Brush perfect – Chinese painting 1300-1900

 
This exhibition presents Chinese painting by professional painters. These either worked on commission for the imperial court in the workshops of the imperial academy, or had studios in urban centres where they executed works on commission for rich merchants and affluent patrons. Unlike scholars and civil servants, who took up painting and calligraphy as amateurs and regarded it as a diverting pastime, the professional painters attached great importance to technical perfection. Their striving for the highest of standards is reflected in their brilliant command of brush techniques, their atmospheric use of colour and their choice of pleasing sujets that were in line with their clients’ demands for prestigious works of art. The naturalistic depiction of flowers and birds with a symbolical connotation were very popular, as were decorative, paradisiacal landscapes. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue will present 30 works comprising the different genres of professional painting in China from the 13th to the 19th century. The exhibits include landscape and figural painting, depictions of flowers and birds, and portrait painting. A large proportion of the works are part of the museum’s old collection contributed by the founders of the museum – Adolf Fischer (1856-1914) and Frieda Fischer (1874-1946). After thorough restoration work at the Shanghai Museum, these treasures will now be presented to the general public for the first time. The MOK would like to thank the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, the City of Cologne and the Friends of the Museum who have made the restoration possible. This addition to the museum’s Chinese collection will greatly enhance its profile.