用笔墨为城市立传

Core Perspective - The integration of urban themes into contemporary Chinese painting has become an essential focus, reflecting the natural connection between life in cities and artistic expression [1][2]. Group 1: Development of Urban Landscape Painting - Over 20 years ago, the Chinese painting department at Shanghai University began exploring urban themes in ink painting, driven by individual passion and a sense of mission to advance Chinese painting [1]. - By around 2009, urban landscape works started gaining recognition in major exhibitions, leading to a collective realization among artists that they were building a "city of ink" through diverse artistic expressions [1]. - The concept of "urban" quickly became a consensus within the Chinese painting department, guiding their creative and educational strategies to respond to the innovative development of Chinese painting [1][2]. Group 2: Recent Initiatives and Exhibitions - In 2021, the "Urban·Landscape" seminar and exhibition at the China Art Palace marked the first institutional recognition of "urban landscape" at the university level, significantly promoting the development of urban landscape creation and education across various regions [2]. - Recent years have seen a surge in urban landscape creations, with numerous outstanding works emerging, establishing urban landscape as a new representation of contemporary Chinese painting [2]. - The recent exhibition "Ink and City" in Beijing aimed to showcase the collective efforts of the Shanghai University artists and engage with peers and audiences in a national art venue [2]. Group 3: Cultural Context and Artistic Standards - The discussion of urban landscapes is not new, but the contemporary context has shifted, with increased cultural confidence among Chinese people and a broader understanding of "Chinese painting" as a cultural spirit rather than a conservative practice [2]. - Unlike traditional landscape painting, urban landscapes focus on human-made structures, emphasizing the importance of exploring the historical and cultural context of cities and the spiritual attributes of architecture [2]. - The integration of urban elements into landscape painting necessitates a creative transformation that maintains the artistic standards and core values of Chinese painting while responding to contemporary life [3].