Pastel 'world' comes alive at Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum
"Orchid" by Li Chaoshi
Pastel is a timeless art style that dates back to the Old Stone Age and combines the profundity of canvas with the flexibility of watercolors.
The Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum is now hosting "Zephyr from Shanghai: Second Exhibition of Shanghai Pastel Society" through February 12.
Organized by the Shanghai Pastel Society and Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum, the exhibition includes 101 pastel works by 61 well-known domestic and international artists.
Because of its unique qualities, pastel always has a great expression capacity when reflecting its subjects, whether it is painted in a realistic or impressionistic manner.
The show, which is broken up into four sections called "Portrait," "Landscape," "Movement" and "Object," reveals the visual impact of the art genre.
The exhibition's two pastels by Li Chaoshi (1893-1971) and Zhou Bichu (1903-1995) are its highlights.
Li is credited with the growth of pastel art in China. Visitors will get a chance to admire his 1960 painting, "Orchid." A masterwork replete with exquisite brushstrokes and a meticulously constructed scene that perfectly blends Chinese culture with Western impressionism, it exudes an air of elegance.
"The Last Metro" by Xu Junhua
"Along the Seine" by Chen Weide
The two paintings by Chen Weide that are on display are another highlight. Since Chen continued his education in France in the early 1980s, his pastels were heavily influenced by Parisian culture. With the quick application of the sfumato technique, his works "La Rive Gauche in the Rain" and "Along the Seine" permeate a romantic yet blue ambiance.
Exhibition info:
Date: Through February 12, 10am-6pm
Venue: Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum
Address: 6/F, 27 Zhongshan Rd E1
中山东一路27号6楼
