Covers of The Eastern Miscellany magazines designed by Chen Zhifo in 1927-1928. Photos from Guan Shanyue Art Museum

A new exhibition at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum, part of the art museum’s “Salute to Design” series, presents more than 200 pieces of Chen Zhifo’s designs and traditional Chinese bird-and-flower paintings, demonstrating the evolution of Chen’s artistic works through multiple perspectives.

Chen (1896-1962), a master of bird-and-flower painting and a pioneer of Chinese design, was among the first Chinese artists to study design in Japan in the early 20th century. After returning to China, Chen taught in universities in Shanghai and Nanjing and was devoted to cultivating professional artists, and made tremendous contributions to art education.

Chen drew inspiration from a wide range of cultures, including pictorial art on Greek pottery, motifs on Persian carpets, Indian decorative paintings and the ancient murals in the Mogao Caves, and brocade and embroidery patterns from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

A painting created by Chen Zhifo in 1948.

Chen paid much attention to the use of color and composition to give brightness, clarity, elegance and gentleness with a decorative touch to his bird-and-flower paintings, paving a new way for the development of this noble traditional art.

In a magpie painting, he used the jubilant connotation of a magpie to express his lavish praise and timeless sentiments for his motherland. The auspicious atmosphere is visualized through the abundant objects painted with bright and elegant tones of color, and with techniques representing a harmonious union of both the tangible and intangible, the far and the near, while clearly depicting what is primary and secondary.

He combined the Japanese pattern design and water splash techniques with the meticulous technique of Chinese gongbi paintings. His detailed observations of flowers and birds and the application of his knowledge in modern pattern design made his paintings not only a vivid portrait of the beauty of nature but also a modern update of some of the greatest traditions of Chinese art. His paintings are acclaimed by critics as “the outcome of a beautiful marriage between gongbi technique and Japanese pattern design,” showing his impeccable skills and talented thoughts.

Patterns designed by Chen Zhifo in the late 1920s.

Dates: Until June 29

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays

Booking: WeChat account “gsyart”

Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Futian District (關山月美術館)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宮站), Exit F2