Chinese "Magic of Ink" In the Heart of Berlin
The Chinese Cultural Center of Berlin hosts yet another vibrant cultural event in the German capital
August 18th, 2016
Ionuț-Eugen-Radu Sava, Berlin Global
Berlin's Chinese Cultural Center announces the opening of an art exhibition dedicated to calligraphy and painting. On the 24th of August 2016, the world renowned artists of the Zheng family and Zhou Bin are set to exhibit their work in Berlin.
In collaboration with the Shanghai-based TYC Group, the cultural representatives of the People's Republic of China are set to host an exhibition which comprises a total of 50 works of painters such as Zheng Wuchang, Zheng Xiaotong, Zheng Rengang, and Zhou Bin.
These artists are linked to the Shanghai School of Painting - which finds its roots in the 19th century -, and express mostly landscape works, nature related portraits and many more. Thus inspiring refreshment, the mark of the Shanghais school remains "casual", rich in creativity with an eye to further enrich this patrimony in a "lively style".
In anticipation of the much awaited exhibition, the organizers have announced that three artists - Zheng Xiaotong, Zheng Rengang and Zhou Bin - will give lectures on calligraphy and painting, in order to interact with the local public. In this manner, their contribution to the face-to-face Sino-German contact is extremely valuable.
Moreover, the Shanghai School is known for building a bridge between the folk, traditional Chinese painting and Western painting styles, encouraging innovation within the traditional sphere of this field. Among the best classical works, it is worth mentioning those which are linked to "rural life on the river at the beginning of summer" or "silence of the countryside".
The bond between the three generations of Zheng painters is, according to the Chinese Cultural Center, an insight into the development of this institution towards creating creative peculiarities and the achievement of artistic values.
For most Westerners, Chinese calligraphy still remains an undiscovered and mythic way of expressing various and diverse feelings and emotions. It is a unique visual art which comprises thousands of years of practice in East Asia; an art which also brings under the same umbrella excerpts of literature and the everyday life of the Chinese people.
Zheng Wuchang - considered to be the leading figure of the Shanghai School - was greatly influenced by the glorious past of the art scenery of China, writing and publishing topics related to the history of Chinese painting. In 1939, his landscapes brought him a gold medal at the International Art Exhibition in New York.
His son, on the other hand, Zheng Xiaotong, brought to light the ambience of Chinese spirituality, tradition and philosophy (i.e. "Taoism follows nature").
The uniqueness of this family traditions has also been spotted in the works of Zheng Rengang, which typically express art by means of oil paintings. The blend between Eastern and Westerns cultures in this equation is particularly visible.
Lastly, Zhou Bin, the famous contemporary Chinese calligrapher, expresses work which particularly control "space and time in order to achieve an artistic result, which reflects the soul of the artist".
The Chinese Cultural Center in Berlin, located at Klingelhöferstr. 21, is a cultural institution of the People's Republic of China. Established by means of the Cultural Agreement between the German and Chinese governments, the status of this institution corresponds to the German Goethe-Institute in China.
Amongst its objectives are to bring a broad public from Germany closer to Chinese culture, art and education, promoting therefore cultural exchanges and enhancing mutual understanding and people-to-people cooperation. Seminar lectures start at 6pm with the grand opening of the exhibition one hour later, according to the schedule presented by the representatives of the Chinese Cultural Center. Berliners who wish to attend this event must book in advance.
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