Exhibition area. Courtesy of China Jiangnan Watertown Culture Museum
On May 15, “Between the Traditional and the Simplified, Baoji Unearthed Bronze Art Exhibition” was opened in the China Jiangnan Water Village Culture Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The cultural relics such as Hu You and Bronze Forbidden unearthed in the Shanxi Zhou aristocratic cemetery in Shigu, Shaanxi Province, were first unveiled in Zhejiang Province.
This exhibition takes the Shang and Zhou Dynasty bronze patterns as the starting point. Through the three parts of “magic and reality”, “representational and abstract”, and “technology and art”, the audience is guided to appreciate the rich types of bronze patterns, explore the development context of the patterns under the specific era background, and interpret the bronze pattern art from the artistic perspective combined with the mold casting process.
The reporter learned that the exhibition will last until August 18, with 124 groups of cultural relics, 159 pieces in total.
At the scene, Yu Qiuna, deputy curator of China Jiangnan Watertown Culture Museum, told reporters that the museum was the first stop of the national tour of “Baoji Unearthed Bronze Ornamental Art Exhibition between Simplicity and Simplicity”.
At the same time, she also said that as a tribute to the opening of the new museum, the exhibition exhibited a large number of cultural relics with high specifications and excellent quality, including many “star exhibits”, such as Burg Zun, Burg You, Dan Wufu Pot, Elephant Zun, Carp Zun, etc. In particular, in recent years, the cultural relics such as Hu You and Bronze Forbidden unearthed in the tomb of Zhou nobles in Shigu, Shanxi, were also the first time to meet Zhejiang audiences, which can fully demonstrate the characteristics and style of the bronzes unearthed in Baoji.
Yu Qiuna said that the perspective of this exhibition is different from that of the past. The past bronze exhibitions focused on its historical value, while this exhibition is an interpretation of bronze art from the perspective of decorative arts. “When visitors look at the exhibition, they will surely find that some of the exhibits on display are closely related to our lives, and the bronzes have become less serious.” (End)