Calendar illustrations displayed at the Museum of Art

‘Mother and Son,’ produced in early twentieth century

The exhibition, ‘Guan Huinong’s Calendar Illustrations Donated by His Family’, features 40 original calendar illustrations by Guan Huinong. It is now on display at the ground floor gallery of the Macau Museum of Art (MAM) until November 8.
The calendar poster was a popular type of advertising medium comprising of month-based calendars, widely used in the early 20th century to promote consumer items and mostly featuring young and glamorous women, depicted in chic urban settings. They have become important historical references with vivid imagery reflecting regional and consumer culture at the time, thus providing individuals with essential information with which to understand the social conditions, lifestyles, trends and products prevalent in the early 20th century.
According to MAM, “These originals fully show the master illustrator’s stroke, tracing and palette skills, which can hardly be noticed on most printed calendar posters.”
Some of the pieces will be displayed alongside their corresponding printed versions, allowing the public to better grasp the differences and relationship between the original artworks and the calendar illustrations.
Guan Huinong (1878–1956), was born in Xiqiao, Nanhai District of Foshan, Guangdong province. His great-grandfather, Guan Zuolin, was a famous author of export paintings in Canton during the 19th century. Born into a family adept at Western painting techniques, Huinong was familiar with perspective and the use of light and shadow as compositional elements from an early age. Later, he studied Chinese painting with Ju Lian (1828–1904), a Lingnan School grandmaster, and was eventually able to ingeniously combine Chinese and Western techniques, which he later applied to his calendar illustrations.