This exhibition coincides with the 160th anniversary of Qi Baishi’s birth and the 100th anniversary of Huang Yongyu’s birth. Coincidentally, there is a sixty-year cycle between the birth of the two artists both from Hunan. Thus, the “Germination” Exhibition of Tsinghua University Art Museum was held as a fitting tribute and commemoration. Focusing on the artworks of Qi Baishi and Huang Yongyu, the exhibition also gathers the classic works of 20 famous artists from ancient and modern times, including Ren Bonian, Xu Gu, Wang Mengbai, Xu Beihong, Zhu Danian, and Wu Guanzhong. At the same time, there are several representative works by 15 contemporary artists, including Pang Jun, Jin Yucheng, Wei Xiaoming, Xu Lei, Zhao Bandi, and Zhou Chunya. In addition to painting and sculpture, the exhibits of TAM collection also includes exquisite works from various categories such as dyeing and weaving handiwork, embroidery, ceramics, and bronzes of ancient times. There are a total of 273 exhibits here on display in six sections as play scenes:“Wild Wanderer”“Life Companion”“Children Posing” “Soundless Sound” “Drifting Soul”and “Swing In Trance”. The first two characters of each section represent the living space of animals in reality or fantasy, while the last two characters represent the corresponding atmosphere of existence in different literary styles. Here the section “Soundless Sound” focuses on Qi Baishi, and comparatively, an additional Section “12 Zodiac Animals” focuses on Huang Yongyu and his works on the themes of twelve zodiac animals. There are two parallel tracks in this exhibition: the context of artworks and the trace of cultural tradition.
