"We all grew up reading Teacher Zhang's books..." "This is an exhibition opportunity like watching Grandmaster...". When we heard the guests discussing like this at the exhibition site, we immediately felt a sense of awe. We have heard of Zhang Shaoxia's name in the study of art history, but we have no understanding of his identity as an artist. On November 8, 2023, the "Golf Scenery: Zhang Shaoxia's Oil Painting Exhibition" kicked off at the Nanyi Art Museum, marking the first appearance of his works.

When we walk into the exhibition hall with anticipation and admiration, it feels like we are on a different golf course. The green scenery contrasts sharply with the red exhibition wall, creating a strong sensory stimulation, as if we have been given a shot in the arm. When viewing one of the works alone, the serene scenery brings peace to the viewer's heart. This seemingly contradictory relationship coexists harmoniously at this moment. If playing golf is Zhang Shaoxia's hobby, then painting scenes of golf courses is his singing of life.

This exhibition is presented in the form of works and literature, with a selection of 40 landscape paintings by Zhang Shaoxia. The works are all based on his life and are recorded by him as a golfer playing around the world; And the literature refers to his works and manuscripts from the 1980s. This exhibition is curated by Lin Shuchuan, academically hosted by Liu Weidong, and produced by Li Xiaoshan. Critics and guests including Chen Xiaoxin, Zhu Qingsheng, Gao Minglu, Shao Yiyang, Wang Lin, Xu Hong, Shang Hui, Huang Zongxian, Deng Pingxiang, Li Chao, Tang Lichun, Hang Jian, Ruan Rongchun, Chen Chuanxi, and Zuo Zhuangwei attended the scene to discuss the value of Zhang Shaoxia's works in the digital age. It is reported that the exhibition will continue until November 27th.

Zhang Shaoxia went from being an art historian who wrote books related to art history, to being a leader in the academic affairs department who applied for a doctoral program at Nanyi, to later becoming the dean of the art college at Hainan University, and then going into business overseas before transitioning to becoming a full-time artist. Who is Zhang Shaoxia? What kind of story is there in him?

In 1982, Zhang Shaoxia stayed on as a teacher at Nanjing Academy of Arts after graduation. During his three-year postgraduate studies, he completed over a million word notes on European art history, which were later compiled as textbooks, totaling six books. This encyclopedia style history of European art not only greatly enhances the level of textbook construction at Nanjing Academy of Arts, but also fills many gaps in China. While teaching at Nanjing Academy of Arts, Mr. Zhang Shaoxia has been tirelessly writing and has completed the writing of "Outline of European Arts and Crafts History", "Asian Arts and Crafts History", and "African and American Arts and Crafts History". After the publication of these three works, they have caused a huge response in the arts and crafts academic community and established his academic position in this field. Subsequently, he collaborated with Li Xiaoshan to write "A History of Modern Chinese Painting", which caused a huge stir in the art world and became a phenomenal event for a time. Later, he entered the business world as an art historian, university professor, and dean of the School of Art at Hainan University, and worked hard for many years, achieving great success. Now, he turned around and devoted himself wholeheartedly to painting, with a passion for depicting golf courses around the world. Within a few years, he has accumulated hundreds of works, and this debut is his personal debut. This is Zhang Shaoxia, a legendary person.

Zhang Shaoxia only painted the scenery of a specific location, the golf course, and weakened the character images, constantly seeking a balance between similarity and dissimilarity. On the one hand, due to its functional nature, even on a global scale, the differences between golf courses are not significant, and how to "seek common ground while reserving differences" is where it needs to be explored. On the other hand, in the eyes of artist Zhang Shaoxia, "these golf courses are not easy to draw, and if you draw them, they become tacky and meaningless..." So how do you draw them? The control of the degree is crucial. The producer of this exhibition, Li Xiaoshan, said, " Zhang Shaoxia focuses on painting golf courses, just like Morandi staring at bottles and cans. The subject matter guides the concept, and the concept confirms the painter's accuracy in choosing the subject matter. With his knowledge, talent, and diligence, he leads the way in this area, and in my opinion, it can be pre booked."

In today's rapidly developing technology, our memory of golf courses often remains in real-time reproduction of photos and videos. However, there are not many opportunities to understand this scene through painting and creation. However, Zhang Shaoxia not only found his own interests on the golf course, but also found a differentiated path in painting, which opened up the world landscape of the golf course for us. He subverted our limitations on the field of painting themes and, in a cyclical manner, broke through the singularity of painting techniques, conveying the meaning of perseverance to viewers and achieving the transcendence of human pursuit of "difference". In the words of Zhu Qingsheng, a professor in the Department of History at Peking University and rotating chairman of the International Society of Art History, "the revival of painting emerged, which is a revival of humanity in contemporary art entering the era of new media."

Art critic and curator, Dr. Gao Minglu from Harvard University in the United States, admitted, "Today when I watch this exhibition, I feel that it is no longer just an art form, but actually reflects an art ecology. In this ecology, I cannot understand Zhang Shaoxia's experience of 'life and death' when doing business, but I can understand it. Looking at his paintings again, I feel that Zhang Shaoxia is very relaxed in such an experience. His painting purpose is not to reproduce the scenery of a certain golf course, nor to conceptualize it. I think more possibilities still include a record of experiencing the present moment. Creation should be integrated with doing business, it is a supplement, and finally..." Formed a complete concept. So I think the art we understand may not only be the work itself, but also not a certain statement or concept. It should be a vivid existence. If done well, it can reach a certain level. For understanding works of art, it is often necessary to put them in a very vivid and specific context, but this context and context are not dogmatic and standardized. You must enter a certain scene, combine the interests of each specific artist, and truly experience, dialogue, understand, and so on. So in this era, there are also new inspirations for us. Watching this exhibition itself is also my own learning process

Professor and doctoral supervisor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Vice Dean of the School of Humanities, and Dr. Shao Yiyang from the Department of Art History and Theory at the University of Sydney, Australia, said that Zhang Shaoxia's landscape paintings have taken a unique path between realism and Impressionism. It can be said that Zhang's works are a de representational depiction, but not very abstract. Their rich colors and relaxed brushstrokes make them very comfortable and have a sense of energy that connects with nature. His works convey a sensory emotion, freely expressing his own state and the elements he wants to express, and not following rules. This free state and free way of life are very rare, and it is also what sets him apart from other artists. Place. "

Xu Hong, an art critic of Zhang Shaoxia's landscape paintings, said about the experience of this exhibition, "Zhang Shaoxia's works seem to be accompanied by music, so this kind of scenery has a flowing feeling. Although he painted real scenery, there is a dynamic emotional sensation inside, which is a bit surreal. There are also some procedural things recorded very well in it. Through careful observation, you can feel that the music inside seems to have stories, as well as some of his usual thoughts and emotional fluctuations. What surprised me the most is the large number of literature displayed on site. He has written so many art history works, covering ancient, modern, domestic and foreign countries, and I am very impressed by his spirit of popularizing science." I want someone to write so much text and create so many paintings, which is not easy. These works express his feelings towards life and life, and from this perspective, he will continue to update his works in the future, which is currently only a part of the process

According to Lin Shuchuan, the curator of this exhibition, "The Nanyi Exhibition is just a new departure for artist Zhang Shaoxia. He is full of curiosity and focus, and will definitely use his paintbrush to bring us different surprises at the confirmed solo exhibitions at the University of London in the UK and the Benini Museum in Florence, Italy next year."