Honolulu Academy of Art to feature rare Chinese landscape paintings

HONOLULU — After more than a year of planning and organizing with the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Honolulu Academy of Arts presents the collaborative exhibition Masterpieces of Landscape Painting from the Forbidden City. The exhibition opens Nov. 3 and runs through Jan. 8, 2012.

The landmark exhibition is inspired by the goal of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Summit (APEC), being held concurrently in Honolulu Nov. 8-13, to encourage cooperation among the nations of the Pacific region.

The exhibition includes 56 paintings from the Palace Museum, which has the largest collection of Chinese paintings in the world, and 20 paintings from the renowned collection of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Together, these works reveal a painting revolution that happened in China during the 13th and 14th centuries, and forever changed the course of the arts, with its influence still felt today.

At the heart of the exhibition is a group of rare, early works by the four most influential artists of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), known as “the four Masters of Yuan Dynasty Painting”— Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan, and Wang Meng.

The works have never before been allowed to travel outside China, and are not regularly displayed in the Palace Museum. Similarly, this will be the first time that any of the exhibition’s later Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasty paintings from the Palace Museum will be included in an international exhibition.

The Four Masters are among the most revered artists in Chinese history. They are paragons of the scholar-amateur or “literati” style that characterizes the highest ideals of Chinese painting, and represents a quintessential aspect of Chinese culture. Masterpieces of Landscape Painting From the Forbidden City showcases paintings by these iconic artists and explores their influence on later generations.

The Yuan dynasty marks the first time time China was invaded and ruled by a foreign power—the Mongols. (The Manchus later also took over the country.) The political and social changes of this tumultuous time led to the Four Masters’ groundbreaking artistic vision. They developed a new way of seeing the natural world, and their artistic expression is in many ways reminiscent of Impressionism, although it precedes the Impressionists by five centuries. Free of the restrictions of court patronage, Chinese artists at the time were no longer dominated by academic tradition and could put more of themselves into their work.

“In just 100 years, you can see Chinese painting becoming much more expressive of personal vision,” says Shawn Eichman, Curator of Asian Art at the Academy. “Each artist was finding his voice, and using a new vocabulary to express his own ideas. These artists pushed the limits to explore new ways of painting. Their paintings want to talk to you. They want to share with you their unique perceptions of the natural world.”

Exhibition programs and components:

Audio guide: A podcast that highlights the impact of Mongol rulers on artists during the Yuan Dynasty and how the “Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty” influenced Chinese painting for future generations.

Hands-on activities: In the gallery will be a docent-run mobile station of Chinese brush painting tools (ink block, stone, brushes, chop), and scrolls that visitors can unroll and view.

Exhibition catalogue: Available in The Academy Shop will be an illustrated, 100-page exhibition catalogue, written by exhibition curators Dr. Shawn Eichman in collaboration with Drs. Li Shi and Fu Dongguang, Department of Painting & Calligraphy, Palace Museum. Cost: $14.95.

Adult lecture series: To give people can get a deeper understanding of the exhibition’s themes, the Academy presents a free lecture series. Dates and speakers will be announced on the website.

Exhibition tours: There will be many tour options available for Masterpieces of Landscape Painting from the Forbidden City. Visitors can choose from a daily exhibition tour, the Tour + Tea Program (dates to be announced), and a daily spotlight tour featuring specific objects in the exhibition. School tours can be scheduled upon request.

Masterpieces of Landscape Painting from the Forbidden City
Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 Beretania Street
November 3, 2011 - January 8 2012