Foreword

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To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Jao Tsung-I Academy and Sun Museum, Jao Tsung-I Academy partnered with Sun Museum to host the exhibition titled “Lingnan Colour: Collaborative Paintings by Jao Tsung-i and the Four Masters of Lingnan” last year. This exhibition marked the first major event after the renovation of the Gallery of Jao Tsung-I Academy, showcasing paintings created in collaboration with Professor Jao Tsung-i and the Four Masters of Lingnan: Zhao Shao-ang, Li Xiong-cai, Guan Shan-yue, and Yang Shan-sum.

Sun Museum and Jao Tsung-I Academy jointly published a fully illustrated catalogue titled “Lingnan Colour”. This catalogue features 68 collaborative works by Professor Jao and his four friends, highlighting the synergy among the artists. Despite their diverse styles, they achieve a harmonious yet distinctive expression of brushwork. The creations of Professor Jao and the Four Masters blend the characteristics of the Lingnan school with literati painting, showcasing the dialogue between scholars and artists while celebrating their rich creativity and enduring friendship.

This exhibition is the second in the “Lingnan Colour” series, “Jao Tsung-i and the Gentlemen of the Arts.” In this context, “gentlemen” refers not only to the masters of the Lingnan school but also to the gentlemanly objects depicted in the paintings. Visitors can explore symbols of gentility found in nature, such as plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, pines, and lotus flowers. The plum blossom symbolises resilience and purity, capable of enduring winter's harshness; bamboo stands tall and graceful, representing both flexibility and strength; the orchid signifies elegance, closely associated with the refined temperament of scholars; the pine tree embodies steadfastness and noble integrity; and the lotus flower represents purity. As Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073), the famous scholar of the Song dynasty, noted in his Ai Lian Shuo: “The lotus is the gentleman among flowers,” celebrating its noble character of “emerging from the mud unstained,” which is why it is cherished by scholars.

This exhibition showcases 14 collaborative works by Professor Jao and the Masters of Lingnan: Zhao Shao-ang, Guan Shan-yue, and Yang Shan-sum. The paintings are selected from the exhibition catalogue Lingnan Colour, which feature subjects including pine, bamboo, orchids, stones, plums, and lotuses. We warmly invite everyone to engage closely with these artworks and experience the charm and profound feeling of the artists’ creation.

Lesley F.H. LAU
Director, Sun Museum