Pursuit of beauty

The Wen family formed an attachment to Tsinghua. At age 13, Wen Yiduo had enrolled in Tsing Hua College, the preparatory school for students to study in the US, and studied there for 10 years. The college was extended in 1925 to become Tsinghua University. Upon returning home from the US, he taught at the university for years afterward. His five children, including Wen Lipeng, spent their childhood at Tsinghua and attended its affiliated primary and secondary schools.

The exhibition shows Wen Yiduo's sketches, designs, seal carvings, documents and dozens of Wen Lipeng's oil paintings. The portrait of his father, depicting a middle-aged Wen Yiduo surrounded by a pyramid of burning red candles, in sharp contrast with his hair, thick eyebrows, beard and gown, all black, delivering a sense of solemnity and determination, is also on display.

Du Pengfei, executive director of Tsinghua University Art Museum, says the exhibition allows people "to understand and remember a generation of Chinese scholars, represented by Wen Yiduo, whose unremitting efforts contributed to social progress and upholds the spirit of a nation".

The exhibition sheds light on Wen Yiduo's talent as an artist and designer, an aspect important to his life, and yet, less well-known to the public.

Shui Tianzhong, the exhibition's academic director and an art critic, says shortly after Wen Yiduo was admitted to Tsing Hua College, he showed his gift for drawing, and he and his former schoolmates, including Liang Sicheng who later became "the father of modern Chinese architecture", founded several societies to research fine arts, music, theater and literature.

People will get a rare view of a collection of illustrations and bookplates Wen Yiduo designed for "Tsinghuapper", a Chinese-English annal of 1921 which introduces the classes, teachers and extracurricular activities. The designs show a blend of Chinese cultural traditions and elements from Western art. A copy of the annal is also on display for visitors to see.