Chinese Illustrator’s Works to Be Shown at RAM
Opening June 11 and running through September 11, 2022, a collection of prints by the influential Chinese painter Feng Zikai will be featured at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. Zikai (1898–1975), a pioneer of manhua (Chinese comic art) and known as the "artist of children" for his paintings depicting children was a prolific artist, writer, and intellectual who made strides in the fields of music, art, literature, philosophy, and translation. An opening reception for Selections from the Permanent Collection: Feng Zikai will be held June 24 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Born just after the First Sino-Japanese War, Zikai lived through much of the political and socio-economic turmoil that arose during the birth of modern China to parents who pushed him to become either a teacher or a man of letters or business, but Zikai was drawn to painting— as a child, he was known to steal pigments and dyes from his family's store to color in the woodblock prints in his father's books. After graduating from college, Zikai traveled to Tokyo, Japan, and devoted his time to learning all he could of Japanese and European art, as well as attempting to learn to play the violin, and to speak in English, Japanese, and Russian. Japan is also where Zikai discovered manga art (immersive storytelling through pictures, with less reliance on text and more on using expressive line drawing to create narratives).
Throughout his career as an essayist and illustrator for magazines in China, Zikai’s artistic work often depicted the changing political landscape, such as the horrors of war. The prints in RAM's permanent collection, however, represent his favorite subject—childhood. This collection features imagery of children and families going for walks in the countryside, a little girl with a doll, a child taking first steps, and other charming, every-day scenes.
“My children, who resemble swallows, share the deepest destiny with me, and possess equal standing with deities, stars and art in my heart.” —Feng Zikai, “My Children” (1928)
Long after his death in 1975, Feng’s essays and cartoons are still popular with the Chinese public. His name lives on in the Feng Zikai Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award, established in 2009. Join us to view this unique exhibition, which is housed in RAM’s permanent collection.
Located at 1601 Rogers Avenue in downtown Fort Smith, the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum (RAM) offers fine art exhibitions from world-class artists, important traveling exhibitions, permanent collection exhibitions, as well as art by emerging artists in its modern, 16,000-square-foot facility. From professional art workshops and juried art contests to online art classes and free Saturday art-making programs, RAM connects with schools, visitors and community members of all ages and backgrounds to support the cultural needs of the region. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 to 6, and Sunday, 1 to 5. Exhibitions are free. Visit the website for more information (fsram.org) or call: 479-784-2787.
