An event dedicated to Chinas National Maritime Day was held at the Confucius Institute of the Azerbaijan University of Languages within the framework of an online summer lecture series on “Chinese Culture.”
According to sea-news.az that Rafiq Abbasov, Director of the Confucius Institute, delivered a lecture on “The Sea Theme in Chinese Fine Arts” during the event. He noted that China’s National Maritime Day is dedicated to the memory of the first maritime expedition organized by Zheng He, the famous Ming Dynasty navigator, to Indochina, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and East African countries.
In his lecture, the Institute’s director provided detailed information on the origins and development stages of the seascape genre in Chinese fine arts, as well as its manifestation in the traditional “guohua” (“mountains and waters”) style, oil painting, watercolor, and decorative-applied arts.
It was noted that in Chinese fine arts, the image of the sea is presented as a source of life and a symbol of freedom and respect for the rulers of the oceans. R. Abbasov spoke about the aesthetic, philosophical, symbolic, and mythological features of works created on maritime themes, providing insights into traditional line drawings, monochrome watercolors, and the use of marine motifs in Chinese porcelain.
He also discussed the artistic expression techniques used in the “guohua” style for composing rocks and waves, as well as the depiction of marine images, port cities, maritime voyages, and battle scenes.
At the end of the event, an online exhibition featuring works by Sun Minyuan, considered the founder of the seascape genre, was showcased. The exhibition presented the artist’s works, including “Undulation at Sea,” “Yulankou,” “Sea with Red Sun,” “Silence of the Sea Rock,” “Seagulls Playing at Sea,” “Sea Flower,” “Ink Sea,” “Sea of Thoughts,” “Sea Melody,” “Impact of Waves,” and others.
