Temple inspires an exhibition by modern artists

Painter Fu Yongkang organized a modern art exhibition with his artist friends at Samma-nana Gallery recently.

Themed on the Confucius Temple in Jiading, the group created work in the form of oil paintings, traditional Chinese paintings, modern ink and wash paintings, water colors and animation installations.

Fu said the Confucius Temple is the origin of Jiading’s culture, so it’s appropriate to commemorate the coming 800th anniversary of the establishment of Jiading county next year.

Wu Ping, an art collector, said the work showed the artists’ interesting and different perspectives of the temple. He thought highly of the art works and said they would appeal to the younger generations’ artistic taste.

At the gallery, a mini sketch of the temple stood out. Just 10 square centimeters, and not using a single straight line, it was created by young artist Yang Huan. She immediately agreed to do the sketch when approached, because she was born and raised in Jiading, and used to play in the temple.

She wanted to do a sketch of the temple with special sentiments attached to it. She remembered the pillars were curved, not straight. The middle part of the pillars stick out, resembling men’s stomachs, making people feel safe and dependable. While making the sketch, she deliberately made the lines skewed to express emotion.

The Confucius Temple is like the most senior man in a household. As long as he is there, the whole family can feel safe and reassured, she said.

Yang Bohua, an artist from Beijing, said the temple feels like a gallery with its statues, yard and all sorts of legends. He spent seven days creating an imaginative mural, featuring the temple’s iconic locust tree.

Fu thought the exhibition could give the young artists a platform to exchange ideas and bring young artists’ works to the art loving residents of Jiading.