美國中華藝術學會(ASACA) 今年成立45週年，將於8月31日起在硅谷亞洲藝術中心舉辦年度會員聯展，
展出包括今年百又八歲高齡潑彩大師侯北人先生以及24位會員的多元創作六十餘幅，及侯北人今年所書的磅礴大字標題「春長好」。
美國中華藝術學會成立於1979年，45年來不斷在灣區及中國大陸推動水墨畫，特別是抽象潑彩畫的藝術交流活動。80年代起，侯北人多次帶領學員探訪大陸山水名跡，拜訪各大博物館及與當地藝術家交流，亦屢次在大陸舉辦師生書畫展。1995-2008年，學員定期在帕羅阿圖的太平洋藝術聯盟展覽。2008年後，學會每年於硅谷亞洲藝術中心舉辦聯展，除了2020年疫情停了一年，從未間斷。每年展覽的主題都由侯北人先生擬定。近三年的主題是：2022年「花雨」、2023年「春雨大地」、2024年「春長好」- 猶如春天三部曲，春意綿綿充滿生機，喻意以藝術滲透人間，讓觀者感受到藝術的美好。
今年的主題「春長好」是宋元詞中常見的句子。侯北人精通詩詞，選這為題必定有其寓意。宋韓元吉《六州歌頭》寫桃花詞上闕開篇：「東風著意，先上小桃枝。紅粉膩，嬌如醉，倚朱扉。」東風帶著情意，飛上小小的桃枝，桃花形象動人。人比花嬌，紅香翠意，爭豔窗扉。下闕轉寫景為追憶，溫馨化為愁思：「只花知，淚空垂。舊日堂前燕，和煙雨，又雙飛。人自老，春長好，夢佳期。」人事變遷，年年更新的春光卻永遠美好，但願如夢的佳期也能跟隨春天來到。藝術何嘗不是人生的寫照，何嘗不是探索生命本質的途徑？
侯北人的好友張大千有一方至愛的朱文吉語印章「春長好」，用了半輩子，多鈐於喜慶或開春的祝賀作品之中。「春長好」概括了一切人世間的美好祝願。侯北人曾經說：「春天的雨、春天的陽光、春天的氣候、春天的花草，都是盛開的，這也是一種美學概念。春天的氣候，春天的香，春天的美，寓意藝術創作的前途、意境，包含美好發展的可能性。」
這次參展的會員包括侯北人、榮卞箎年、于君慧、金大蓬、鄧福庸、曾慶群、馮麗清、James Eckman、錢蔡雅萍、錢超仁、雷家樂、卓月芬、黃春麗、張逸平、陳富明、戚雯英、林玲、Patricia Machmiller、Harve Citrin、Nina Ollikainen、王婷、黃雅純、蔣雲文、林明姝、錢超羣、汪丁甲。硅谷亞洲藝術中心館長舒建華表示：「侯老的德望和氣度，在海內外中國畫壇中手屈一指，門下弟子深受他創新求變、不拘一格的精神所影響，孜孜以求，是灣區中華藝術傳承的一大亮點。」
展覽地點：硅谷亞洲藝術中心（3777 Stevens Creek Blvd., 4/F., Santa Clara)
展期：8月31日至9月10日
開幕：星期六，8月31日下午2:30
開放時間：週二至週六，上午11時至下午4:30
Everlasting Spring – 45th Anniversary Joint Exhibition of American Society for the Advancement of Chinese Arts
8/31-9/10/2024 at Silicon Valley Asian Art Center
The American Society for the Advancement of Chinese Arts (ASACA) celebrates its 45th anniversary this year with an exhibition jointly held by its 108-year-old founder and splash ink master, Mr. Hou Beiren, and 24 of its members at the Silicon Valley Asian Art Center. The opening is on August 31st at 2:30pm, and the exhibition will last till September 10th. Over sixty works of art will be on display, featuring the splash ink style pioneered by Hou Beiren, as well as traditional brush painting and experimental mixed-media styles favored by its members. It will also include a majestic large-scale title calligraphy piece, “Everlasting Spring 春長好” written by Hou Beiren this year.
Established in 1979 in Palo Alto, CA, the American Society for the Advancement of Chinese Arts has been promoting art exchange between the Bay Area and mainland China for the last 45 years. Since the 1980s, Hou Beiren has led members on scenic and cultural expeditions in mainland China. ASACA members also exhibited numerous times in Kunshan, Shanghai and Liaoning, China. From 1995 to 2008, members exhibited regularly at the Pacific Art Leaguein Palo Alto. Since 2008, ASACA has held annualexhibitions at the Silicon Valley Asian Art Center, cancelling only once in 2020 due to the pandemic. Hou Beiren picks the theme for the exhibition each year. The themes for the past three years — Flower Rain in 2022, Spring Rain Nourishing the Land in 2023, and Everlasting Spring in 2024 — are like a trilogy of spring, full of hope and vitality. Hou uses spring as a metaphor for art, having the power to transform and inspire.
This year’s theme Everlasting Spring is taken from a Song Dynasty poem. Hou Beiren is proficient in poetry, so what is the deeper meaning in this titlebesides the obvious? The poem, Lyrics to the First Melody of the Six States (or On Peach Blossoms) by Han Yuanji reads: “The east wind is eager, ascendingthe small peach branches. Red and pink, delicate and charming, leaning against the doorway.” The poem opens with a lovely scene of the arrival of spring, carrying with it a moving image of affection. The east wind and the blossoms could be seen as metaphors for young lovers, meeting each other for the first time. The second half of the poem transforms scenery into memory, joyfulness into melancholy: “Only blossoms know what’s on my mind, as in vain my tears drip. Swallows that nest in my villa, have taken wings in the misty rain, away they flew, in pairs. Naturally I have grown old, though I still hope for everlasting spring, so that I could dream of a rendezvous.” Life is impermanence, but spring comes back year after year, offering us hope. Isn’t art a reflection of life? Isn’t art a way to explore this essence of life?
Hou Beiren’s good friend, the modern brush painting master Zhang Daqian, had a favorite seal with exactly the same words, Everlasting Spring. It was often used on works for happy occasions or new year celebrations. Everlasting Spring summarizes all that is good. Hou Beiren once said: “The rain, sunshine, and temperature of spring, and the blooms and vital growth in plants during spring, embody the aesthetic concept of artistic creation. Spring symbolizes artistic conception, the possibility of beautiful creations.”
Members participating in this exhibition include Hou Beiren, Margaret Yung, Chun-hui Yu, Amy King, Isabella Yeh, Karen Tseng, Lin-Ching Peng, James Eckman, Diana Chien, Victor Chien, Carol Lo Lai, Jennie Cho, Julie Holding, Irene Zhang, Jerome Chin, Adele Chi, Ling Lin, Patricia Machmiller, Harve Citrin, Nina Ollikainen, Marina Wang, Grace Huang, Vivian Ho, Ming Franz, Chau-Chun Chien, D.C. Wong.
Mr. Shu Jianhua, Director of the Silicon Valley Asian Art Center said: “Mr. Hou Beiren’s moral integrity and magnanimity are second to none in the Chinese painting circles at home and abroad. His disciples are deeply influenced by his spirit of innovation, change and eclecticism. ASACA is a highlight of the inheritance of Chinese arts in the Bay Area.”
Location: Silicon Valley Asian Art Center (3777 Stevens Creek Blvd., 4/F., Santa Clara)
Duration: August 31st to September 10th, 2024
Opening: Saturday, August 31st at 2:30pm
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 4:30pm
