Cover news reporter Shao Meng
Chinese peonies, Albanian Yumei, Brazil's yellow bells, French vetiver irises, Dutch tulips... The national flowers and famous flowers of the 206 member states and regions of the International Olympic Committee "bloomed" in the fine art works called "The Flower of Olympic Art", 206 paintings that incorporated a variety of traditional Chinese painting techniques such as freehand, boneless, brushwork, and part-time work belt writing, which became a gift for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Netherlands – Tulips. Courtesy of respondents
This work dedicated to the Winter Olympics is generally responsible for the creation of Marco Keqiang, who is the director of the Beijing Jincai Tourism Art Library, a platform for artists' friendship, and has organized more than 2,000 painters across the country to go to more than 70 countries to collect styles. Marco Qiang said he has always had a complex of sports events. As early as 2015, he organized the painter to draw a long volume of "Beijing-Hebei Winter Music Map", with a total length of 20.22 meters, including 2022 figures, 12 groups of buildings, 12 Winter Olympic games and 12 traditional Chinese winter sports, while integrating the ice and snow culture, Spring Festival culture, and Great Wall culture, from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing to the north, all the way to Chongli, Hebei.
"This long scroll was recognized by the Winter Olympic Bidding Committee and was taken to the scene of the Bid for the Winter Olympics in Kuala Lumpur. After the successful bid for the Winter Olympics, the Winter Olympic Bidding Committee sent a letter of thanks, saying that our works have made outstanding contributions. Speaking of this, after many years, Marco Qiang still can't hide his pride.
Two years ago, Ma Keqiang had the idea of using fine art works to "add icing on the cake" to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and then determined the theme of artistic beauty and flower beauty, using traditional Chinese painting techniques to paint famous flowers from 206 countries and regions of the International Olympic Committee, reflecting the world family's "beauty of each other, beauty and commonality".
He soon organized more than 60 well-known painters to start creating. "At first, what puzzled us was the selection of representative flowers from various countries, which needed to find the most authoritative person, and we asked Liu Yan, president of the China Flower Arrangement and Flower Art Association, to verify it." Another difficulty in creating, Ma Keqiang said, is how to make people around the world accept it while reflecting traditional Chinese culture. To this end, they gave up ink painting and chose to advocate realistic brush strokes, and at the same time, in order to reflect the richness and variety of Chinese painting, they also integrated a variety of traditional Chinese painting techniques such as freehand, boneless, work brush, and part-time work belt writing, "completely combined, it has become a work of art that can not only reflect traditional Chinese culture, but also be accepted by people of all countries." ”
Brazil – Yellow Bell Flower. Courtesy of respondents
What made Ma Keqiang very moved was that the painters showed great enthusiasm for the Winter Olympics in China, "They have the president and professor of the art academy, the director and deputy director of the Flower Research Institute of the National Academy of Painting, the excellent young and middle-aged painters, etc., the work itself is relatively heavy, but in order to complete the "Flower of Olympic Art", they all work overtime at night to paint. Marco Qiang said that in order to be able to strive for excellence, they have repeatedly solicited opinions, repeatedly revised and supplemented, so that the people of the world can appreciate such a picture.
On February 4, the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held, and the combination of art, culture and sports was vividly reflected, and Marco Qiang was greatly impressed by this. He believes that the integration of the Olympic Games with culture and art is getting closer and closer, and this opening ceremony is a good exposition. "I think this Winter Olympics fully reflects China's welcome to athletes from all over the world and unswervingly moves forward in the direction of a community with a shared future for mankind."
China - Peony. Courtesy of respondents
Ma Keqiang said that "The Flower of Olympic Art" has been printed into a picture album, including English, French, Chinese three languages. In the future, he also wants to organize painters to create for cities around the world that have hosted the Olympic Games, better promote the Olympic spirit, and spread Chinese culture.
"I hope that the flower of Olympic art will bloom in the hearts of people around the world, and I also wish Chinese athletes better results, and I hope that athletes from all over the world can break their own records." Marco Qiang said.