The Essence of Fans Lingers On

The Chengdu Yongling Museum Comprehensive Hall will host the 'The Essence of Fans Lingers On - Exhibition of Fine Fan Paintings by Famous Qing Dynasty Artists from Yunnan' in the temporary exhibition hall from now until July 10th. Fans were tools used by ancient people to fan the wind and bring coolness. Painting or writing on the fan surface to express emotions and intentions, exchanging fans as gifts in social interactions, or collaborating on fan paintings and calligraphy were elegant practices among Chinese literati. Fans that retain their original characters or paintings are called 'complete fans', while those mounted as album leaves for easier collection are commonly referred to as 'fan surfaces'. Fan surfaces are one of the important forms of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy art, as well as a traditional art form with a long history. Fan surface works not only directly reflect the aesthetic trends, value orientations, and styles of various historical periods but also embody the concentrated expression of the thoughts, art, character, and cultivation of the literati and scholars. The unique charm of fan surfaces lies not only in their extension of traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting art but also in their thoughtful and ingenious design within a specific spatial scope, rational layout, and the artist's unique ingenuity, which turns the limited into the unlimited and creates images and artistic conceptions full of vitality. 'Within inches, one can gaze at a distance of thousands of miles; within a square inch, one can conceive the steepness of a thousand fathoms' is the highest praise for the art of fan surface painting and calligraphy. 'The Essence of Fans Lingers On - Exhibition of Fine Fan Paintings by Famous Qing Dynasty Artists from Yunnan' reflects that although Yunnan is located on the frontier, it has gradually formed and constructed rich and diverse cultural characteristics through long-term integration and connection with Central Plains culture, and it especially highlights the brilliance of ancient Yunnan's painting and calligraphy art.