Chinese reverse glass paintings in Hong Kong exhibition reflect a unique art form designed and executed ‘backwards’
- The University of Hong Kong show consists of late Qing and early Republican period pieces painted for a Chinese clientele
- The show also provides insight into the evolving social standing and fashions of women of the time
On the surface, the image of a Chinese woman, book in hand, seems simple. But it says a lot about the societal status of women in China in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Florian Knothe says.
“It shows an important change that is not based on fashion or looks alone, but on the rising status of women through culture and education,” says Knothe, director of the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) at the University of Hong Kong.
Knothe is talking about UMAG’s latest exhibition, which showcases the little known art of reverse glass painting. Titled “Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Paintings from the Mei Lin Collection”, the show at the Pok Fu Lam campus runs until January 30.
“Reverse glass paintings are executed in ‘reverse order’ on the ‘reverse side’ of the glass panel,” Knothe says. “The sheet of glass serves as the front of the painting and so the painting is done on the back by painting the detail and foreground first and the background last – everything is designed and executed in reverse order.”
Knothe says the art form developed with export paintings – Chinese works made for export to the West – in the 18th century.