"Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, there are green grass and green sky..." When Li Shutong is mentioned, many people will think of this classic song "Farewell".
Li Shutong is a generalist and genius in modern Chinese history. He is good at calligraphy, engineering poetry, tongdanqing, Da Yinlu, Jingjinshi, and performing arts. He was the first to introduce Western oil painting, piano, and drama into China.
In 1918, Li Shutong became a monk in Hangzhou under the title of Hongyi.
He studied hard and cherished good fortune, studied the law and promoted the law, and became the Zhongxing ancestor of the modern Nanshan law school.
2020 will be the 140th anniversary of Li Shutong’s birth, and 2021 will be the 100th anniversary of Master Hongyi’s arrival in Wenzhou, Zhejiang.
Recently, the Propaganda Department of the Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee, the United Front Work Department of the Wenzhou Municipal Party Committee, and the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism jointly organized a series of exhibitions called "Blue Sky and Fragrant Grass" to showcase Li Shutong's literary and artistic attainments and legendary life, and to tell about his profound love with Wenzhou.
The exhibition "Bi Tian Fang Cao-Li Shutong and Wenzhou" and "Bi Tian Fang Cao-Painting Collection Special Exhibition" opened at Wenzhou Museum on December 27, 2020.
The exhibition brings together Wenzhou Museum, Zhejiang Museum, Tianjin Museum, Xiling Seal Society, Pinghu Li Shutong Memorial Hall, Cixi Hongyi Calligraphy and Painting Academy and other collection units and private collectors. A total of 257 pieces of cultural relics related to Li Shutong, covering calligraphy, letters, seals, and watercolors , Ancient books, rubbings, painting collections and other categories.
The exhibition "Blue Sky and Fragrant Grass-Li Shutong and Wenzhou" is divided into three parts: The first part "Floating Life Like a Dream" carefully sorts out Li Shu's life experience and reflects his important deeds and achievements at various stages.
The second part "Yongjia Past Events" focuses on his love affair with Wenzhou.
The third part, "Heaven, Heart and Moon," focuses on Hongyi's calligraphy.
The "Special Exhibition of Paintings of Health Care" introduces the representative work "Collection of Paintings of Health Care" compiled by Li Shutong, Li Yuanjing and Feng Zikai in the form of a special topic.
Li Shutong was the first person to introduce Western painting to China and the pioneer of Chinese watercolor painting.
In the exhibition hall, a blue-green watercolor postcard is particularly eye-catching.
The "Numazu Scenery" on this postcard is a watercolor sketch made by Li Shutong when he was 25 years old in Japan. It is also an earlier Western watercolor sketch in Chinese art circles.
Li Shutong sent it as a postcard to Xu Yaoting, the accountant who was close to him in Tianjin's home.
On the back of the postcard, the landscape in the painting is introduced in regular script.
Li Shutong is also a pioneer in spreading Western music to the country and one of the founders of modern Chinese drama.
In 1907, Li Shutong, Zeng Xiaogu and others created the drama "Black Slaves Calling the Heavens" staged in Tokyo, Japan, announcing the birth of modern Chinese drama.
In the exhibition hall is displayed a program list of "Black Slaves Calling the Sky" (imitations). From the program list, it can be seen that Li Shutong (signed Xishuang) not only played the role of Mrs. Ai Mi Liu, but also played a guest role as a male limp. Director of drama set design.
After Li Shutong became a monk at the age of 39, he spent half of his time in Wenzhou and called Wenzhou his "second hometown."
In the 12 years since his stay in Wenzhou, Venerable Hongyi not only completed the Four-point Rule Bhikkhu Precepts of Precepts" and "The Collection of Paintings for Protecting Students", he also left many letters, calligraphy and anecdotes.
Among the exhibits, there is a letter "Guo Qiyuan's letter from Hongyi on January 1922 on the lunar calendar", which expresses Hongyi's determination to practice in retreat: "In the next few years, we will not talk to friends and do our own things first. Pay attention to the first."
During his stay in Wenzhou, Master Hongyi created Hongti calligraphy, using Buddhist contemplation to break the traditional vitality theory and use dynamic momentum aesthetics as the ontological basis of calligraphy, opening a new aesthetic path for calligraphy.
The "Hongyi Regular Script Excerpted Huayan Sutra Axis" was made in his later years. The font changes from plump to sparse, and the charm changes from simple and awkward to clear and straightforward.
Wenzhou citizen Zheng Wei took his 15-year-old son to visit the exhibition.
He said excitedly: "Every exhibit is precious, with rich cultural connotations and moving stories. Visiting the exhibition is like reading the cultural development of Wenzhou and even China, and has benefited a lot."
A live sharing session was also held on the opening day of the exhibition, which vividly demonstrated Li Shutong's artistic talent and personality charm through live explanations by curators, expert interviews, poetry recitations, and music interpretation.
In conjunction with the exhibition, special lectures were also held, describing Li Shutong's artistic activities during his study in Japan and his contribution to modern Chinese art.
It is reported that the "Li Shutong and Wenzhou" exhibition lasts for 3 months, and the "Special Exhibition of Paintings of Nursing Students" lasts for 1 month.
The third thematic exhibition of this series of exhibitions, "Green Sky and Fragrant Grass-Li Shutong Mentors and Friends Hanmo Exhibition" will be held on January 26, 2021 at Yanyuan Art Museum, Wenzhou.
The exhibition will display more than 50 pieces of calligraphy, letters, prints, rubbings, inkstones, and publications related to Li Shutong, including works by Cai Yuanpei, Huang Yanpei, Xu Beihong, and Pan Tianshou. The exhibition will last until April 30.
Wang Liwei