Chen Xiangbo

A selection of Guangdong master Guan Shanyue’s paintings featuring flowers and birds are on display at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum. Chen Xiangbo, the museum’s director who is also an established painter, will give an online talk on Guan’s works from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday on the Bilibili app.

Guan (1912-2000) was famous for his grand landscape paintings inspired by his travels as well as his flower-and-bird paintings. Under his brush, flowers, especially plum blossoms, are depicted as unyielding instead of delicate.

“When Guan studied with the great Lingnan painter Gao Jianfu in the 1940s, Guan was influenced by Gao’s effort to modernize traditional Chinese painting, so he copied and learned from replicas of Japanese painters Takeuchi Seiho and Hashimoto Kansetsu as recommended by Gao. Thus, Guan’s early paintings were influenced by the styles of ancient Chinese paintings, Lingnan and Japanese art,” Chen said at an earlier interview.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Guan explored using flower-and-bird paintings to reflect the new social life in China. And in the 1980s, his paintings combined firmness and flexibility, using layered ink strokes.

Xiao Quan

Chinese photographer Xiao Quan, who is known for his photos of celebrities like rocker Cui Jian and author Sanmao, will give an online talk from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum. Audience members can book a visit to listen to the talk at the museum or watch it on the Bilibili app.

Xiao rose to prominence in the late 1980s, capturing China’s emerging writers, directors and artists in their early days, including such leading figures as director Zhang Yimou, director Chen Kaige, actor and director Jiang Wen, writer Yu Hua and dancer Yang Liping.

Born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Xiao began recording the youthful faces of a generation of intellectuals in the 1980s and the 1990s. His photos capture the artistic experimentation of China when the country opened to the outside world. His precise grasp of characters and close contact with that generation have imbued his works with social and historical significance. With warmth and persistence, Xiao witnessed the growth of that generation, reflected their pain and joy, hesitation and persistence, and above all, projected his eternal care for life.

Booking: Follow WeChat account “gsyart” and then follow menu instructions

Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, 6026 Hongli Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路6026号关山月美术馆)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit F(SD News)