Chinese art comes to Frost

Marcy Diaz/Staff Writer

Alexia Escalante/The Beacon

For more than a  year, 30 Chinese artists have been striving  to perfect their creations in time for the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum’s Tianjin Arts in Miami event.
This year, the event will be open on February 10 to the 16, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. From two-foot sculptures to wall-sized  manuscripts, all of the art pieces were presented to solidify and celebrate the University’s Tianjin Center in the People’s Republic of China.
The Tianjin Center was established in 2003 by the partnership between the University and the Tianjin University of Commerce. Since then, the two universities have worked together to guide students through the field of global hospitality and tourism through degree and study abroad programs. Chinese culture is a major theme that inspired everything, from the artwork to the catered treats.
Nonetheless, the subject of collaboration was more prominent.
“Cooperation between China and the United States has been going on for some time,” said President Liu Shuhan of the Tianjin University of Commerce. “We only hope that time allows us to further promote trust and further strengthen our already sturdy bonds.”
The degree program does not stop once students receive their diplomas. “This program will create new job opportunities here and in Tianjin. By working together, we will succeed in achieving mutual success,” said President Mark Rosenberg.
Both art directors presented each other with pieces from their own art collections.
A colorful piece by Pip Brant, associate professor, was presented to President Shuhan and a portrait of two eagles by Liu Chunshui, vice director of the Tiajin Art Institute, was given to President Rosenberg.
Although these two works were exchanged gifts at the event, there were many beautiful works mounted on the museum walls that caught equal amounts of attention.
Traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink art were the dominant styles of the collection.
Professor Gretchen Scharnagl of the drawing department said,  “The craft of calligraphy in itself is very difficult to master because of the mediums that the artist needs to use.  They have to start from scratch and if they make the slightest mistake, it makes every stroke on that painting even more important and meaningful.”
However, watercolor paintings and abstract art did make the occasional colorful and bright statement.
Surprisingly, photo-realistic oil paintings, like Xu Congyi’s painting, “Flowery Age: Maiden,”  created a stir among professors and art-goers. The painting displays a young Chinese girl dressed in traditional clothing and standing in front of an intricate wooden window panel.
No matter the art medium, professors from Tianjin University showed their mastery within the art community.
Each piece had an objective of not only showing an artist’s own individual style but the Chinese community as a whole.
This event expresses not only the importance of Chinese culture and arts, but universal communication.