On November 18, 2016, the project funded by China National Arts Fund (CNAF) “Silk Road · Rock Color – Illustration of Chinese Rock-Color Painting” opened at the Yan Huang Art Museum, and a symposium was held. The exhibition was hosted by the Yan Huang Art Museum, undertaken by the Collaborative Innovation Office of CAFA, and President of CAFA Fan Di’an serves as the academic chair. The exhibition features more than 100 pieces of rock-color paintings by the teachers and students from the First Chinese Rock-Color Painting Creation Research and Advanced Study Class at CAFA, and systematically displays the twenty years of developing process of Chinese rock-color painting from the perspectives of historical documents, artistic investigation, teaching practice and public art of the rock-color painting, expounded the profound historical origin of rock-color painting and the Silk Road, and presenting the art style of rock-color painting creative group that inherits tradition, facing the future, with a diversified exploration.

President of CAFA Fan Di’an praised the rich structure of the exhibition, and referred to teacher Hu Mingzhe who is enthusiasm for the reviving of Chinese rock-color painting, and sparing no effort to establish a more systematic teaching and creative system of rock-color painting. Along the Silk Road, Chinese Rock-Color Painting Creation Research and Advanced Study Class visited the South Asian countries, to have an in-depth investigation of the historical characteristics of the rock-color painting, the characteristics of dissemination, to provide a guarantee to the unfolding of teaching norms of rock-color painting, the proposing of the theme under the strategy of “The Belt and Road Initiatives” is also a very good practice to inherit the traditional cultural of Silk Road, and to promote the essence of Silk Road.

Director of Yan Huang Art Museum Cui Xiaodong thinks that the displayed rock-color paintings are the inheritance and extension of the spirit of the Silk Road. The exhibition does not only fully and comprehensively present the development of Chinese rock-color painting, and also present the creative state of rock-color painting in the contemporary context. Arai Kei from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Japan, also sent a congratulatory message to the exhibition, referred to the rock-color painting that starts from the proposition of “Oriental Painting”, is a road different from the Western modern art context, and it is of a widespread possibility to lead the rock-color creative activities to the creative concept of modern art, with an international kernel.

The exhibition hall of the first floor mainly displays the works by the young generation of rock-color painters, and the work full of contemporary thinking and creative energy showcases that the Chinese rock-color painting glows vigor in the new era. The second-floor exhibition hall mainly features the works by the older generation of rock-color painters, who brought back the rock-color paintings left behind in a strange land to their homeland, and did their best to revive the contemporary Chinese rock-color paintings. It takes “Silk Road Rock Color – Creative Site of Chinese Rock-Color Painting”, “Oriental Traceability –Investigation of the Origin of Chinese Rock-Color Painting”, “Grottoes Contemplation – Analysis of the Classic Chinese Rock-Color Paintings”, “Earth Collection – the Creative Way of Chinese Rock-Color Painting”, “Clearing the Mind and Heart to Realize the Dao (the Highest Truth of the Universe) – Historical Documentary of Chinese Rock-Color Painting”, “Returning to the Origin – Teaching Practice of Chinese Rock-Color Painting”, and “Serving the Community – Public Art of Chinese Rock-Color Painting” as the clue to present the inheritance of ancient civilization and the creative road of contemporary art, which is forming and developing, to explain the historical significance of the “Silk Road” and the contemporary value of the “Rock-Color Painting”.

After the opening of the exhibition, Prof. Zheng Gong, Director of the Institute of Art at the China National Academy of Arts presided over the symposium. Three generations of Chinese theorists, critics and curators combined their respective research fields and concerned perspectives to issue their highly constructive and dialogic views on the discipline construction of Chinese rock-color painting, the contemporary nature of rock-color material language, the theoretical research of rock-color painting and the combing through of art history, and so on.

The exhibition remains on view until December 11. In the exhibition period of nearly one month, the Yan Huang Art Museum and Chinese Rock-Color Painting Creation Research and Advanced Study Class will jointly hold a series of wonderful academic lectures and public art educational events around the theme of the exhibition.

Photo by Hu Sichen, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO

Text edited by Zhang Wenzhi/CAFA ART INFO