Discover Chinese paintings and calligraphic works at the Guangzhou Museum of Art

Editor's note: May 18 marks the International Museum Day, with the theme "The Power of Museums". Guangdong is home to 367 registered museums as of April 2022, ranking third in China. In this series, we will share with you several national first-class museums and some of their ongoing exhibitions in the province, to explore the potential of museums to bring about positive change in our communities.

Arising Sun (painting material trial III) by Ou Yang (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

A donation exhibition of oil paintings by Ou Yang entitled Imagery is underway from now to July 10 at the Guangzhou Museum of Art, featuring the artist's creations on oil paintings for more than 40 years since the reform and opening up. Currently, this donation-based project has been listed as one of the projects of National Artworks Collection and Donation Award in 2022.

Ou Yang is a professor of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA), a member of China Artist Association and a director of China Oil Painting Society.

Lotus Pond in Autumn V by Ou Yang (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

Ou has devoted herself to painting since the 1960s, and her early works tended to focus on reality. In the 1970s, the artist initiated an innovation in Chinese painting and tried to show a sense of sunshine in traditional ink painting. In the 1990s, she put forward the concept of "imagery painting". She looked for the oriental nature of oil painting language in the image between abstract and concrete, combing the interest of Chinese literati painting with the light and color of western impressionism. In 2022, Ou Yang and her family decided to donate 56 pieces of oil paintings to the Guangzhou Museum of Art.

Memory of Red and Black by Ou Yang (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

The exhibition highlights an exhibit named Memory of Red and Black, which was created under the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The artist noted that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of endless disasters made people anxious and agitated. Based on this situation, she was inspired to draw this painting by applying pure red and black to form the pattern of the painting, which features an ablaze prairie symbolizing both destruction and hope.

Importantly, apart from visiting the Guangzhou Museum of Art to view the offline exhibition, you can also enjoy the showpieces online by scanning the following QR code:

About the Guangzhou Museum of Art

Located at the foot of the Baiyun Mountain and beside Luhu Lake, the Guangzhou Museum of Art (GMA) covers a floor area of 20,300 square meters. With a history of more than 40 years, GMA was rebuilt at a new address in 1995 and opened to the public in 2000.

As one of the largest art museums in South China, GMA integrates the functions of collection, research, display, exhibition, education, communication and entertainment. It owns a total of 19 galleries with sound facilities and a strong artistic atmosphere, including a multifunctional exhibition hall, a storehouse, a restoration studio and an appreciation hall. Some of the galleries are named after artists and musicians native to the province, including Ma Sicong (1912-87), Liao Bingxiong (1915-2006), and Guan Shanyue (1912-2000).

Guangzhou Museum of Art (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

GMA places most of its emphasis on the collection of Chinese calligraphic works and paintings of all dynasties, especially those in the Lingnan area. In the meantime, it pays attention to artworks of other categories, including Chinese paintings, calligraphy, oil paintings, engravings, water colors, gouaches, powder paintings, cartoons, lacquer paintings, tapestry, sculptures, Tibetan thangka (picture curtain), copper wares, ceramics, woodworks, paper-cuts, stamps, stationeries, foreign relics and manuscripts. The ages of the collections range from the Neolithic age to the contemporary era, with high historic and artistic values.

The museum provides a series of services such as guided tours, art workshops and loan services. In addition, it also features a bookstore, arts and crafts shop as well as short message service (SMS) of new exhibitions.