Eternal colors
Yun Shouping lived during the unstable times of the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. He was well-versed in writing, composing poems, painting and calligraphy, but refused to serve in the Manchu court, and struggled to make a living selling art. He made a particular name for himself in the flower-and-bird genre of Chinese painting, adopting the mogu, or boneless style of brushwork, in which subjects are not contoured, but depicted only by color shading. The Tianjin Museum's collection includes a flower-and-bird painting album by Yun, Drawing Nature at Ouxiang Hall (his place of residence), in which he rendered serene, detached scenes in light, tender colors. Now, this work is being shown for the first time in his hometown of Wujin district in Changzhou in Jiangsu province, where Dialogue Across Time and Space, an exhibition dedicated to Yun's art, will run until Feb 26 at the Ya Jiyuan Arts Center. Also on show are pieces by modern painters exploring the mogu technique. A digital show of the recurring motifs found in Yun's work further enhances the experience of the timeless beauty of the Chinese ink tradition.
9 am-5 pm, daily. 88 Huanhu Beilu, Wujin district, Changzhou, Jiangsu province. 0519-8116-7176.
