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Respecting classic art traditions

The Statens Museum For Kunst of Denmark has donated 16 huge plaster-cast sculptures to the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

His Royal Highness Prince Henrik, the Prince Consort of Denmark and professor Bjom Norgaard from the Statens Museum For Kunst presented the gifts to Pan Gongkai, president of the central academy.

The best known of the works include Michelangelo's Mary and Jesus Statue, God of the Sea, and the statue of Roman Emperor Augustus.

Most of today's art education institutions have abandoned sketch training and encourage their students to pay more attention to new concepts, trends and technologies.

"The Statens Museum For Kunst and Central Academy of Fine Arts are among the few remaining art institutions that still respect the great tradition of Western classic art and require the art majors to have a solid training in sketching in the early stage of their career," says Pan Gongkai.

The event kicks off a series of celebrations for the 90th anniversary of the establishment of China's top institution for art education.

Early in the 1920s, heralded by master painter Lin Fengmian (1900-91), the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, then called Peking National School of the Arts, introduced Western art teaching to Chinese art majors, including sketching, Pan says.

Calls for ties with Sri Lankan film industry

The 2008 China Film Festival opened on Thursday in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo with officials from the two countries stressing the need to promote cooperation between the film industries.

Sri Lankan Cultural Affairs Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said that the festival, coming after last year's signing of a memorandum of understanding between China and Sri Lanka on international awareness on films, would promote closer cooperation between the film industries of the two countries.

Ye Dabo, Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka said the Sri Lanka Film Festival held 2007 in China was very successful and he hoped that the six Chinese films presented in the China Film Festival could contribute to a better understanding of China.

Chinese film Call for Love directed by Zhang Jianya was screened at the opening ceremony. Another five films, Gun of Mercy, When Ruoma Was Seventeen, A Railway in the Cloud, Prince of the Himalayas and Honeymoon were screened from Thursday to Sunday in Colombo and the hilly town of Kandy.

Remembering a literary giant

Yesterday marked the 100th birthday of renowned Chinese scholar Fu Lei. The acclaimed journalist, art critic and translator died in 1966 but his literary legacy lives on.

The National Library of China is holding a series of memorial events for the writer, whose translations include Balzac, Romain Rolland and many other Western writers.

Tomorrow, Professor Serena Jin of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Professor Xu Jun of Nanjing University will give lectures probing the spiritual world of Fu Lei. Last week, Fu Min, Fu Lei's younger son, recounted moving moments of his family life. An exhibition featuring Fu Lei's manuscripts, letters to his sons and friends, as well as precious photos are on display at the National Library until April 22. Then the exhibition will move to Shanghai, Nanjing and other cities.

London-based pianist Fu Cong, Fu Lei's eldest son who is acclaimed as the world's best interpreter of Chopin, will hold solo concerts in April and May across the country, including a performance at the National Center for the Performing Arts on April 26 and 27.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 04/08/2008 page18)