Despite of the fact that Chinese painting was not developed independently in a sealed system, it was rarely influenced by foreign art in ancient times. It was not until modern times that artistic contacts and communications between East and West became popular.
The Lingnan School of Painting was born in the atmosphere of the spread of western culture into the east. Founders of the School, namely Gao Jianfu, Chen Shuren and Gao Qifeng, were dissatisfied with the old-fashioned Chinese paintings and advocated the innovation because of their advanced political pursuits. Gao Jianfu took the lead in advocating the “art revolution” by borrowing strong points of both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign paintings and transforming into his own nutrition, making them his own flesh and blood, which caused great influence in the Chinese painting circle at that time. Later generations concluded Gao Jianfu's art innovation theory as: compromise between Chinese and Western, ancient and modern cultures, which was recognized as one of the most important features of Lingnan School of Painting.
Works on display in this exhibition were done by disciples of Gao Jianfu and Gao Qifeng, who were also significant painters of the Lingnan School of Painting. Most pieces are featured with various themes and superb techniques, paying special attention to real-life sketching and blending some of the visual experience with traditional and western paintings, as well as projecting their different artistic pursuits on the basis of inheriting the Two Gao’s style. We hope that the visitors may see the artistic characteristics of the Lingnan School of Painting, and recognize the indelible contribution by the School to the innovation and development of Chinese painting in general.