The Paper learned that on December 2, the "Calligraphy and Artistic Spirit: Chen Qi's Calligraphy Art Exhibition" opened to the public at the Hu Wensui Art Museum in Shanghai. This is the first thematic exhibition focusing on calligraphy by renowned artist Chen Qi in his more than 50 years of artistic career. The exhibition features more than 70 cross-disciplinary works of calligraphy, painting, and porcelain, with cursive script calligraphy as the core highlight, showcasing his artistic pursuit and attainments of "incorporating calligraphy into painting and painting into calligraphy" in all aspects.
Chen Qi has been deeply involved in the art field for half a century. He has served as a director of the China Artists Association and vice chairman of the Shanghai Artists Association. He currently serves as the director of the Art Committee of the China International Import Expo and an advisor to the Shanghai Artists Association. His works, such as the large-scale green landscape painting "Spring Breeze Greens the South Bank of the Yangtze River Again" and "White Magnolia" in the welcoming hall of the CIIE, have been presented as national gifts to foreign dignitaries. Dozens of his works have been permanently collected by professional institutions at home and abroad, such as the National Art Museum of China. What few people know is that Chen Qi has also devoted himself to calligraphy, which is the "root and soul" of his artistic creation.
Chen Qi's calligraphy of "Qinyuanchun: Snow" and "Qingpingyue: Meeting Lü" 63x92cm fan painting 2025
This exhibition centers on Zhangcao calligraphy. He has deeply studied classic calligraphic works such as the *Jijiuzhang* and *Pingfu Tie*, combining the robust style of Wei stele inscriptions with the ancient charm of Zhangcao, incorporating the unique and unconventional spirit of Ming and Qing dynasty masters, and drawing upon the artistic essence of contemporary Zhangcao master Wang Quchang, thus forming a unique style characterized by "simplicity and agility, profoundness and sincerity." As Ding Shenyang, Chairman of the Shanghai Calligraphers Association, stated in his preface: "Chen Qi's calligraphy differs from that of ordinary 'painters.' He tirelessly copies rubbings from ancient inscriptions, integrating them into his work, incorporating the spirit of calligraphy into his painting, and showcasing the charm of painting within his calligraphy—the best embodiment of 'calligraphy and painting sharing the same origin.' He has conducted meticulous research on the works of contemporary Zhangcao master Wang Quchang, integrating them into his own style."
Exhibited works
At the exhibition, more than 70 works constitute a diverse artistic matrix: more than 50 calligraphy works cover various styles such as Zhangcao and Xingcao, including Zhangcao interpretations of classic works such as "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" and "Record of Yueyang Tower", as well as thematic creations such as poems and treatises on calligraphy by ancient sages, in various forms such as couplets, hanging scrolls, long scrolls, small pieces, fan paintings, and letters; the paintings continue the concept of "incorporating calligraphy into painting", with flower, bird and landscape paintings such as "May all your wishes come true" and "Thousands of Mountains in Red", using the brushstrokes of Zhangcao to outline lines and create a sense of rhythm, achieving a high degree of unity between calligraphy and painting.
Chen Qi, "Pomegranates are Divine Objects," 24x33cm, 2025
"Calligraphy and painting share the same origin, stemming from a single brush and arising from the same aesthetic ideals." Chen Qi passionately explains his initial creative aspirations in his preface. From immersing himself in Shang and Zhou dynasty epigraphy as a youth, to studying Jin and Tang dynasty calligraphy in his prime, to exploring the styles of Ming and Qing dynasty masters in middle age, and finally cultivating Zhangcao (a type of cursive script) in his fifties, every stage of his artistic journey has been a practice of the true essence of creation: "the brush is the bone, the ink is the rhythm."
It is reported that this exhibition is jointly organized by the Hu Wensui Art Museum and the Chen Qi Cultural and Art Foundation, and will run until January 3, 2026.
