On the 31 January 2020, USTB-DMU Confucius Institute (CI) invited Sun Jiujiang and Wang Yu, both famous Chinese painters on a touring exhibition in the UK for the Chinese New Year, to offer a special workshop on Chinese painting at the Leicester Gallery in the Vijay Patel Building, DMU. The gallery was fully packed with over30 students from the university. They enjoyed theirattempt at Chinese paintings with the help of the artists.
Pic 1 - Leicester Gallery, the venue of Chinese Painting Exhibition workshop
After a brief welcome speech by Yang Yingjun,the Chinese director of the CI,Wei Zhiping,a teacher of the CI, introduced both artists and the plan of the session to allwho came to the workshop. The workshop is part of the touring exhibition featuring Chinese paintings entitled “Instant, Insight, Inscape”. It is organized by the CIand to be on displayfor more than a month in four UK cities: Leicester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Coventry.
Pic 2– Wei Zhiping introducing the artists and the workshop
After the preliminaries, the workshop was then divided into two groupsaroundthe two painters, who drew their paintings on the spot, demonstrating basic techniques and the process of Chinese paintingin their respective areas of expertise — Sun talented at landscapes, while Wang skillful at flowers and birds.
Pic 3–Sun Jiujiang and his group
They also shared with their audience their careers, and the cultural connotations of theirpaintings. The unique charm of painting on rice paper with a brush inspired the attendees. The artists’ exquisite skills and finishing touches commanded their attentionand won their applause time and again.
Pic 4–Wang Yu and his group
The demonstration was followed by the studentsactual painting practice.They started withthe way to hold the brush andto dip in ink or paint, and thenimitatethe painters or draw their own paintings.They learned quickly, boldly and actively.The artists encouragedthem with specificcomments, answered their questions, and stimulated their imagination for creation. With the artists’ revision and modification,the students were happy with their own paintings.
Pic 5–A group photo
Group photos marked the successful ending of the workshop.Many of the students wished to have more of such workshopswith the CI in the future.
(Draft: LIUJiyun; Revision: YANG Yingjun)
