He had a profound influence throughout the country, and his instructional film "Sketching" was directed. The "Meng Guang Era" exhibition opened. Educator | Chen Yiming | Teaching
At 10 o'clock in the morning, the Liu Haisu Art Museum was bustling with people. Artists such as Yang Zhengxin, Wei Jingshan, Ren Lijun, Huang Yinghao, Hu Xiangcheng, Wang Shensheng, Chen Yiming, Chen Weide, Cai Xiaoben, Chen Yugang, Li Baohua, and others gathered together. They shared a common identity as both exhibiting artists and students of Chinese oil painter and art educator Meng Guang. On July 15th, the "Meng Guang Era: Teachers and Students Art Literature Special Exhibition" officially opened, showcasing more than 90 works by Meng Guang and his students, showcasing his outstanding achievements in art creation and education, as well as the deep nostalgia and gratitude of the students towards him.
On site exhibition hall
"This is an exhibition with a preparation time of 15 years, which went through many twists and turns and was put on hold. Finally, with the unremitting efforts of Mr. Meng Guang's students and the strong support of people from all walks of life, it was able to take shape." One of the organizers, Bao Weihua, the director of the Liu Haisu Art Museum, said that three months ago, she learned that this exhibition was originally planned to be exhibited at the Liu Haisu Art Museum three years ago, but it has been put on hold for various reasons until now. "Meng Guang was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu, and is from the same hometown as Liu Haisu. He also graduated from Shanghai Fine Arts College founded by Liu Haisu and others. The intersection and origin of the two are one of the reasons why Liu Haisu Art Museum actively promotes this exhibition."
Meng Guang, still life, oil painting, 62x49cm, 1988
Meng Guang's artistic creation is closely related to the context of the times, and he is a loyal practitioner of the motto "Hong Yue Shen Mei" in Shanghai Art College. In the early days of the founding of New China, he participated in the creation of the first batch of thematic Shanghai oil paintings depicting revolutionary historical themes. As an artist, Meng Guang has been deeply contemplating the essence of art since the 1980s, exploring from the perspective of artistic expression language, and becoming a pioneer in the exploration of contemporary Chinese oil painting language.
Chen Yiming, portrait, sketch, 58x42cm, 1980
While creating art, Meng Guang is also an art educator. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, he founded the "Meng Guang Painting Studio" and served as the teaching backbone and leader of the New Shanghai Fine Arts College; In the early stages of reform and opening up, Shanghai Jiao Tong University participated in the establishment of the first art discipline established by China Comprehensive University, and was a pioneer in the path of university teaching reform. For decades, Meng Guang has trained a large number of students who excel in art. His home is located at 77 Sinan Road, making him the "home of art" in the minds of many young painters.
Meng Guang, Chen Mu from Shuixiang, oil painting, 63 x 70cm, 1980
This exhibition showcases multiple sketches and oil paintings by Meng Guang, and his students Yang Zhengxin, Wei Jingshan, Ren Lijun, Chen Yifei, Chen Yiming, and others have also exhibited multiple works. It is worth mentioning that during his long-term teaching career, Meng Guang has mainly focused on the subject of sketching, forming a sketching teaching system with Shanghai style characteristics. The teaching film "Sketching" directed by him has had a wide and profound impact throughout the country, and a condensed version of the film is once again exhibited in this exhibition.
Xia Baoyuan, an old man from northern Shaanxi, sketch, 75x45cm, 1972
The voice over of this film is Xi Meijuan, an actor from the Shanghai People's Art Theatre at the time and the current chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles. "Mr. Meng Guang is an awe inspiring artist and art educator. He not only uses his artistic works to record social life and the development of the times, but also as an art educator, he uses his unique artistic ideas and concepts to cultivate and guide the artistic literacy and realm of his students. In today's world, this is a quality that is even more worthy of praise." said Xi Meijuan.
Chen Weide, hair salon, oil painting on canvas, 50x90cm, 2017
The exhibition is hosted by Liu Haisu Art Museum and Shanghai Artists Association and will continue until August 20th.
