Painted Boat Studio revives the spirit of Chinese landscapes

It is said that Ouyang Xiu, a renowned statesman of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), transformed a long, narrow room in his residence into the shape of a boat and named it the Painted Boat Studio, embodying a philosophy of finding serenity in the midst of restlessness. Centuries later, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) paid tribute to Ouyang by ordering the construction of a courtyard centered around a square pond, encircled by covered walkways and halls, resembling a pleasure boat moored on the water.

That was the birth of the Painted Boat Studio (Huafang Zhai), located within Beihai Park in Beijing. Once an imperial retreat, it was later turned into an elegant gathering place for intellectuals and artists to compose, create, and exchange ideas.

Now on view at Huafang Zhai, Spring Splendor and Enchanting Vistas presents 60 paintings by artists from the Chinese Painting Department and Research Center for AI and Digital Cultural Heritage, of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. The landscapes, rendered with vigorous brushstrokes, echo the vibrant spring scenery beyond the gallery's walls.

Qiu Ting, head of the Chinese Painting Department and one of the exhibition's curators, says that from the Song Dynasty onward, the spirit of Chinese ink art became ever more deeply intertwined with garden design and spatial aesthetics.

He adds that the landscape ethos embodied by the Painted Boat Studio is a quintessential example of "illuminating the garden with the spirit of mountains and waters".

Wu Xiaomin, another exhibition curator also from CAFA, says the exhibition marks the third collaboration between the school and the Beihai Park administration, showing the park's commitment to preserving cultural heritage, whether it is through classical architecture and gardens, or through painting and calligraphy, while also serving as a model of how the two institutions can work together in public.