Recent Painting, Poetry and Calligraphy by Lo Ch’ing

Chinese Culture Center Hosts Renown Artist Lo Ch’ing
San Francisco, California, September 19, 2003

The Chinese Culture Center, located on the 3rd floor of the Chinatown Holiday Inn at 750 Kearny Street, in San Francisco, is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition: “Calling for the Ancients: Recent Painting, Poetry and Calligraphy by Lo Ch’ing.” Professor Lo Ch’ing will give a lecture about art, life and work entitled “Ways of Eating Watermelon: New Approaches to Chinese Ink-Color Paintings” at a reception co-hosted by the Chinese Culture Center and Society of Asian Art on September 23, 2003 from 6-8 pm. The exhibition of paintings will run until December 13, 2003. Lo Ch’ing is a painter, poet, calligrapher, art writer and scholar of art and literature who is admired throughout the world. Born in China in 1948, he was taught by Pu Ju (1896-1964), a member of the former imperial household and first cousin to the last emperor Pu Yi. With this intensive training, Lo Ch’ing’s work is steeped in the great Chinese painting tradition, yet he expands and explores the limits of Chinese art. High-rises, freeways, and even science fiction elements populate his paintings. His calligraphy utilizes new and ancient forms, modern subject matter and even color. Read More »

Exhibiton: June 5, 2003 – August 30, 2003
Reception: Thursday June 5th, 6 – 8pm

Raymond Hu, a twenty-six year old artist, will exhibit his unique style of Chinese Brush Painting at the Chinese Cultural Center in the Bay Area.

Born with Down syndrome, Raymond attended a Transition Program for two years, and has taken classes in art, art history, childcare and physical education at Diablo Valley College and Laney College after graduating from San Ramon Valley High School, Danville, California in summer 1996. Read More »

Paintings of Lin Feng-Mien
(1900 – 1991)

Exhibition: March 1, 2003 – May 24, 2003
Reception: March 6, 2003, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Chinese Culture Foundation is proud to present this first U.S. solo exhibition of Lin Feng-mien.

Lin Feng-mien was born in 1900 in Meixian in China’s southern province of Guangdong, and was one of the earliest Chinese artists to study in Europe. He arrived in Paris in 1919 and attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. While other Chinese artists of the 20th century embraced Western academic realism as their model, Lin immediately was inspired by the progressive Post Impressionist art movements and early on adopted European painting techniques. He was particularly drawn to the Fauve painters, especially Matisse, Marquet, Derain and Vlaminck.

In 1926, Lin returned to China a committed modernist. He became the director of the National Hangzhou Art Academy, one of the most important art schools in China. He attracted a large following of other progressive artists and intellectuals, some of the most famous 20th century artists were his students; Li Keran (1907-1989), Wu Guanzhong (b. 1919), and Zao Wouki (b.1921) – who still lives and works in Paris. Read More »

Exhibition: November 21, 2002 – February 18, 2003
Reception: November 21, 2002

Chang Dai-Chien (1899-1983) is considered to be one of the most versatile and prolific masters of traditional Chinese painting. He was a colorful figure who resembled an ancient Chinese sage. He had a full beard, a walking stick, and always dressed in a full-length robe.

In terms of versatility, he possessed a formidable ‘toolbox’ of skills and techniques. Chang was trained in painting using the traditional Chinese method of copying the best masterworks of the past. Due to his passion for rigorous training, he eventually mastered the best techniques of the past 1000 years of Chinese painting. In fact, he became so skilled at copying masterworks that few people could distinguish the original masterworks from his copies.

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Reception: August 24, 2002
Exhibition: August 23, 2002 – October 13, 2002

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco is pleased to present Infinite Harmony: Watercolors by Chen Yang-chun. A consummate Taiwanese painter with strong foundations rooted in traditional Chinese ink paintings, Chen expresses himself in the western modality of watercolors. We are truly honored to have this opportunity to display several of his landscapes and portraits of women in our gallery.

