Introduction

Exhibition of Zou Chuan'an Art and Literature— "The Soul of Flower and Bird"

Chinese meticulous flower-and-bird painting originated from the Wei and Jin Dynasties, matured in the Tang Dynasty, and thrived in the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, meticulous flower-and-bird painting with profound traditions has taken on a new look. The Hunan style presented in the Hunan meticulous flower-and-bird painting is unique in the country, showing the artistic spirit of fine research and pioneering.

 Zou Chuan'an is an important painter in the field of meticulous flower-and-bird painting in Hunan and even in the whole country. He has created his own unique style of "Zou's Flower and Bird". His style of painting has guided a group of domestic meticulous painters and laid the foundation for the contemporary transformation of Chinese meticulous painting. Fan Di'an, president of the China Artists Association, once commented that Zou Chuan'an’s art has reached a new height in three aspects: First, he takes the shape of the image, instead of relying on the painting manual and ancient books; Second, the vision of setting is extremely broad; Third, exquisite skills can be seen in the vivid portrayal. Lin Fan, the former president of the China Hue Art Association, spoke highly of Zou Chuan'an at the academic seminar, "This is the pride of Hunan and the pride of the Chinese meticulous painting". With the help of generous life feelings and immersed artistic courage, Zou Chuan'an integrates exquisite skills, unique aesthetics and life perception into flowers and birds and turns them into "the Soul of flowers and birds". 

In 2013 and 2021, Zou Chuan'an donated more than 1,000 pieces of his representative works, paintings and manuscripts of various periods to the Hunan Museum. These works formed a systematic collection of Zou Chuan'an, and enriched and extended the "Hunan famous calligraphy and painting collection" series in the Hunan Museum.

After systematic sorting and research, the Hunan Museum launched the "The Soul of Flower and Bird—Zou Chuan'an Art and Literature Exhibition", which comprehensively displayed the artistic experience, artistic characteristics and achievements of Zou Chuan'an over the past 60 years, with a total of more than 300 pieces (sets) of calligraphy and painting works and literature materials exhibited. 

The Hunan Museum also hopes that it can promote the research of local artists and the artists in Hunan through this exhibition, continue the art history of Hunan, and provide a useful reference for the inheritance and development of meticulous flower and bird paintings since the 20th century.