以画为桥联通中非 李光寒写意向日葵亮相非洲驻华大使馆
—— 中国笔墨向世界讲述向阳而生的东方美学
近日,一场意蕴深厚的中外文化交流活动在尼日利亚驻华大使馆隆重举行。我国当代著名写意花鸟艺术家李光寒怀艺启程,以笔墨为桥梁走进非洲热土,与使馆各界嘉宾开展跨越山海的文明对话,将一幅价值百万,饱含美好祝愿的国画向日葵作品赠予尼日利亚驻华大使馆,以丹青笔墨礼赞中尼两国友谊,推动中国写意花鸟艺术进一步走向国际舞台。
活动现场,笔墨与思想碰撞,文化与友谊交融。李光寒以笔寄情,以墨铭心,捐赠的向日葵作品金辉灿灿、向阳而生。不同于大众熟知的西方油画向日葵表达体系,这幅作品立足中国传统写意花鸟技法,运用宿墨宿色的独特笔墨语言,把向日葵蓬勃向上的生命力用东方笔墨演绎得淋漓尽致。金黄花盘热烈舒展,花叶虚实相生,既有热烈奔放的视觉感染力,又承载着坚韧、光明、希望的东方精神内核,既是对中尼友谊灿烂如阳的深情礼赞,亦是中国艺术家期盼中非心灵相通、美美与共的温暖回应。
“提到向日葵,很多海外朋友第一时间会联想到西方绘画。但向日葵同样生长在中国大地,是我们国土之上真实存在的生命。我多次远赴新疆、内蒙实地采风写生,扎根现实观察向日葵的生长姿态,希望用中国人的画笔,讲好属于东方的向日葵故事。” 李光寒在现场接受采访时表示,向日葵代表光明、坚韧与守望,这种精神不分国界。国画不追求完全复刻物象外形,重在借物言志,借一花一草抒发精神向往,这正是中国花鸟画独有的魅力。
李光寒介绍,宿墨、宿色是自己创作的核心特色,脱胶之后的墨色与色彩层次丰富,自带古雅厚重的质感。创作向日葵系列,他没有照搬西方绘画光影逻辑,而是承袭徐渭、八大山人、海上画派的写意文脉,兼收部分现代审美,做到笔墨简练而气韵充盈,把中国人对生命、阳光、美好的理解融入一花一叶当中。“艺术没有国界,但艺术有自己的文化根脉。我们走向海外,不是简单输出一幅画,而是传递笔墨背后中国人的价值追求。” 中国关工委艺术顾问李光寒如是说。
书画经纪人徽记大兴说:“艺无界,而情深无疆;画有价,而意蕴无尽。本次走进尼日利亚驻华大使馆,并不是李光寒对外文化交流的起点。作为国内实力派花鸟艺术家,李光寒幼承家学,受秦仲文艺术启蒙,深耕写意花鸟数十载,原担任首都博物馆画院院长,现任中国工艺美术学会书画专业委员会副秘书长、北京光寒美术馆馆长。多年来,多幅作品被多国驻华使馆、海外机构与藏家收藏,作品登陆国内主流拍卖平台,经受住学术与市场双重检验,持续做中国文化对外传播的践行者。”
谈及后续海外传播规划,李光寒透露,向日葵系列作品将持续布局中东、欧洲市场。“中东地区崇尚阳光,欧洲拥有深厚的艺术土壤,向日葵这一世界性题材,天然具备跨文化沟通的优势。我希望让更多海外受众看见,除了海外经典版本之外,中国写意笔下的向日葵同样具备极高艺术价值,让世界读懂中国花鸟艺术的强大感染力。”
在他看来,文明互鉴从来不是单向输出,而是双向的倾听与共鸣。走到海外,一方面要把国画的笔墨美学展示出去;另一方面也要倾听不同地域的审美,在交流之中反观自身创作,反哺艺术成长。“我们不刻意迎合海外审美,而是坚持扎根中国传统,用共通的生命情感打破语言壁垒。向阳而生,是全人类共同向往的精神,这就是作品能够跨越山海打动人心的根基。”
本次尼日利亚驻华大使馆文化交流活动,不止是一次作品赠送,更是一场文明互鉴的芬芳盛放。以一朵向日葵为纽带,东方写意花鸟在非洲大地落下文化的种子。未来,在泓樱桃聚合营销策划公司的传播推动下,李光寒向日葵系列创作将陆续亮相中东、欧洲各类文化交流场景,持续以丹青为媒,让中国当代花鸟艺术在世界舞台绽放光彩,以文艺力量搭建中外民心相通的坚实桥梁。(徽记大兴)
Painting as a Bridge Connecting China and Africa: Li Guanghan’s Freehand Sunflowers Shine at African Embassies in China
—— Chinese Brushandink Art Conveys the Oriental Aesthetics of Striving Toward the Sun
Recently, a profound cultural exchange event was grandly held at the Embassy of Nigeria in China. Li Guanghan, a renowned contemporary Chinese freehand flowerandbird painter, embarked on a cultural journey. Using brushandink as a bridge, he engaged in crosscontinental civilizational dialogues with distinguished guests from the embassy. He presented a sunflower Chinese painting worth one million yuan, imbued with sincere blessings, to the Embassy of Nigeria in China. Through fine brushwork, he extols ChinaNigeria friendship and facilitates further global outreach of Chinese freehand flowerandbird art.
