To promote aesthetic knowledge, enhance the public’s appreciation of art, and provide a platform for exchange among art enthusiasts and professionals, on the afternoon of August 7, the Changzhou Kaiming Painting and Calligraphy Academy, the Changzhou Hengshan Museum, and the Changzhou Economic Development Zone Branch of the China Democratic Promotion Association jointly hosted a free public lecture on aesthetic appreciation titled “Artistic Connotation—The Soul of Landscape Painting” in the Hengshan Museum auditorium. The event featured a special guest, Yan Ming, a National First-Class Artist, Executive Vice President of the Jiangsu Kaiming Painting Academy, Executive Director of the Jiangsu Kaiming Art Museum, Distinguished Professor at the Nanjing University of the Arts, expert in the appraisal and authentication of calligraphy and painting, and former Director of the Calligraphy and Painting Creation Studio at the Jiangsu Art Museum, to share insights and explore the beauty of art.

During the lecture, Yan Ming first guided the audience through the historical tapestry of landscape painting, looking back on the development of Chinese landscape painting over the centuries. He said that, looking at the great masters in the history of Chinese painting, their artistic charm lies in their ability to transform technique into artistic conception with perfect precision, to sublimate the spirit of nature, to find the infinite within the finite, to embody meaning within the infinite, and to poeticize people’s most fundamental life experiences and emotions—progressing from artistic conception to artistic realm, and from artistic realm to a state of artistic perfection. He believes that the core of a work’s artistic character lies not primarily in the subject matter or technique itself, but rather in the vivid scenes of nature as a whole. Through personified emotions, artists create a transcendent artistic realm that blends the self with the natural world—a realm that is natural and seamless—and a poetic artistic conception. This is the very soul of landscape painting. Artistic conception is the sum of a specific artistic image, the artistic sentiment and atmosphere it conveys, and the rich artistic associations it evokes. Artistic conception is an artistic realm created through the painter’s subjective consciousness; the “scene” is the painter’s reflection of all phenomena through the mind. It differs from the principles of everyday life; what it expresses is the interplay and mutual enrichment between subjective emotional tones and objective natural phenomena—it is the crystallization of “emotion” and “scene.” “Artistic conception” is the true essence of objective scenery reflected in the organic unity of these two aspects.

Yan Ming used keywords such as "artistic conception," "emotion," "imagery," and "vitality" to weave a cohesive thread throughout the entire lecture.

The highlight of the lecture was the interactive session at the end. Yan Ming showcased his works from various periods of his career, starting from his student days to the present. The audience enthusiastically asked questions, which he patiently answered, creating a lively atmosphere. Many participants noted that through this lecture, they not only gained a deeper understanding of aesthetics but also developed a fresh perspective on both classical and modern Chinese art, thereby enhancing their ability to appreciate artistic beauty and their creativity.

Ding Wei, a Level 4 Research Officer at the Municipal Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy (CAPD) and Vice President of the Changzhou Kaiming Calligraphy and Painting Academy, stated that such public welfare lectures are an important component of the CAPD’s social service efforts and part of its commitment to public aesthetic education. In the future, the academy plans to organize a wider variety of cultural activities to further enhance the public’s cultural literacy. Through these activities, the academy hopes to help more people understand and fall in love with art, making art an integral part of their lives.

The successful hosting of this public lecture on aesthetic appreciation at the Hengshan Museum not only enriched the cultural lives of the community but also provided art enthusiasts with a visual and spiritual feast, helping to promote the flourishing development of local culture and the arts in Hengshanqiao.

Jiang Bibiao, Director of the Changzhou Kaiming Calligraphy and Painting Academy, Gu Zhengying, Vice Chairperson of the Changzhou Municipal Committee of the China Democratic Promotion Association (CDPA); Li Qiming, Zhou Dongjun, Sun Shuguang, Zhang Keqiang, and Zhang Zhecheng, Vice Presidents of the Kaiming Art Academy; Fang Jiao, Chairperson of the CDPA Economic Development Zone Branch; as well as members of the Economic Development Zone Branch, members of the Kaiming Art Academy, students from the Qingqi Yayuan Art Class, and local art enthusiasts—a total of nearly 100 people—attended the lecture.