“Family Portrait of Yang Zhongzi” by Xu Beihong (Picture provided by Long Museum)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Chang Shuhong's “Sisters in the Living Room”, Xu Beihong's “Family Portrait of Yang Zhongzi”, and Chang Yu's “Lady In Red”... On June 19, the “Pioneer Road: Artists Studying in France and Modern Chinese Art (1911-1949)” Exhibition jointly sponsored by the CAFA Art Museum and the Long Museum was held at the Long Museum (Chongqing). The exhibition focuses on artists studying in France in the first half of the 20th century and exhibits 141 paintings, sculptures and research materials created by 42 artists studying in France including Xu Beihong.

It is understood that artists studying in France such as Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Liu Haisu, Yan Wenliang, Chang Shuhong, Pang Xunqin, Wu Dayu, Chang Yu, Pan Yuliang, mostly chose to study at the école nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts de Paris. Here, they accepted the Western academism’s classicism and realism art, and brought new art categories and art concepts such as oil painting, sculpture and sketch to Chinese art in the 20th century, thus becoming an important group active in the first half of the 20th century in China.

The exhibition has 43 exhibits from the collection of the Long Museum. The rest exhibits come from collections of nearly 40 public art galleries, private art galleries, artists' families and private collectors.

The painter Xu Beihong has a rare oil painting - “Family Portrait of Yang Zhongzi”, which was presented in this exhibition. This work was created in the winter of 1928. Xu Beihong vividly depicts the life of his friend Yang Zhongzi's happy and harmonious family life. The person in charge of Long Museum expressed that “This work was created during Xu Beihong’s tenure as the dean of the School of Art, National Peiping University. It is recognized as the most classic in the group portrait of Xu Beihong’s portrait painting.”

The exhibition will open to the public for free until September 1. (Translated by Bai Fengling, Fathom Language Limited)