Three lifetimes in Jiangnan laid out through works of art

“Recalling Jiangnan in three lifetimes of rebirth,” an exhibition featuring more than 60 ink-wash paintings and calligraphy works created by a group of artists at Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, is currently running at Suzhou Art Museum through May 16.

Jiangnan, the region south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, has provided Chinese artists with poetic inspiration for centuries. And it still does for modern artists today, who continue to seek catharsis and motivation from the river’s enchanting stretches.

As an exchange exhibition between Shanghai and Suzhou, “the exhibition will reflect some of the similarities of the regional cultures in the two cities,” said Yang Qi, vice director at Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy. 

“In fact, because of the geographic locations of the two cities, they compose an indispensable part of Jiangnan culture.”

Some of the paintings showcased at the exhibition are the most recent works created by the artists at the academy.

For example, “The Lane of Julu Road” by Hong Jian depicts a silent street scene among old villas in Shanghai.

With the absence of local residents and passers-by, a kind of nostalgic and elegant ambience wafts over Hong’s paintings, as if these old buildings are the quiet witnesses of the vicissitudes toward the past and the present in the surroundings.

Another highlight of the exhibition is Lin Ximing’s “The Watertown in Jiangnan.”

Lin, a veteran Shanghai ink-wash painter, was born in Yongjia in Zhejiang Province.

He is adept at depicting the movement of water. The artist prefers to form a simple tableau with succinct brushwork, conjuring up a distant yet poetic artistic language with a modern esthetic taste.

Exhibition info

Date: Through May 16 (closed on Mondays), 10am-5pm
Venue: Suzhou Art Museum
Address: 2075 Renmin Rd, Suzhou