"The Epitome of Aesthetics – Digital Impressions," jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government and the National Palace Museum (NPM), was showcased at the Taichung City Seaport Art Center from Dec. 19, 2020 to Mar. 7, 2021.
The exhibition spotlighted archived artifacts from NPM to further expand and explore art through the six facets of aesthetics such as color, proportion, texture, structure, construction, and composition, as well as the six perspectives of art appreciation including mounting, themes, artistic conception, narrative, technique, and style. Through integrating innovative thinking and the immersive experience from digital impressions, NPM aimed at presenting the diverse styles that result from connecting various disciplines, in hopes of sparking the interests of visitors and appreciate the classic artifacts.
The exhibition is separated into five different sections, namely, "Creatures from the Depths (主題：水中藝想)," "Composition: Mountains and Waters in Classical Painting (構成：山水新境)," "Style: Eastern and Western Impressions of an Iconic Landscape (風格：富春印象)," "Narrative: Stories of Ancient Craftsmanship (故事：錯視奇珍)," "Color: Co-Creating A Masterwork (色彩：藝遊空間)."
Exhibited works includes jade artifacts, bronze ritual vessels and calligraphy paintings with titles including "Illustrated Album of Sea Miscellany (海錯圖)," "Early Spring (早春圖)," "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams (谿山行旅圖)," and the famous Chinese Painting "Dwelling in the Fu-Chun Mountains (富春山居圖)" were transformed into large new media installations that display their intricate details in full.
Among these works, NPM produced a VR work "Wandering in Fu-Chun River VR (神遊富春江VR)," based on the masterpiece drawn by Huang Gong-wang, a famous painter of the Yuan dynasty. Adopting the AI technology, the video presents a 3D scene for viewers to experience the immersive virtual world.
(Photo courtesy of NPM)