On March 18, 2023, the art exhibition themed "The Brilliance of Song Dynasty in Modern Times" kicked off at the Art Museum of China Academy of Art. The key exhibition, titled "Embrace the Landscape: Selected Painting and Calligraphy about Southern China Since the Song Dynasty", was organized collaboratively by the Palace Museum, Shanghai Museum, Liaoning Provincial Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Tianjin Museum, Yunnan Provincial Museum, Huizhou History Museum of Anhui, and Art Museum of China Academy of Art. It showcased 37 pieces (sets) of calligraphy and painting works from the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1636-1912) dynasties, including 13 Grade 1 cultural objects, fully presenting the millennium-long artistic inheritance of Song-style calligraphy and painting in the Jiangnan region, from the Song Dynasty to modern times.

Apart from the said part, "The Brilliance of Song Dynasty in Modern Times" Art Exhibition comprises segments titled "The Study of Song Dynasty Paintings by Huang Binhong (1865-1955) and its Heritage", "The Inheritance and Variation of Pan Tianshou's Art", "Harmonizing the East and the West in CAA Oil Paintings", and "Emulating the Tradition of Painting and Calligraphy of the Song Dynasties".

This exhibition is co-sponsored by the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, Zhejiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee, Hangzhou Municipal People's Government and China Academy of Art, and is organized by Art Museum of China Academy of Art and Zhejiang Provincial Museum. It is co-organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee, CPC Shangcheng District Committee of Hangzhou, Shangcheng District Government of Hangzhou, and Institute of Art Philosophy and Cultural Innovation of China Academy of Art.

Wu Jing, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress; Cheng Yuechong, Vice Chairman of CPPCC Zhejiang Provincial Committee; Liu Dongyan, Deputy Director of Science and Technology Education, Department of Culture and Tourism; Fan Qingyu, Deputy Director of Publicity Department of CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee; Mao Hongfang, Party Secretary and Director of Zhejiang Education Department; Xu Jiang, Vice Chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Chairman of Zhejiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Huang Haifeng, Standing Committee Member of CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee and Director of Publicity Department; Jin Yibin, Party Secretary of China Academy of Art; Diao Yuquan, Deputy Director and CPC Committee Member of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Xia Danhe, Deputy Director of Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, as the scroll openers, and Wang Yue, Vice President of the Palace Museum, as the scroll holders, jointly unfolded Landscapes of the Four Seasons (copy), a national treasure kept in the Palace Museum, to kick off the exhibition. Gao Shiming, Chairman of Zhejiang Artists Association and President of China Academy of Art; Wang Yuegong, Director of the Palace Museum; Chen Shuihua, Party Secretary and Director of Zhejiang Provincial Museum; Xu Jiang; and Fan Qingyu, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was chaired by Yu Xuhong, Director of the Art Museum of China Academy of Art and Chief Curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition brings together the works of the four top artists of the Southern Song Dynasty, known as the "Four Great Masters": Li Tang (1066-1150), Liu Songnian (1131-1218), Ma Yuan (1140-1225), and Xia Gui (≈1180-1230). They are considered to represent the highest level of Song painting and have exerted a global influence.

Ranked first among them, Li Tang is a key figure in the history of Chinese painting, who lived during both the Northern Song (960-1127) and Southern Song (1127-1279) dynasties. His masterpiece Autumn River Landscape, exhibited at the show, is an important testimony to his transition from a majestic and profound style to a vigorous and unrestrained one.

Liu Songnian lived in Qiantang Qingbo Gate, which is the site of the present-day Art Museum of China Academy of Art - the venue of the exhibition. His work Landscapes of the Four Seasons has "returned the home of its creator" via the exhibition. This set of national treasures, which has been long kept in the Palace Museum, vividly depicts the scenes of the West Lake in the four seasons: "Spring Dawn at Su Causeway," "Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden," "Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake," and "Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge." Each brushstroke reveals his deep love for his hometown landscape and his appreciation of the scenery of the West Lake.

Ma Yuan and Xia Gui, known as "Ma One-Corner" and "Xia Half-Paper" respectively, had their artistic styles nourished by the scenery of West Lake. Ma Yuan's Watching Plum Blossoms in Snow Wearing Wooden Clogs and Pine of Longevity, as well as Xia Gui's Dwelling in the with Dense Foliage and Mist, are on display in the exhibition hall, allowing people to appreciate the timeless charm of Song-style paintings and the beauty of the Jiangnan region.

In addition to these four artists, the exhibition features Northern Song paintings. One of the less than ten surviving genuine works of Northern Song painter Guo Xi (≈1000-1090), Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, is exhibited. Other rare Song treasures showcased include Returning from Hunting on a Snowy Mountain by Zhai Yuanshen, and West Lake by Li Song (1166-1243) of the Southern Song Dynasty. Additionally, the exhibition features the renowned painting Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (The Remaining Mountain) by Huang Gongwang (1269-1354).

On top of all this, the "The Brilliance of Song Dynasty in Modern Times" Art Exhibition serves the function of a public aesthetic education lesson. During the exhibition, a series of exciting and vibrant aesthetic workshops will be launched. Among them are various academic forums for professionals, "Art Classes Around Us" for elementary and middle school students in Hangzhou, and the "Well-Known Painting Appreciation" series——a multi-media sharing platform led by renowned painters and scholars, providing the general public with the opportunity to discover the true beauty of mountains and rivers in authentic paintings.

For ticket and appointment info, please check Wechat account of the Art Museum of China Academy of Art. The exhibition lasts until April 16, 2023.