An unfading language of ink

Beyond social media

The anniversary exhibition offers visitors a chance to see much more than the images now circulating online. Huang Songtao traveled from Shangrao, Jiangxi, specifically for the exhibition. A longtime painting and calligraphy enthusiast, he says he had never before seen so many of Bada's calligraphic works together.

The famous birds were not what interested him most. "I prefer his calligraphy," Huang says. "It is very individual, but also rounded and delicate. It feels approachable. There is something innocent and romantic about it."

He was particularly drawn to Bada's later work. "By then, his calligraphy had matured. He could write very freely and naturally, and his character came through."

Although generations of artists have studied Bada, Huang adds, his individuality makes him difficult to imitate.

Wei Xingcai, a visitor from Quanzhou, Fujian province, makes sketches as he moves through the gallery. He is particularly interested in studying Bada's compositions. He says Bada's strength lay in his ability to use brush and ink to express his inner world — not what he saw, but his understanding of the world and society around him.

Zhou says Bada's famous white-eyed figures should not simply be dismissed as an ancient version of a modern meme. In today's fast-moving and highly competitive society, he says, the images can give young people an emotional outlet. "If they can find some comfort in Bada, or an outlet for their emotions, I think the art has succeeded."

He says Bada gave animals and plants human qualities, while his emotional world changed over time. In some later paintings, Zhou adds, the animals' "upturned eyes" became softer: "He reconciled with himself and with the outside world. The warmth inside him began to show."