The Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Galleries at the Shanghai Museum are among the few permanent exhibitions of the history of ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy in museums around the world. With the ongoing construction and gradual opening of the museum's East Wing, the newly upgraded and innovatively redesigned painting gallery is expected to open to the public in November 2024. Today, The Paper's Arts team visited the historical painting gallery in the East Wing of the Shanghai Museum for an exclusive preview.
Similar to the upgraded Calligraphy Gallery, the newly enhanced Painting Gallery boasts significant improvements in content, function, and space. The first round of exhibits showcases several of the museum's "hidden treasures," notably featuring Sun Wei's Tang Dynasty scroll "Gao Yi Tu" alongside other masterpieces such as Xu Xi’s "Snowy Bamboo," Dong Yuan's "Summer Mountain," an anonymous Southern Song piece "Welcoming the Wise," Zhao Ji's "Willow, Wild Goose, and Reed," and Qian Xuan's "Floating Jade Mountain Residence," among others. Additionally, the first batch of exhibits includes key works from three of the "Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty," such as Wang Meng's "Qing Bian Yin Ju Tu," Ni Zan's "Six Gentlemen," and Wu Zhen's "Fisherman." The displayed works of the "Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty" also present a new combination, featuring Wen Zhengming's "Zhen Shang Zhai Tu" and Tang Yin's premier piece "Spring Mountain Companions." The newly upgraded Painting Gallery has also separated the Ming and Qing sections that were previously displayed together, adding a modern painting segment that further completes the museum's chronological narrative of painting.
Exhibition scene
The "Painting Gallery" of the East Wing connects with the Calligraphy Gallery through a thoughtfully designed spatial flow. At various locations within the exhibition hall, three scenes from the "Eight Landscapes of the Calligraphy and Painting Gallery" have been set up: the Liu Fa Pavilion, Shuangqing Bridge, and Yu Ke Dao. The welcoming hall features the meticulously crafted "Liu Fa Pavilion," with its cream-colored exterior, reflective glass on all sides, and digital screens that roll through captivating visuals, creating a dazzling "illusion" for visitors. This space serves both as a decorative scene and a reflective wall, allowing visitors a moment of contemplation before engaging with the exhibits. The "Liu Fa Pavilion" draws inspiration from the "Six Principles" of the ancient painter Xie He's theory outlined in "Lu's Record of Ancient Paintings," which represents the aesthetic principles for evaluating paintings throughout China's dynasties. However, the contemporary expression of the pavilion departs from traditional architectural forms and instead embodies a modern interpretation of classic imagery.
The "Liu Fa Pavilion" from the "Eight Landscapes of the Calligraphy and Painting Gallery"
"Yu Ke Dao" from the "Eight Landscapes of the Calligraphy and Painting Gallery"
At the end of the Painting Gallery, "Yu Ke Dao" presents a metaphorically similar experience. This space is situated at the intersection of the Painting Gallery, the Shanghai School of Painting Gallery, and the Special Collection of Calligraphy and Painting Gallery. Here, teal-glazed bamboo sculptures are artfully arranged among pebbles and blue bricks, casting delicate shadows, while the sounds of birds chirping nearby create a harmonious, nature-like ambiance. "Yu Ke" takes its name from the character of Wen Tong, the founder of the "Huzhou Bamboo School." The oversized bamboo sculptures are modeled after the bamboos in Xu Xi's "Snowy Bamboo," and the shadows they cast on the ground reference the museum's collection of paintings and calligraphy.
National Treasures on Display
"For the first round of exhibits in the opening of the Painting Gallery, we have showcased national treasures that have been 'stored away' for a long time," said Ling Lijun, director of the Shanghai Museum's Calligraphy and Painting Department. The Painting Gallery will exhibit over 100 painting works, some of which are on display for the first time, while others have not been shown in years.
Exhibition scene: Sun Wei's "Gao Yi Tu"
Among the treasures highlighted, several significant works are recognized for their previous sensational exhibitions, such as Wang Xizhi's "Shangyu Scroll" and Wang Xianzhi's "Duck Head Pill Scroll." Similarly, the painting gallery includes Sun Wei's Tang Dynasty "Gao Yi Tu" (full image at the end of this article), Xu Xi's "Snowy Bamboo," Dong Yuan's "Summer Mountain," and Zhao Ji's "Willow, Wild Goose, and Reed."
