Sha Tin Hong Kong Heritage Museum｜Legacy of Lingnan School of Painting: In Commemoration of the 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Chao Shao-an

Description

Chao Shao-an (1905-1998), a master painter of the Lingnan School of Painting, inherited the grand vision of promoting Chinese painting and developing art education from his mentor, Gao Qifeng (1889-1933). Pursuing the goal of “modernising Chinese painting” as advocated by the Lingnan School of Painting, he devoted himself to maintaining the spirit of traditional Chinese painting while at the same time adopting and adapting the best of both Eastern and Western art. Chao placed a special emphasis on sketching from life, which enabled him to develop a highly personal artistic style. In addition to offering his masterpieces to museums as gifts for the benefit of society and the world of art, Chao also nurtured the development of many disciples. 2025 marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chao Shao-an, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum presents the exhibition “Legacy of Lingnan School of Painting: In Commemoration of the 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Chao Shao-an”, as a retrospective on Chao’s artistic journey and his achievements from multiple perspectives.

Xu Beihong, a pioneer of modern Chinese art, praised Chao as “the foremost bird-and-flower painter in modern China”. This exhibition will showcase a fine selection of bird-and-flower paintings by Chao Shao-an, spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s, including representative works donated by Chao to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and rarely seen paintings on loan from his family, local museums and private collectors. The exhibition is organised along three themes: “Friendships with His Peers in Art”, “Artistic Journey Modelling from Nature” and “Footprints from a Life of Travel”. It showcases a carefully curated selection of Chao’s works, including bird-and-flower paintings, insect and animal paintings and landscape paintings, which together provide a comprehensive retrospective of his artistic journey. They also highlight the significant contribution he made to Hong Kong’s art scene, the Lingnan School of Painting and the evolution of Chinese painting in the 20th century.

Chao Shao-an promoted Lingnan School of Painting internationally in Asia, Europe and North America since the 1950s. This exhibition takes viewers on a path in pursuit of the master’s footsteps, retracing his artistic journey over time. Supplementing the exhibition is a multimedia display created by Hong Kong artist Thomas Siu. Inspired by Chao Shao-an’s bird-and-flower paintings, this meticulously designed virtual display brings Chao’s floral works to life, immersing viewers in a wonderland of Lingnan blossoms.

The exhibition is a contribution programme of the 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival and is also one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series.