Professor Au Ho-nien is named the contemporary representative figure of Lingnan School of painting. If we trace the roots of the Lingnan School, there is a very clear line of succession. It started with Gao Qifeng in the early 20th century. Gao taught many students and some of them are outstanding figures and are named "The Tianfeng Seven" – Gao's seven prided disciples.
Why is it called "Tianfeng"? That linked back to the time when Gao Qifeng lived in Guangzhou during his late years and the place where he stayed in was called "Tianfeng", meaning Heavenly Breeze. So his disciples are named "Tianfeng Seven".
In our museum, there is an exhibition of works from Gao Qifeng and his disciples held at the same period as the Au Ho-nien's . In this exhibition, there is a painting called "Kingfisher at the Riverbank" which illustrates the line of succession between the masters and the disciples and carries significant historical meaning. Chao Shao-an inscribed on the painting "Old dreams of the heavenly breeze" to reflect his fond memories of the past.
We all know that the mentor of Au Ho-nien is Master Chao Shao-an, and the mentor of Chao Shao-an is Gao Qifeng. The disciples of Gao Qifeng, including Chao Shao-an, collaborated to create a riverbank scenery, where a kingfisher rests on top of a wooden stake. This painting is a collaboration work amongst the disciples. Each disciple painted a specific part, and Chao Shao-an drew some duckweed there.
From this painting, we can visualize the line of succession in Lingnan School of art - from the founder Gao Qifeng, to the "Tianfeng Seven" including Chao Shao-an, and then to Professor Au Ho-nien and other disciples.
From this group, one can see the clear succession line and the mentor / mentee relationship of the Lingnan School of painting, and how their influence and legacy build up over time. Up till now, Lingnan School of art occupies a crucial role in the history of Chinese paintings.
After appreciating Professor Au's exhibition, you are welcome to visit "The Heavenly Breeze – Selected Works of Gao Qifeng and His Disciples" to enjoy the works of other representative figures of the Lingnan School of painting.
