People moved heaven and earth to make visiting “Heaven and Earth in Chinese Art” possible – an exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Our Year 3 and Year 4 students enjoyed the Art and Chinese excursion to the Art Gallery of NSW on Wednesday 3 April. As part of the “Where We Are in Place and Time” unit, the boys observed some fine Chinese art collections from the past. They learned and inquired about the key concept: Heaven, Earth and harmony expressed through some of the rare Chinese art collections from The National Palace Museum, Taipei. The boys saw some examples of how the concepts were applied in modern architecture and interior design. During the Art and Chinese classes, the boys observed pieces including: Fuxi, Wheeled-bird Zun Vessel, Olive pit in the form of a boat, Meat shaped stone, Square curiosity box with multiple treasures (as known as “Emperor’s toy box”).

The National Palace Museum, Taipei, was listed as one of the “most visited museums in the world” and home to the largest and most delectable collection of Chinese art and treasures. Almost all the art works were collected by emperors over the generations and could only been seen by emperors and people close to them. It is indeed a rare opportunity to see the exhibition –  “Heaven and Earth in Chinese Art”. It took years of planning and support from various people and organisations to make it happen. According to the Art Gallery of NSW “…this is the first time the collection has travelled to the southern hemisphere and it is unlikely to be seen in Australia again.”

Below are some of the feedback/reflections from our Year 3 and Year 4 students:

What I really liked about the Art Gallery was each room had something different. In one room, there was pictures of emperors and valleys and then in another room there was Aboriginal art which was detailed and colourful. My favourite part was learning about the cultures of different countries. The Chinese Art had some extremely long scrolls which showed different parts of China. Oliver F, Year 3. 

My favourite part about going to the Art Gallery was seeing The Emperor’s Toy Box because it had hidden compartments. It was made of wood and the outside had coloured designs on it. Inside, the toys were made of jade, gold, porcelain and bronze. There was also a Miniature boat which was carved from an olive pit. In the boat, there were tiny people. Liam F, Year 3 

The best piece of art was the Phoenix. It was cool because it had interesting patterns and the colours of the phoenix were blue, green and yellow. It had an interesting design and it was a similar size to a basketball. Anthony F, Year 3.

I was really excited to see the Chinese art work at the Art Gallery of NSW. I spotted many art works we’ve learned about in the Art and Chinese classes. Daniel K, Year 4

… I was really excited when I got there. The art gallery is big. There were paintings after paintings. I really liked the painting of lotus pond projected on the wall and the floor. It was so colourful. We could stand on the lotus leaf and a school of fish would come out from under the leaf. It was fun… Jaiden S, Year 4

Eva Angel – LOTE Teacher