Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong Museum of Art｜Reading & Re-reading: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy (Phase I)

Description

Throughout our lives, we understand the world and acquire wisdom through words and images. When we first read Chinese classic poetry or view traditional paintings and calligraphy, their deeper meanings can be elusive. Only as time passes and life experience accumulates, do we return to these works and find ourselves truly moved by them. 

Themed “Reading and Re-reading”, this exhibition explores the historic union of literature and art, inviting you to reconnect with the foundational memories of your youth. In the Chinese tradition, painting and calligraphy are inextricably linked to classical literature and philosophy. Sharing a common spiritual essence, poetry and painting blend seamlessly in subject, aesthetics and form—weaving together the philosophies of life with artistic expression. 

Featuring a curated selection of works from the Xubaizhai Collection complemented by other Chinese painting and calligraphy from the museum’s collection, the exhibition takes you into the spiritual world of the literati through four chapters: “Timeless Elegance”, “The Way of the Gentleman”, “Landscape Reveries”, and “Sentimental Years”. Here, the literary treasures of your childhood are reawakened by familiar verses, inviting you to journey through the brushwork, contemplate the hidden messages within, and rediscover the timeless wisdom of the ages. 

The exhibition is also one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organizing an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit https://ccpo.gov.hk/en.

Image 1 Information：Zhang Daqian (1899 – 1983)、Xu Cao (1899 – 1961)、Evening Cruise by the Red Cliff、Not dated、Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper101.8 x 29.2 cm、Xubaizhai Collection

Image 2 Information：Anonymous (after Gu Kaizhi (ca. 344 – 405))、Nymph of the Luo River、Not dated、Album leaf (round fan), ink and colour on silk、24 x 24.5 cm、Xubaizhai Collection

Image 3 Information：Shen Shichong (act. ca. 1607 – 1640)、Transplanting a Plum Tree、1632、Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper、81 x 35.5 cm、Xubaizhai Collection