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On the afternoon of March 5, 2025, “My Journey: A Jin Shangyi Sketch Study Exhibition” opened at the Dafen Art Museum in Longgang District, Shenzhen. The exhibition was organized under the academic guidance of the CAFA Art Museum, hosted by the Beijing Jin Shangyi Art Foundation, undertaken by the Dafen Art Museum, and co-organized by the Xu Beihong Cultural Art Center and Huaixuan.
The exhibition will run until May 4, presenting an artistic feast for the public, with a primary focus on aesthetic education.
Mr. Jin Shangyi is a pivotal figure in contemporary Chinese art and an outstanding educator whose students are found across the nation. He graduated from the Department of Painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 1953 and completed the Konstantin Maksimov Oil Painting Training Class in 1957, after which he remained at CAFA to teach Sumiao (素描) in the Printmaking Department. For over six decades of teaching at CAFA, he led by example, nurturing a great number of exceptional artistic talents for the country and making outstanding contributions to art education in China.
This exhibition offers a comprehensive retrospective of Mr. Jin’s journey in establishing his artistic foundation, delving deeply into and showcasing his achievements in Sumiao (素描). A careful selection of his finest Sumiao (素描) works from various periods is on display, allowing the audience to gain clear insight into his artistic evolution and deeply appreciate his dedication and profound contemplation of art.
The opening ceremony was attended by a distinguished gathering of leaders, guests, and over a hundred students from Shenzhen Xingzhi Vocational Technical School (Xingzhi Comprehensive High School), who collectively witnessed this significant event. Notable attendees included:
Liang Yu: Council Member of the China Artists Association; Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Watercolor Art Committee of the China Artists Association; Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Artists Association.
Zhao Dong: Member of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Full-time Vice Chairman of the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Chen Xiaoxiao: Secretary-General of the Beijing Jin Shangyi Art Foundation.
Jiang Guanyu: Deputy Secretary-General, Director of the Organization and Liaison Department, and First-Level Researcher of the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Yi Zhen: Second-Level Researcher of the Organization and Liaison Department, Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Cheng Bin: Deputy Director of the He Xiangning Art Museum.
Liu Yajing: Vice Chairman of the Longgang District Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Shenzhen.
Jia Peng: Master’s Supervisor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts; Head of the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Artwork Conservation, Restoration, and Materials Research; International Art Conservation Expert.
Zhang Chuang: Vice Chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association; Chairman of the Futian District Artists Association; Director of the Futian Art Museum.
Chen Qizhong: Deputy Director of the Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum.
Dai Meng: Representative of the Dai Ze Art Foundation.
Yang Yanling: Director of the Shenzhen Longgang District Dafen Art Museum.
Liang Jian: Vice Chairman of the Shenzhen Artists Association; Deputy Director of the Dafen Art Museum.
Feng Yu: President of the Feng Zikai Research Association; Grandson of Feng Zikai.
Zhang Ke: Deputy Director of the Dafen Art Museum.
Ding Lanxiang: Associate Researcher, Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum.
Yin Yebin: Director of the Exhibition Department, Shenzhen Art Museum.
Yang Kun: Operations Director, Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art & Urban Planning.
Qi Fu: Ph.D. from the Central Academy of Fine Arts; Associate Professor at the Art Department of Shenzhen University; Great-Granddaughter of Qi Baishi.
Liu Xiangdong: President of the Shenzhen Kaiming Painting Academy.
Zhang Wenchang: Representative of the Xu Beihong Cultural Art Center.
Chen Yuegang: Head of the Art Discipline, Shenzhen Xingzhi Vocational Technical School; Supervisor of the Shenzhen Artists Association.
Gao Nannan: Secretary-General of the Shenzhen Young Artists Association.
Chen Xiaoxiao
Secretary-General of the Beijing Jin Shangyi Art Foundation.
Jia Peng
A student of Jin Shangyi, Master’s Supervisor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and Head of the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Artwork Conservation, Restoration, and Materials Research.
Ding Lanxiang
Associate Researcher at the Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum.
Zhang Wenchang
Representative of the Shenzhen Xu Beihong Cultural Art Center.
Chen Xiaoxiao, Secretary-General of the Beijing Jin Shangyi Art Foundation; Jia Peng, Master’s Supervisor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and Head of the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Artwork Conservation, Restoration, and Materials Research; and Ding Lanxiang, Associate Researcher at the Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum, delivered their addresses successively. In their speeches, they fondly recalled Mr. Jin Shangyi’s illustrious artistic achievements and his profound influence on the field of fine arts education in China.
Following them, Zhang Wenchang from the Xu Beihong Cultural Art Center, representing the curators, emphasized that this exhibition is not merely a retrospective of Jin Shangyi’s artistic accomplishments but also a re-examination of sumiao art within a contemporary context. He expressed the hope that the exhibition would provide valuable learning and research opportunities for art educators in Shenzhen. Simultaneously, it offers a chance for young students and art enthusiasts to study the master’s techniques up close, helping them better understand the core elements of sumiao, such as form, structure, and light and shadow, and to feel the power of art and passion.
Finally, Liang Yu, Council Member of the China Artists Association, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of its Watercolor Art Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Artists Association, declared the exhibition officially open. He then joined the attending guests for a group photo and a tour of the exhibition.
Reflecting on the history of modern art education in China, the contributions of Mr. Xu Beihong, Mr. Dai Ze, and Mr. Jin Shangyi are indelible. Mr. Xu Beihong laid the cornerstone with his outstanding achievements and educational philosophy. Mr. Dai Ze carried forward this legacy, vigorously promoting the popularization of art education. As an outstanding representative of this lineage, Mr. Jin Shangyi, with his unique artistic style and profound academic prowess, pioneered new heights in contemporary Chinese oil painting—infused with Eastern aesthetics while highlighting the sculptural qualities of the medium—profoundly and effectively influencing its further development.
