CONTINUING A LEGACY
National Art Museum of China holds Chang Shana art exhibition
Renowned Chinese artist Chang Shana, the designer behind the decorative pattern on the ceiling of the banquet hall of The Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing, has donated 24 of her works to the National Art Museum of China ( NAMC).
The museum is currently hosting an exhibition of 250 of the artist’s works until Saturday. Works at the exhibition include her reproductions of the Buddhist murals in China’s famous Mogao Caves and her cloisonne works created in the 1950s while she studied under well- known Chinese architect and writer Lin Huiyin ( 190455).
Chang is the daughter of Chang Shuhong ( 1904- 94), an art scholar who dedicated his life to protecting the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province. The first director of the Dunhuang Academy China, Chang Shuhong eventually became known as “The Protector of Dunhuang” among Dunhuang scholars.
Growing up around the Mogao Caves where her father worked, Chang’s art was greatly influenced by these ancient murals.
Compared to previous exhibitions featuring Chang’s artwork, the current exhibition takes a comprehensive approach that follows her life journey in chronologic order, as well as explains the influence that Dunhuang art has had on her and her family. In numerous interviews over the years, Chang has often acknowledged this influence, “I’ve always gotten a lot of inspiration from our ancestors.”
This also marks the first time that most of the 250 works on display have been exhibited to the public.
A life dedicated to art
Chang was born in Lyon, France in 1931, while her father was studying art there. Her father was fascinated about Western art back then, until one day he came across a catalogue featuring the art of the Mogao Caves at an old book stall.
In 1936, Chang Shuhong returned to China to visit the Mogao Caves, which at the time were not the major tourist attraction they are now. Upon his arrival at the caves, he discovered that many of the murals and statues, some of which dated back to more than 1,500 years ago, were in a severe state of disrepair due to a lack of protection.
Chang Shuhong decided to remain in Dunhuang with his family and dedicated his life to saving the ancient art within the caves.
Chang Shana spent her childhood in those caves, drawing numerous copies of the murals. Many of these are now part of the exhibition at the NAMC.
“It is hard to believe that these works of art were created when she was between 14 to 17 years old,” NAMC Curator Wu Weishan wrote in the preface for the exhibition.
“She dedicated herself to the field of Dunhuang art and art design and contributed to its preservation. She has worked to carry on and promote Dunhuang art, as well as develop and invigorate traditional Chinese culture and art,” Wu wrote. Dunhuang’s influence is easily seen in most of her artworks. The ceiling of the banquet hall of the Great Hall of People that she design designed features a Tang Dynasty style that was inspired by the ce ceilings of some of the Mogao Caves.C She was also involved in designing decorative patterns for major buildings such as the China World Hotel Beijing, the Beijing Capital International Airport and the Chinese RedbudR sculpture that was a specialspe gift to Hong Kong during theth 1997 handover. Chang was the director of the former Central Academy of Arts & Design from 1983 to 1998. During her time as director, she promoted efforts to incorporate traditional patterns in new decorative designs. According to Wu, Chang “blazed the trail for the teaching and development of China’s art and crafts.” Chang is also currently cooperating with an e- commerce platform to promote the sale of prints of her work, in order to bring her art to the public.