Brief (coffeeyo.com): On September 10, “Painting Xinchang in Color — Tang Rongde’s Sketching Works of the Ancient Town” opened at Yichi Garden in Shanghai’s Xinchang ancient town, showcasing nearly 30 works — including the Pudong painter’s self-invented “coffee painting,” made by using spilled coffee as ink.
On September 10, the “Painting Xinchang in Color — Tang Rongde’s Sketching Works of the Ancient Town Exhibition” opened at Yichi Garden (Xinchang Ancient Town branch). The exhibition presents nearly 30 sketches of Xinchang ancient town by Pudong painter Tang Rongde, spanning ink wash, oil pastel, and his self-invented “coffee painting,” among other mediums.
As coffee adds its aroma and lends fragrance to the old town, the exhibition draws residents and visitors into Yichi Garden to immerse themselves in the inclusive charm of Shanghai-style culture and art.
“I love coffee and drink at least one cup a day. About six or seven years ago, I accidentally spilled a cup of coffee onto rice paper and unexpectedly found that coffee liquid, like ink, also has shades of light and dark,” said Tang. So he began to try using coffee in place of ink, practicing calligraphy and painting.
Just as ink is said to have “five colors,” he blends coffee of different concentrations when creating, letting the tones separate into scorched, thick, heavy, light, and clear. He then dips his brush in the coffee liquid to draw out myriad variations on the rice paper.
In choosing coffee, Tang prefers instant coffee. “Freshly ground coffee lacks viscosity and its color is rather ‘dry,’ while instant coffee, with sugar and milk added, settles more on the paper and makes the creative process more accessible and spontaneous,” he said. “People say these coffee paintings have beautiful colors and a rich, lingering aroma.”
In this exhibition, viewers can glimpse in the paintings the small bridges and flowing water, white walls and dark tiles, misty rain, and everyday households of Xinchang ancient town, catching a glimpse of Tang’s nostalgia. It turns out Tang is a native of Chuansha, but after birth he lived long in the old walled city of the urban district; the childhood rural affection in his memory has always remained in his mind, hard to forget.
“After retirement, I had plenty of free time, so I often came to Xinchang ancient town to walk and wander, drink tea, and sketch, strolling the old town to watch the scenery and rediscover the local flavor and old taste of my childhood. Before I knew it, I had accumulated quite a few artworks depicting Xinchang ancient town.”
The exhibition’s curator, Zhang Mengting, a partner at Yichi Garden, said that inside Yichi Garden stores, coffee originally only existed in the cup, but Tang’s paintings let coffee exist within the picture frame, offering everyone a brand-new way to savor coffee.
“When guests come to Yichi Garden, beyond drinking coffee, they can also appreciate coffee paintings depicting Xinchang ancient town; just by lifting their feet they can see those bridges and stretches of white walls and dark tiles, and truly feel that art is right there in life,” she revealed. During the exhibition, public-education activities are also planned, inviting visitors to try painting a coffee painting by hand.
The exhibition will run until January 10, 2027.
Source: China Coffee Network.
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