A joint exhibition of Chinese painting sketches by ten people" is being held at Shanghai Friendship Store Art Friends Space. 25-year-old Russian girl Olga Elagina said in front of a painting she liked.
On May 23, the "Foreigner Storytelling Club" Shanghai-style calligraphy and painting appreciation event was held on the third floor of Shanghai Friendship Store. Olga Elagina thus had the opportunity to communicate face-to-face with Shanghai-style calligraphy and painting masters.
Olga Elagina, who is in the first year of graduate school at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has a nice Chinese name "Zhou Linghan". The name is taken from Wang Anshi's famous poem "There are several plum blossoms in the corner, Ling Han blooms alone". She explained: "Russia is in the north of China and is colder than China. This song "Plum Blossom" by Wang Anshi describes the scenery in the cold season. I like it very much."
At the scene, Shanghai-style calligraphers and painters taught Olga Elagina step by step how to rub the Chinese character "福". She used a special roller dipped in paint to gently roll over the imprint of the Chinese character "福", covered it with a piece of white paper, brushed it with a brush and then removed it. A Chinese "blessing" was born.
Olga Elagina rubs the Chinese character "福" Photo by Li Junna
On the other side, Pilly, an international student from Mexico, is learning from a group of Shanghai-style calligraphers and painters how to write the word "福" with a brush. Before she started writing, the painter Zhang Genbao explained to her the meaning of the Chinese character "福". "The character contains fields, clothes, and a bucket to hold things, which means a good harvest, a solid warehouse, and enough food and clothing." After that, the calligraphers Taught her to write one stroke at a time, and she could write in style. After finishing writing the character "福", Pilly's "福" received applause from the calligraphers and painters present.
Pilly learns to write the character "福". Photo by Li Junna
Pilly also has a Chinese name, Yi Xin. "Comfortable and cozy," she emphasized. She has been in China for 8 years, speaks fluent Chinese, and is currently studying for a PhD in art at Shanghai University. Almost all of her WeChat Moments are written in Chinese. "Chinese traditional culture is so charming, I love it so much," she said.
Ten years ago, the first Chun Shen Mo Yuan calligraphy and painting exhibition was held in Yuyuan Mall. At that time, the nine painters who participated in the exhibition got acquainted with ink and gathered in the Yuyuan Mall Gallery. Their painting languages have their own characteristics, and they have created a number of contemporary works such as figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, animals, and buildings that meet the aesthetic needs of society.
Painting tells history, and painting expresses the times. Today, ten years later, 10 painters gathered in Shanghai Friendship Store Art Friends Space, hoping to promote the spread and development of Shanghai-style calligraphy and painting through this exhibition. They also hope to make friends with more calligraphers and painters from all over the world, integrate into Shanghai-style culture, and inherit and promote the excellent Chinese culture. , and make their own efforts to create excellent paintings that the people need, and create good works that the people need.
Painter Shen Xiangran brought an ink painting "Households in Southern Anhui", which shows traditional Chinese Huizhou architecture. "Among traditional Chinese architecture, Huizhou architecture is unique. Many architectural heritages in China, including Huizhou architecture, are world cultural heritages. This is also one of our cultural self-confidence. My mission is to use my own pen and ink to Picture them to get a better representation."
Regarding the love of foreign friends, the painters sincerely expressed: "We are the inheritors of Chinese culture and hope to help Chinese culture go global and create a Shanghai model of cultural confidence and self-reliance."
