Artist creates the most precious of depictions
"When the tunes ended," Feng later recalled, "the classroom fell into silence, and the children still buried their heads in the scores — it seemed as if everybody had been lost in a dream".
"I couldn't help, deep in my heart, marveling at the unbelievably infectious appeal of music."
The Last Rose of Summer was significant to him for a long time. In 1971, he wrote the song's score and the original English verses, and translated the lyrics into Chinese in the style of classic seven-character poetry.
When people hear the song at the Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, they can also sing along to Feng's translated version as his handwritten sheet is on display in the ongoing exhibition, Endless Refreshment.
Running through to Oct 12, the exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of Feng's passing. It is also a gift presented jointly by the Beijing Fine Art Academy and the Feng Zikai Research Association, founded by Feng's family members in Shanghai. As the exhibition's theme suggests, its creativity and human touch aim at bringing people a refreshing respite as summer comes to an end.
The works on show, together with photos, letters, and historic documents, are primarily from the collections of the Beijing Fine Art Academy and the Feng family.
