On a winter morning, walking on the bluestone road of the ancient city of Wuzhou, the cold wind poured straight into the collar. At No. 192 Bayong Road, "squeak-" sound, Zhou Xuhua pushed open the wooden door, raised his eyes and "looked at each other" with Huang Binhong's sculpture. Such a "mutual gaze" is 10 years in the blink of an eye.
The sunlight shines on the white wall of Huang Binhong's former residence, and the light and shadow are dappled, like a natural and tranquil painting. This former residence of Huang Binhong is the spiritual home of Zhou Xuhua and her husband Ge Zonghui, who carefully arranged and watched over with heart, and it is also a window for Jinhua to display Huang Binhong's culture and art.
During the first Huang Binhong Art Week not long ago, this former residence was once again "out of the circle", in front of artists from all over the country, and also in front of lovers who pay attention to Binhong's art. And the story behind it is a love, tribute and perseverance that has lasted for 10 years.
Patriotism is at the heart of the show.
Li Xianghong is a military painter who was invited to participate in Huang Binhong's Art Week, and one of the stops for the guests was Huang Binhong's former residence. "I was pleasantly surprised that the housekeeper said that Huang Binhong was a true revolutionary. Li Xianghong originally felt that the explanation of the general former residence always began with "Huang Binhong is an outstanding master of modern Chinese painting", and the definition of "revolutionary" accurately summed up Huang Binhong's deep patriotic feelings.
Zhou Xuhua and Jin Yibin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Academy of Art, exchanged views on Binhong art.
The administrator in Li Xianghong's mouth is Zhou Xuhua. The definition of Huang Binhong as a "revolutionary" is inseparable from the positioning of this former residence. Ten years ago, due to the renovation of the ancient city block and the relocation of cultural relics, Ge Zonghui, who majored in fine arts, had a link with the planning of his former residence. At that time, the rejuvenation of ancient buildings required the injection of social forces, and Ge Zonghui's plan was recognized and supported by the competent units.
We also thought about making this the former residence of Huang Binhong's life, but it was difficult to implement. Ge Zonghui said that because Huang Binhong moved his family back to Anhui when he was 26 years old, and later he traveled to many cities and lived in Hangzhou in his later years, Jinhua has almost no old belongings. Compared with the physical display, Ge Zonghui and his wife feel that Huang Binhong's patriotism, artistic ideas and academic inheritance are the core content of the former residence, which has become the positioning of the former residence.
Ge Zonghui Courtesy of me.
Ge Zonghui studied at the China Academy of Fine Arts, and also studied at the National Academy of Painting, where he studied under famous painters such as Li Baolin and Long Rui, who were students of Huang Binhong, Li Keran, and Li Keran. These experiences laid a solid foundation for his later arrangement of Huang Binhong's former residence, and the works, letters, books and other related materials he collected from museums, universities and other places enriched the former residence step by step.
After careful design and arrangement, Huang Binhong's former residence was officially opened in 2013. At that time, most of the former residences of celebrities were visited for a fee, and Huang Binhong's former residence can be said to be a precedent for free. Ge Zonghui said: "In his later years, Bin donated more than 10,000 of his works and collections to the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and this kind of selflessness and patriotism is an example of lifelong learning for us. ”
There are many stories in the former residence for ten years.
After the former residence was opened, Zhou Xuhua became a full-time administrator. In 10 years, neither long nor short, she saw more feelings and love here, and also felt the meaning of watching.
In the first two years of opening, teachers and students from art academies from all over the world came to visit. Zhou Xuhua generally does not take the initiative to ask for the personal information of visitors, but many people report their homes, saying that they come to visit. Some tourists with suitcases got off the train and went straight to the former residence, and they had to take the next train to leave for a short time, just to feel the atmosphere of Huang Binhong's former residence. There are also foreign tourists who accidentally walked into the former residence, talked with Zhou Xuhua very happily, and deliberately extended the travel time in Jinhua.
Another time, an old man bowed deeply to the statue of Huang Binhong as soon as he entered the door. This moved Zhou Xuhua very much. This is a bronze statue, which is the appearance of Huang Binhong holding a pen and paper to sketch. The original version of the statue was created by Pan Xirou, a professor of the Sculpture Department of the China Academy of Art. Located in the former residence, this one is one of only four replicas, the other three being the China Academy of Art, the Zhejiang Provincial Museum and Taiwan.
In recent years, the number of people visiting the former residence has become more and more extensive, and there are more occasions for Zhou Xuhua to explain. The school organized a visit, and the children came in groups, and Zhou Xuhua talked about learning the truth of being a man on the painting: "With books into the painting, ink through the back of the paper, we should be like Bin Lao painting, the pen is clear, frank and open." ”
In the face of art practitioners, Zhou Xuhua does not talk about the familiar "five strokes and seven ink methods", but exchanges with him in addition to painting, Huang Binhong's thoughts and spirit, "painting is the appearance, and the national spirit of Binlao is the light that guides art to the peak."
Some foreign friends came to visit the former residence and felt that Huang Binhong's later paintings had Monet's oil painting techniques. Huang Binhong was born here, influenced by Jinhua culture, and after Western painting entered China, he put forward the concept ......of integrity and innovation
The higher the attention of the house, the greater the challenge for me. In the days of guarding the former residence, Zhou Xuhua continued to deepen his study and research on Huang Binhong. Some people wonder why Huangshan frequently appears in Huang Binhong's paintings. Bin Lao Jiu went to Huangshan and had a unique affection for Huangshan, which was his transit place from Anhui to Shanghai, and also a turning point in his life. Speaking of new discoveries, Zhou Xuhua couldn't help but be excited.
The spirit of art is passed on to each other.
There is also a sign at the door of the former residence, which is inscribed by Li Keran's son Li Xiaoke "Huang Binhong Art Research Association", and Ge Zonghui is the executive vice president of the research society. The research society was registered and established in Jinhua, which is a platform for artistic discussion and exchange around the spirit of Huang Binhong. Over the past 10 years, based on the research society, Ge Zonghui and Zhou Xuhua have also devoted their enthusiasm to organizing online and offline exhibition activities.
In 2020, the calligraphy and painting exhibition to commemorate the 155th anniversary of Huang Binhong's birth was held in Huang Binhong's former residence, welcoming well-known painters and excellent art works in the industry. In the same year, the calligraphy and painting exhibition was also held in Guangzhou, and artists from many places carried out art exchanges and discussions.
We study Huang Binhong in order to better learn his patriotic feelings and national righteousness, and inherit his pure heart for the country and art. Ge Zonghui's other identity is a national first-class stage designer of Zhejiang Wu Opera Art Research Institute, and well-known Wu Opera sets such as "Mu Guiying in Charge" and "Three Dozen White Bone Spirits" are all from him.
Not long ago, the Wu opera "The Legend of the White Snake" was staged at Tsinghua University, and the far-reaching West Lake scenery on the stage was painted by Ge Zonghui. This play has won the Gold Award for Outstanding Stage Design in the New Repertoire Competition of the Provincial Wu Opera Festival.
Painting on 18 meters of cotton cloth is not an easy task. Ge Zonghui used the "shallow landscape" painting technique practiced by Huang Binhong. "If you can integrate Chinese painting with Wu opera and stage art in the style of Mr. Cheng, it can be regarded as a kind of inheritance and innovation. Ge Zonghui looked at his wife with a smile, and Zhou Xuhua also nodded and smiled.