The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Auckland, in partnership with the Waikato Museum will open the exhibition “Giuseppe Castiglione: An Italian Jesuit Painter at the Court of Three Qing Emperors” at Trust Waikato Gallery, Waikato Museum this Friday which will run from October 13, 2018 to January 20, 2019.
Giuseppe Castiglione, aka Lang Shining (b. 1688- d. 1766), was a Jesuit missionary who became a court painter and served three Emperors of China’s Qing Dynasty during its zenith. His work as an artist earned him such favour within the Imperial Court that upon his death he was given an Imperial Funeral in Beijing.
The exhibition will bring together including 24 reproduction prints, highlights Castiglione’s accomplishments in merging Western Renaissance techniques with Chinese materials and subjects and pioneering a new style of painting. He also successfully combined Western realism with traditional Chinese composition and brushwork. His eight-metre-long’s “One Hundred Horses (or Baijun Tu)” is recognised as one of China’s greatest masterpieces. It has been described as ‘an ingenious integration’ of the two influences.
The original paintings of Castiglione have been housed in the National Palace Museum of the Republic of China in Taiwan since 1949. With other priceless Chinese treasure, Taiwan also reserves the best part of traditional Chinese culture and value, such as Confucian ideas which is also the mainstream for many other Asian societies. Within Taiwan’s free and democratic environment in the past several decades, modern spirit has been imposed on Chinese culture in Taiwan; therefore, it deserves to be understood all over the world.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Auckland representing the government of the Republic of China aims to share the beautiful culture with all our kiwi friends and promote the relationship between Taiwan and New Zealand through this exhibition. Everyone is cordially invited to participate in this culturally-rich event.
Taiwanese musicians Dr.Mu-Tzu HSU and Mr.Jeff LIN playing repertoire " Moonlight over the Autumn Lake ".
Dr. Chung-Hsing CHOU, Director of TECO in Auckland, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
PM from National Party Mr. David Bennett together with PM from Labour Party Mr. Jamie Strange and PM from National Party Mr. Tim Macindoe addressed speeches respectively.
Dr.CHOU presenting the book of paintings to Ms.Cherie Meecham, Director of Waikato Museum.
Distinguished guests listening to MC briefing about the background of the Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione.
Distinguished guests were listening with full attention to the story behind this masterpiece.
A glimpse of the arts