Bird-and-flower paintings commemorate former professor

A painting by Tian Shiguang is among the exhibits at an exhibition at CAFA. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Feather and Light is an exhibition currently at the art museum of Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, which marks the 100th anniversary of Tian Shiguang's birth (1916-1999), an artist of the bird-and-flower painting genre and former professor at CAFA.

The bird-and-flower genre has been a time-honored, deeply-seated tradition in the history of Chinese art. However it has encountered a crisis of existence since the 20th century when many artists turned to Western painting styles.

Tian is a respected figure who gave new life to the bird-and-flower painting. His innovation lent a simple and refreshing style to the genre while maintaining its graceful charms.

Born in a village near Beijing's Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), Tian grew up in an environment full of beautiful natural scenery, vivid rural life and a mild climate that appealed to varieties of birds. Tian's birthplace later became an inspiration for his creations.

At 17, he started creating mountain-and-water and gongbi paintings at a fine art school. He later shifted his focus to the flower-and-bird.