Historical 19th Century Paintings of Macao

During the 18th Century, a large number of the West European painters arrived at Chinese coastal cities due to intensive trade between China and the Mediterranean countries in Europe. To commemorate their visits, works produced by the western painters were largely about the life, customs and scenery of the places which they had visited. Some of their works were imitated and sold to foreign visitors as souvenirs and, therefore, spread overseas.

These ‘export paintings’ were strongly influenced by the British painter, George Chinnery Frenchman Auguste Borget, the Briton Thomas Watson (1814 - 1860) and so on. Their paintings depicting the coastal areas of China, Macao and the Pearl River became examples for the export paintings of Guangdong. Especially those of George Chinnery, whose meticulous and accurate oil paintings, colourful and harmonious watercolours and clear sketches deeply influenced the style of ‘export paintings’.

Compared to the Chinese paintings of that period, these ‘export paintings’ undoubtedly are more realistic and show more important historical value. They provided vivid and clear visual information for the study of the history of Guangdong as well as the history of Chinese paintings in the late Qing Dynasty.

Date : 2005/1/1 ~ 2007/12/31
Venue : Macao Museum of Art