Chen Yang-chun grew up in the Central Taiwan county of Yunlin, and still derives inspiration from childhood memories of the countryside. He started learning calligraphy at age 7, and won several awards. Despite his precocious skill in calligraphy, he did not begin painting until he was 14. Under the direction of local gallery owner Wang Chia-liang, he learned to transform a three-dimensional world into two dimensions. Looking at his surroundings through a new paradigm, his entire understanding of the world crystallized, and he became enamored with an art that he would continue to pursue for the rest of his life.

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Works by Young Asian Americans on Display at the Chinese Culture Center

Exhibition: August 16-24, 2002
Reception: August 16, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

The Chinese Culture Center will be hosting a week-long exhibition entitled: GOT ART? Showcasing Works by Emerging Asian Artists, from August 16-24, 2002. This exhibition highlights various types of artistic designs from young Asian American artists.

While there is nothing new about Asian art categorically speaking, themes and techniques maintain a continuity that surpass many other current artistic genres of the world. There is something special and unique about the art that is emerging among young Asians today. New technologies, innovative themes, and fresh perspectives have paved way for an invigorating new approach to personal expression; and Generation X is leading the way in broadening the definition of art. Read More »

June 20 – August 10, 2002

The Chinese Culture Center is now presenting an exhibition of thirty paintings by famous poet, painter, and scholar Chu Ko. The exhibit runs until August 10 in the South Gallery.

Born Yuan Dexing in Hunan Province, Chu Ko chose his pen name while he was a young soldier stationed in Taiwan. Coming from what was once the ancient Kingdom of Chu, the loose translation of “Soldier from Chu¨ seemed appropriate. He learned Confucian classics as a youth growing up during a time of war, yet was influenced by western literature and Taoist books found in the ruins of an abandoned home. Read More »

May 18 – August 10, 2002

As the center of a cultural legacy, Chinese culture has influenced and been influenced by its neighbors since the dawn of recorded history. The flow of ideas in artistic themes and motifs has also crossed national boundaries, and undergone evolution within the cultural framework of their new homes.

China and Beyond: Artistic Influence Into and Out of China, an exhibition to be held at the Chinese Culture Center from May 18 to August 10, celebrates these multinational artistic themes. Comprising more than 80 objects from the collections of members of the Society for Asian Art, the exhibition includes paintings, ceramics, bronzes, jades, and sculpture. All works will either be from China that reflect a foreign influence, or objects from Tibet, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and even Europe that were inspired by Chinese motifs.

Renowned Asian Art Scholar and Chief Curator Emeritus of the Asian Art Museum, Clarence Shangraw will serve as curator for this exhibition. The Chinese Culture Foundation and the Society of Asian Art sponsor the show.

April 26 – June 12, 2002

Incorporating principles of Feng Shui in painting and the display of art, Professor Catherine Yi-Yu Cho Woo of San Diego State University will exhibit 27 of her unique paintings at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco from April 26 to June 12, 2002. She will further give a lecture at 10:30 AM on May 17 to discuss feng shui and the inspiration behind her paintings.

Dr. Woo believes that there is no separation of art, life, and feng shui. Her works therefore embrace and reflect a balance of the five elements-metal, water, wood, fire, and earth– in Chinese philosophy. They also draw influence from her favorite painters Georgia O’Keefe and Mark Rothko through splashes of acrylic colors more reminiscent of western themes and techniques. Vivid color and graceful design, falling somewhere between abstract and concrete, her works elude strict classification as modern or traditional, Chinese or Occidental. Read More »

March 15 – April 7, 2002
Christened Ihla Formosa or “Beautiful Island” by early Portuguese sailors who marveled at the Island’s beautiful coastlines, Taiwan has amazed people the world over. Offering a unique blend of attractions, Taiwan still retains the beauty of yesteryears.

We have selected nearly 100 winning photographs from “A Glance at Taiwan” photo contest, organized by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and communications, to spotlight the daily spendors of Taiwan.

This exhibition, jointly organized by the Chinese Culture Center, the Tourism Bureau, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, features the natural, architectural, living, and cultural beauties of Taiwan.

Natural Beauty includes photos of well-known destinations such Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake, and Alishan; as well as less-known, but equaly scenic sights in Baling at Northern Cross-Island Highway, the Central Cross-Island Highway, and the rocky coastal formation in Little Yehliu, to name a few. Read More »