— Reflections on the Chen Peiqiu "Celebrating the World Expo" Special Exhibition 

"Awakening, I let the brush fall without conscious intent—its spirit and subtlety reach the peak of autumn’s brilliance."

This line from Su Shi came to mind as I viewed the recent "Celebrating the World Expo" special exhibition of master painter Chen Peiqiu. Su Shi originally wrote these words after seeing Wu Daozi's Buddhist paintings, yet they capture perfectly my own response to Chen's work.

Chen Peiqiu is one of the leading figures of the Shanghai School of painting and calligraphy, her reputation long acclaimed in China and abroad. Her works are much sought after by collectors, and because of her rigorous standards she rarely produces casual pieces. As a result, her finest works are seldom gathered in one place. Even repeated invitations from the Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Art Museum of China in recent years were politely declined.

Fortunately, to celebrate the successful opening of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Master Chen generously agreed to organize a special exhibition. Nearly sixty pieces, personally selected, were displayed for a month beginning May 8 at the Shanghai Art Museum of Gifts. The show brought together works from different periods and in diverse styles and formats—ranging from ten-meter-long handscrolls to delicately painted fan surfaces. Many were classic pieces included in monographs such as The Art of Chen Peiqiu, and several collaborative works with noted artists such as Xie Zhiliu, Cheng Shifa, and Liu Danzhai—now impossible to reproduce—were especially precious.

Lingering before Chen's paintings, one feels transported into landscapes of lakes and mountains, mind drifting into a world beyond the everyday: small birds and leisurely ducks along green riverbanks; a pavilion by a towering pine cliff facing a waterfall; a lone elder pausing on a winding mountain path. Flowing-cursive calligraphy scrolls and powerful couplets accompany the scene, and with gentle zither music in the air, one enters an almost dreamlike artistic sanctuary.

For over sixty years Chen Peiqiu has never ceased to explore the possibilities of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Her bird-and-flower works follow the traditions of the Song dynasty, using the double-outline gongbi method enriched with strong colors, blending classical techniques with modern life. Whether meticulous, freehand, or splash-ink, her art carries the emotional consciousness of the present. Her blue-green landscapes, informed by Impressionist methods yet uniquely her own, open new realms for Chinese painting and lift it to new heights.

Her calligraphy draws on many sources, shaped by a wealth of artistic experience and profound humanistic cultivation. Far beyond the typical painter’s script, her writing rivals that of professional calligraphers.

Most remarkable of all is that Chen's mastery flows naturally and effortlessly, achieving the seamless harmony of "the great way without form," reaching what can truly be called "unmatched subtlety, autumn's supreme brilliance." May her art continue to flourish, renewing itself with each passing year.