"Standing here looking back at the Tang and Song sections, I feel like I've entered the 2002 exhibition of national treasures from the Jin, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties," Ling Lijun remarked, also referencing a newly featured heavyweight work that has not been displayed in over 60 years—a Southern Song anonymous piece "Welcoming the Wise," which is also considered a representative work in art history and was used as the cover of a publication in the 1980s.
Xu Xi's "Snowy Bamboo" is notable for its ink wash rendering of withered trees and bamboo against stone, leaving white spaces to represent accumulated snow. While there are differing scholarly opinions on this painting, its technique aligns with Xu’s documented practice of ink sketches, making it one of the earliest works representative of his style.
Five Dynasties Xu Xi's "Snowy Bamboo"
During the Five Dynasties period, flower-and-bird painting saw the emergence of two prominent factions represented by Huang Quan and Xu Xi, reflecting different aesthetic preferences of "prosperity" versus "wildness." "The 'Snowy Bamboo' is extremely free-spirited, pioneering a new path for later ink wash expressive painting, marking its significance in art history." An interesting detail about this painting is the inscription in seal script on the bamboo node in the center, reading "This bamboo is worth a hundred taels of gold," attributed to the five dynasties' Xu Xuan; this serves as one argument for dating the work to the Five Dynasties period.
Exhibition scene: Southern Song anonymous "Welcoming the Wise"
The "Welcoming the Wise" painting measures nearly 2 meters high and 1 meter wide, making it a "giant" among Southern Song standing scrolls. According to Ling Lijun, over the years, different interpretations have emerged regarding the content depicted in this painting. The most common view holds that it portrays the story of Emperor Suzong Li Heng welcoming His Majesty Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji returning from Shu to Xi'an after the Anshi Rebellion. Amidst a crowd, the two emperors appear under their respective canopies—one clad in a purple robe being Emperor Suzong and the other in yellow as Emperor Xuanzong. "When he left he was an emperor, and when he returned, he was the retired emperor welcomed by his son Emperor Suzong," Ling noted, explaining that neither of the "main characters" holds the central position. Instead, the prominent figure in red is under a yellow canopy, while the elder in yellow stands beneath a red. "The artist achieved a perfect balance through color, making everyone an equal ‘leading character.’" Most figures in the painting are elderly or children, conveying a sense of warmth as no dignitaries are portrayed solemnly. The complex assembly of characters displays a myriad of expressions, vividly unfolding a chapter of history.
Exhibition scene: Southern Song anonymous "Welcoming the Wise" (partial)
Both Xu Xi's "Snowy Bamboo" and the Southern Song "Welcoming the Wise" are standing scrolls and are not suited for long-term display, hence these two works are presented in a short-term exhibition during the gallery's opening.
The exhibited "Gao Yi Tu" by Sun Wei is an important representative of Tang Dynasty figure painting, recognized as a textbook-level work. Research indicates this piece is a remnant of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove," featuring characters Shan Tao, Wang Rong, Liu Ling, and Ruan Ji. An inscription by Emperor Huizong of the Song is present, reading "Sun Wei's Gao Yi Tu."
Exhibition scene: Sun Wei's "Gao Yi Tu"
"This painting exemplifies meticulous color application. Sun Wei's lines effectively convey different textures through varying line techniques for clothing, skin, and props. The colors of the fabric and garments remain exceptionally vibrant."
Exhibition scene: Sun Wei's "Gao Yi Tu" (partial)
Exhibition scene: Tang Dynasty Sun Wei's "Gao Yi Tu" (partial)
Although this is a figure painting, the background is adorned with mountain rocks, bamboo, and bananas. This painting also holds significant historical importance as it reveals the technique accumulation of landscapes and floral-and-bird paintings. The Taihu stones depicted in the work are no longer characterized by the linear and colored methods of Tang Dynasty Li Zhaodao but incorporate ink application that reveals texture and volume, preparing the way for the independence of landscape painting.
Exhibition scene: Northern Song Zhao Ji's "Willow, Wild Goose, and Reed"
