ZhangGuolaoMeetswithEmperorXuanzongoftheTangDynastybyRenRenfa,silkscroll,4.15×107.3cm,1254-1327.
ThreeSteedsbyRenXianzuo,silkscroll,32.2×188.7cm,1342.ThisisastorynarratingthecommunicationbetweentheOrientandtheOccidentinancienttimes.Inmoderntimes,WesternculturehasstronglyimpactedChinesesociety.Butthroughouthistory,ChinesecivilizationexertedprofoundinfluenceontheWest.NumeroustravelerslikeMarcoPoloconnectedthecontinentsofAsiaandEuropebybringingOrientalnoveltiesandstoriestotheWest.Theiractivitiesleftalastinginfluenceonbothcontinents.
Suchisthenarrationoftheexhibition“EmbracingtheOrientandtheOccident—WhentheSilkRoadMeetstheRenaissance,”whichfeaturesmorethan200relicsfrom21Italianmuseumsand17Chinesemuseums.TheseexhibitstestifytotheculturalexchangebetweenAsiaandEurope.
LiJun,aprofessorattheSchoolofHumanitiesoftheCentralAcademyofFineArts,curatedtheexhibitionafterhewasinspiredbyoneofhisoverseasexperiences.Between2002and2004whenLiJunworkedatFrance’sMuséeGuimetforashorttime,hevisitedanexhibitionfeaturingfurniturefromChina’sMingDynasty(1368-1644).ItopenedwithacomparisonofMingfurnitureandRococo-styleEuropeanfurniturefromthe18thcentury.Intermsofbothdesignanddecorationtechniques,thelatterobviouslyimitatestheformer.“Atthatmoment,IwasstunnedbytherealizationthattheancienthasshapedthemodernandtheEasthasinfluencedtheWest,”saysLi.Inhissubsequentresearch,LifoundmoreOrientaltraceshiddenbehindmanyWesternartworksandculturalphenomena.
Afewyearsago,LivisitedanexhibitionabouttheMaritimeSilkRoadatGuangdongProvincialMuseum.Hewasstunnedbyapairofwoodenfemalestatuesthatlookedeerilyfamiliarbuthecouldn’tplacethem—untilhecuratedthisexhibition.Whileorganizingthisshow,itdawnedhimthattheyresembleprotagonistsintheFontainebleau-stylepaintingGabrielled’EstréesandOneofHerSisters,whichishousedintheLouvre.Thetwopairsoffemalessharesimilarappearancesbutdifferinposture.ThewoodenpairwasonceaprintonagateofaMazutemple.Aftercarefulexamination,hediscoveredthattheyoriginatedinaWesternoilpainting.ButhowtheycametoChinaremainsamystery.
Thisisjustonecasedatingbacktothe16thcentury.Manysimilarcasesarepresentedintheexhibition,whichisdividedintosixparts,basedonthecategoryoftheexhibitsandtheirthemes.Juxtaposedforcomparison,manyrelicshaveneverbeforebeendisplayedtogether,butfromtheperspectiveofculturalcommunication,theyhavealwaysbeen“oldfriends.”
TheexhibitionbeginswithamuraldepictingFloraunearthedfromPompeiiandTheFeastofGodspaintedbyGiovanniBellini,thefounderoftheVenetianSchool.ThemuraldepictingtheRomangoddessofflowers,whichdatesbacktothe1stcentury,showsherinasilkgown,whilethefiguresinTheFeastofGodsholdblueand-whiteporcelain.Nexttothepainting,twoChineseblueand-whiteporcelainpiecesfromtheMingDynastywereplacedforcomparison.
Thefirstpartoftheexhibitionistitled“LandSilkRoad”andpresentsculturalexchangealongtheroute.Bronzevessels,glassbeadsandsilkitemsdiscoveredinItalyandChinaevidencethemutualinfluencebetweenthetwocountries.Glassbeadsresemblingthedragonfly’seyewereonceusedinancientEgyptasamuletstoguardagainstevilforcesandbecamepopularthroughoutEurasia.WhenthebeadarrivedintheChuStateduringChina’sEasternZhouDynasty(770-256B.C.),theChupeopleadaptedittotheirownaesthetics.Thefactthatthetwocontinentsconductedsuchfar-reachingandprofoundexchangebackthenisincredible.
MarblestatueofAphrodite,129cmtall,datingbacktothe1stto2ndcentury.
TestamentofMarcoPolo,inkonparchment,67×24.5cm,1323.
TheCoronationoftheVirginbySanodiPietro,239×197×14.5cm,1406-1481.Thesecondpart,“TraversingtheSevenSeas,”featuresstoriesoftheMaritimeSilkRoad.Afterthecompass,inventedbytheChinese,wasintroducedtoEurope,thecontinent’soceanicnavigationabilitiesincreaseddramatically,whichhelpedEuropeancountriesmoreconvenientlyreachrichandmysteriousEasternnationsbywater.Inthispartoftheexhibition,theearliestnavigationalmapsfromChinaandtheWestrevealancientassumptionsabouttheworld.Amapdrawnin1459byFraMauro,anItaliancartographerfromVenice,includedBeijing,thencapitaloftheYuanDynasty(1271-1368),andevenitsLugouBridge.ItalsonotedthataChinesesailboathadreachedandpassedthesouthwesterntipofAfrica,whilePortuguesenavigatorshadonlyexploredthemiddleofthewesternAfricancoast.ThisgraphiccluehelpedthePortuguesereachthesoutherntipofAfrica,heraldingtheirfurtherexpeditionstoIndiaandotherEasterncountries.
FromtheperspectiveofatravelerlikeMarcoPolo,the“SilhouetteofanEmpire”sectionrevivesthemagnificenceofthecapital(nowBeijing)oftheYuanDynasty.Europeantravelerswereenchantedbythecity’sbuildings,porcelainandart,whichwererecordedinhistoricalmaterialsanddisplayedinthisexhibition.ThoseculturalambassadorsopenedthedoortoawealthofculturefromtheEasterncountry.Thesection“PhoenixesBacktoWest”displayscommoditiesandgiftscarriedbackbythosetravelers,whichservednotonlyassouvenirsbutalsoascarriersofEasternculture,laterfusingintoWesternlifestylesandculture.
The“SilkDream”sectiondemonstratesinteractionbetweenEasternandWesternculturesviathecommodityofsilk.ThepatternsonancientsilkpiecesfromItalianandChinesemuseumsresembleeachotherconsiderably.Moreinterestingly,silkembroideriesontherobesofancientChineseofficialsbecamefashionabledesignsforthegarmentsofupper-classWesternersonimportantoccasionsatthetime.The“WorldofIntegration”partemphasizesthatculturalexchangeismutualandtraceshowChineseculturewasinfluencedbytheWestasevidencedbymaterial,culturalandartisticmarks.
TraditionalexhibitionsoftenhighlighttheinfluencethatWesternartexertedonChina,butthisexhibitiontookaconverseapproachtoilluminateChineseart’sinfluenceontheEuropeanRenaissance.“Beforethedominant‘modernworldsystem’evolvedfromtheRenaissance,thereweremanyworldsystems,”Liexplains.“Amongthem,manydiversecountriesacrossthevastEurasiansupercontinentconductedinteractionsointimatelyandprofoundlythatit’shardforustofathomtoday.Regardlessoftheera,mutualexchange,mutuallearningandcommondevelopmentamongdifferentcultureshaveremainedthemainstreamtrend.”