On July 22, the National Museum of China, the Chinese Academy of Arts, the China Arts and Crafts Association, the China Arts and Crafts Society and the Zhejiang Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles co-sponsored the "Casting the Ancient and Modern - Eighty and Standing Zhu Bingren Art Exhibition" in the South 1 and South 2 Exhibition Halls of the National Museum of China.
The exhibition displays more than 100 pieces/sets of copper art treasures from Zhu Bingren, a realist artist, a master of Chinese arts and crafts, and a representative inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage bronze carving skills in his 40-year artistic career, with a total weight of 35.6 tons, including a single piece weighing 3.7 tons.
Zhu Bingren, a master of Chinese arts and crafts and a representative inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage bronze carving skills
Copper is one of the earliest metals recognized and used by human beings, after thousands of years of quenching and forging, bronze mining and casting technology represented by bronze has long become one of the distinctive characteristics of China's excellent traditional culture. As a continuation of bronze casting skills, Hangzhou bronze carving has radiated new vitality and vitality in the inheritance and development of ingenuity from generation to generation with historical changes and changes of the times. In 2008, Hangzhou's bronze carving skills were included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects.
Zhu Bingren's works, Leifeng Pagoda architectural artwork and Leifeng Pagoda original bronze plaque
The heaviest single work in the audience, the architectural artwork of the Forbidden City's corner tower
The exhibition is divided into four units: "Ancient Methods, New Ideas", "Ingenuity Copper Transport", "Copper Carving Skills" and "New Cuts", bringing together copper-making products with diverse shapes and a wide range of themes, introducing in detail the superb artistic achievements of a generation of intangible cultural heritage masters from different perspectives, and systematically explaining the artistic transformation of Chinese bronze carving skills from "casting tripod elephants" to "detaching from shapes", vividly reflecting the artistic pursuit of contemporary art workers rooted in tradition and inheriting ingenuity.
What is particularly striking is that the exhibition skillfully integrates the bronze culture spanning thousands of years with Zhu Bingren's 40-year artistic life. After layers of approval, the National Museum of China "took out" 10 bronze national treasures such as the Warring States Period and the copper kettle, and for the first time carried out a cross-time and space symphony with Zhu Bingren's modern copper artworks, showing the profound heritage of Chinese culture and the vitality of innovation of the times with the cultural power of the Chinese palace.
The juxtaposition of ancient and modern bronzes reveals the integration of tradition and modernity
As the fourth-generation successor of "Zhufu Copper Art", Zhu Bingren's life has formed an indissoluble bond with copper. He studied calligraphy and painting with his father since childhood, and then deeply cultivated the copper carving skills, using copper as the pen and fire as the ink, and his artistic achievements spanned the five major fields of poetry, calligraphy, painting, printing and copper, and he was known as the "father of Chinese contemporary copper architecture" and "the founder of Chinese copper murals", and became the first artist known as the "master craftsman of the country" since the Bronze Age.
The pinnacle of Chinese bronze murals "Ten Thousand Springs Return to the Sea"
The art of copper melting is undoubtedly a major breakthrough and innovation in Zhu Bingren's artistic career. In 2006, in an accidental fire during the construction of Tianning Pagoda in Changzhou, Zhu Bingren discovered that molten copper crystals are in various shapes, thus creating the "art of molten copper".
Zhu Bingren pays attention to one of the "trilogy" of human destiny "Rice Kedao, Extraordinary Rice"
"A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" that pays tribute to Song Yun culture with innovation
Stepping into the exhibition hall, it is as if you have entered a world of "copper words". In the exhibition, the architectural artwork of Leifeng Pagoda, China's first colorful bronze pagoda, the first copper bridge "Yongjin Bridge", and "Ten Thousand Springs Return to the Sea", which represents the peak of China's copper mural creation, are unveiled in detail. The pioneering work of molten copper art in the collection of the National Museum, "Que Li", met the audience again after 17 years, and together with works such as "Rice Kedao, Extraordinary Rice", "Thousands of Miles of Rivers and Mountains" and "Burning Sunflowers", they jointly performed a double feast of form and meaning.
Zhu Bingren's first molten copper work "Que Li" was collected by the National Museum in 2007
Zhu Bingren's work "Burning Sunflowers"
Zhu Bingren's artistic creation attaches equal importance to skills and feelings. The new work "Yellow River Waves" is inspired by the Yellow River, highlighting the tenacious spirit of the Chinese nation. Similarly, "Canal Light" shows Zhu Bingren's attention and praise for China's Grand Canal through the depiction of the canal. In addition, the exhibition also sets up an interactive experience area, allowing visitors to have the opportunity to touch the temperature of bronze sculpture art and feel the simplicity and power from metal.
Zhu Bingren's work "Yellow River Waves" to pay tribute to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China
Zhu Bingren, one of the "Three Old Men of the Canal", is in love with the canal's work "The Light of the Canal"
For Zhu Bingren, "Standing at 80" is not only a sign of age, but also the beginning of a new stage of his artistic career. "Que is a door-like building in front of the ancient building, which means the beginning of the new. The art of molten copper originated from the National Museum, and now it is glorious to return to the nest. In Zhu Bingren's words, he is full of love for copper art and expectations for the future. He hopes that through this exhibition, more people can understand the art of bronze carving, feel the charm of traditional culture, and inherit the spirit of craftsmen.
Zhu Bingren: Copper is me, I am copper
Copper is refined, looking at the past and the present. Citizens and tourists are welcome to walk into the "copper world" together, look at its shape, taste its meaning, find its wonder, and jointly explore the brilliance and vitality of intangible cultural heritage skills in the new era.
Casting the Past and the Present - Eighty Years of Zhu Bingren's Art Exhibition
Exhibition time: July 12 - October 10, 2024
Exhibition venue: South 1 and South 2 Exhibition Halls of the National Museum of China
Reservation for visiting: Make an appointment on the official website of the "National Museum", WeChat official account, mini program and official APP 7 days in advance, and the daily reservation and ticket release time is 17:00.