On the morning of May 17th, a guided tour of the calligraphy and seal engraving exhibition was held at the library, transforming the fragrance of ink and paper into a dynamic classroom experience. The event showcased two decades of artistic accumulation since the department’s evolution into a full-fledged school. Sha Wei, Chair of the Department of Fine Arts at Zhejiang University’s School of Art and Archaeology, Lin Ru, Deputy Chair of the department, along with faculty members Huang Wei and Zhang Lei, attended the event. More than ten students from the School of Art and Archaeology and the International Campus participated.
The tour began with an introduction by Professor Lin Ru, the exhibition’s curator, who highlighted the development of the fine arts program, the Calligraphy and Painting Society, and the Seal Engraving Society, as well as their outstanding contributions to campus culture and aesthetic education. "This is the first time the exhibition has traveled to the International Campus," she remarked. "Viewing the artworks here feels like walking through a cultural corridor, offering a unique charm."
During the exhibition, Professors Sha, Lin, and Zeng used selected works to illustrate the aesthetic and artistic value of seal engraving, painting, and calligraphy. Spanning history to modernity, they guided attendees to appreciate the millennia-old cultural heritage behind each intricately carved seal, the embodiment of Eastern aesthetic ideals in traditional paintings, and the rhythmic variations of lines across the five major calligraphic scripts: seal, clerical, regular, running, and cursive.
The tour provided not only a broad curatorial perspective but also detailed interpretations of individual pieces, offering students and faculty a rare opportunity to engage closely with professional artists. After the event, many lingered by the display cases to exchange insights. One participant shared, "Through the experts’ explanations, I discovered poetic inscriptions hidden in seal engravings and subtle contemporary sensibilities in classical landscapes and bird-and-flower paintings. Traditional art is far more vibrant than I ever imagined."
Written by: Xiong Weiwei
Photography by: Ge Lin