Connie noticed it first, and we were all a bit pleasantly surprised, but here was my lecture being advertised across the Shenzhen University campus on their various reader boards. I had to take a picture as proof of my celebrity status in China. The lecture was about the ideas of the Renaissance, which was well attended and warmly received by several hundred students. It was a lot of fun.
This is a shot taken during the lecture. I focused on Brunelleschi, and how he developed the mathematical/geometric formula that allowed European painters to depict realistic space (called single-point linear perspective, or scientific perspective), and populate it with figure to fit its scale. The painting became a collaborative demonstration between myself and a famous contemporary Chinese artist (also a professor at Shenzhen University) named Professor Ma Bo Shen. I did the mechanical layout of single point linear perspective, and Professor Ma added his calligraphic art to the sides, which explained what I had taught, only, in Chinese. He also added some poetic language to the image, which was a total honor.
Here Connie and I are, earlier the previous day, in Professor Ma's campus studio. He was very gracious to us and showed us enormous hospitality. It was an honor to have been introduced to such a famous Chinese artist, and to invite him to work with me during the public lecture the next day. You can see some of Professor Ma's work on the walls in the background.
This is a snapshot of Professor Ma's work area. He is a notable and highly respected artist and calligrapher. His works sell for great sums of money and he is well known in China and the U.S., where he has held exhibition in major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.
This is the completed collaborative painting created by Professor Ma and myself. It is called "Vanishing Point," and it shows two figures, walking together, hand in hand, through a portal toward the light. Very fitting for the lecture and the reasons for which we crossed the Pacific Ocean. Unique engagements such as this evolved into a remarkable tour.The painting was given to Pat King, our wonderful host on the Shenzhen University campus. Pat is a long-time career educator from Houston, Texas, who travels to China each year to teach during China's academic year. She is an excellent professor and demonstrates unique skills as she teaches English to her Chinese students. She worked us hard every day, as she scheduled multiple sessions for Connie and me to teach. Some of the best of those times were in her office during office hours. We were able to meet some of her students and get to know them a bit better face to face. It was a great way to make new friends. Thanks Pat.