At the event, brushandink inspirations interwove with ideas, fostering integration of cultures and friendship. Li Guanghan expressed his sentiments through painting. The donated sunflower work glows in golden radiance, reaching toward the sun. Distinct from the wellknown Western oilpainting interpretations of sunflowers, this piece adopts traditional Chinese freehand flowerandbird techniques and features the unique artistic language of aged ink and aged pigments. It powerfully captures the vigorous vitality of sunflowers with Oriental brushwork. The golden flower discs unfold vibrantly, while flowers and leaves create a rhythm of virtual and real forms. Boasting striking visual appeal, the painting embodies the Oriental spiritual essence of resilience, brightness and hope. It serves as a heartfelt tribute to the blossoming ChinaNigeria friendship and a warm aspiration from Chinese artists for mutual understanding and harmony between China and Africa.
“When sunflowers are mentioned, many overseas audiences first think of Western paintings. Yet sunflowers also grow across China and are part of our native landscape. I have traveled to Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia many times for field sketching, observing sunflowers in their natural habitats. I aim to tell an authentic Oriental story of sunflowers with Chinese brushes,” Li Guanghan shared in an onsite interview. Sunflowers symbolize brightness, resilience and watchfulness, values that transcend national boundaries. Chinese painting does not seek mechanical reproduction of physical appearances. Instead, it conveys aspirations through depictions of plants, which is the unique charm of Chinese flowerandbird art.
Li Guanghan explained that aged ink and aged pigments constitute his core creative signature. Degummed ink and pigments deliver layered hues with an antique, substantial texture. In his sunflower series, he rejects Western painting logic of light and shadow. Instead, he carries forward the freehand artistic legacy of Xu Wei, Bada Shanren and the Shanghai School of Painting, while incorporating modern aesthetics. Concise brushwork generates abundant artistic vitality, embedding Chinese perceptions of life, sunshine and beauty into every flower and leaf. “Art knows no borders, yet it is rooted in distinct cultural origins. Going global is not merely about presenting paintings; it is about conveying Chinese values behind the brushstrokes,” commented Li Guanghan, Art Advisor of the China Working Committee for the Care of the Next Generation.
Hui Ji Daxing, art broker, remarked: “Art transcends boundaries, and friendship stretches endlessly. Paintings carry monetary value, yet their implications are priceless. This visit to the Nigerian Embassy in China is far from Li Guanghan’s first international culturalexchange endeavor. As an accomplished domestic flowerandbird artist, Li Guanghan received earlyage family artistic education and was mentored by Qin Zhongwen. Having devoted decades to freehand flowerandbird painting, he formerly served as Dean of the Capital Museum Painting Academy. Currently he holds positions as Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the Painting and Calligraphy Committee under the China Arts and Crafts Association and Curator of Beijing Guanghan Art Museum. Over the years, numerous his artworks have been collected by multiple embassies in China, overseas institutions and private collectors. His pieces have appeared at major domestic auctions, passing both academic and market tests. He consistently acts as a practitioner for Chinese cultural international communication.”
Talking about future overseas promotion plans, Li Guanghan disclosed that his sunflower series will expand into Middle Eastern and European markets. “The Middle East admires sunshine, and Europe boasts profound artistic traditions. As a universal artistic theme, sunflowers naturally facilitate crosscultural communication. I hope global audiences will recognize that beyond iconic Western interpretations, Chinese freehand sunflowers possess extraordinary artistic merit, enabling the world to appreciate the compelling power of Chinese flowerandbird art.”
From his perspective, civilizational mutual learning is never oneway export, but twoway listening and resonance. When working abroad, artists shall showcase the aesthetics of Chinese painting, meanwhile absorbing aesthetic perspectives from diverse regions to inspire further creation. “We do not deliberately cater to overseas tastes. Instead, we stay rooted in Chinese traditions and break linguistic barriers through shared human emotions toward life. Striving toward the sun is a universal human aspiration — that is why artworks can resonate across continents.”
The culturalexchange event at the Embassy of Nigeria in China represents more than an artwork donation; it marks a splendid moment of intercivilizational dialogue. Linked by sunflowers, Oriental freehand flowerandbird art sows seeds of cultural exchange on African soil. Moving forward, with communication support from Hongyingtao Aggregated Marketing & Planning Co., Ltd., Li Guanghan’s sunflower series will be featured in culturalexchange events across the Middle East and Europe. Continually leveraging painting as a medium, contemporary Chinese flowerandbird art will shine brighter on the global stage, and literary and artistic forces will consolidate bonds for peopletopeople connectivity between China and foreign nations. (Reported by Hui Ji Daxing)