Tang Dynasty (618-907) artist Zhang Zao articulated one of the most influential ideas in Chinese art history: "wai shi zaohua (externally, one learns from nature and universe), zhong de xinyuan (internally, one cultivates the mind to seek truth and beauty)." The dictum has guided generations of artists in their pursuit of both artistic mastery and spiritual fulfillment.
It serves as the central theme of Heart · Realm, an exhibition at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, in Beijing, showcasing works by graduates of fine arts and design programs at the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
The exhibition features Chinese painting and calligraphy, seal carving, oil painting, sculpture, photography and design. Created either through traditional techniques and classical aesthetics or through cross-disciplinary approaches incorporating new technologies, the works reflect a shared pursuit: reaching a state of artistic excellence in which the self and the object dissolve, and mind and matter become one.
