Bonds of friendship and art redefined

Xu Ji says the three were open-minded about new developments and embraced change. The experiences of traveling abroad allowed Xu Beihong, who studied oil painting while in Paris, and Zhang to employ techniques taken from foreign artistic traditions in their own work.

He says, "The exhibition has Xu's The Himalayas No 1 on display, a monochromatic ink work in which he applied a contrast between highlights and shadows, with oil techniques to accentuate illusions of depth."

Zhang developed an iconic abstract, highly expressive pocai (splashing colors) style in which one can feel the Western influence. Qi even learned to sketch.

Above all, though, their experimental explorations invigorated Chinese art and culture — the roots that nourished them throughout their lifetimes, says Xu Ji.

In October 1947, the three held a group exhibition at a hotel in Tianjin. Zhang later left the Chinese mainland permanently and lived a globe-trotting life to exhibit and promote his art. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu Beihong continued to head the Central Academy of Fine Arts where Qi was an honored guest professor. In September 1953, they both attended a national conference on art and culture, and three days later, Xu succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage.

Xu Qingping, son of Xu Beihong and director of the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum, says, "My father loved a particular verse of Du Fu, the Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet: 'A feather in the eternal sky'."

He says these artworks are like feathers flying eternally in the sky of history, bearing witness to the wisdom of humankind and continuously inspiring creativity.