I recently took the time to visit the 2023 Summer Exhibition in London, and was deeply attracted by all kinds of imaginative works of art. Unknowingly, I spent a very pleasant afternoon at the Royal Academy of Arts. The exhibition halls are decorated like this:

最近抽空去看了看正在伦敦进行的夏季展览，被五花八门天马行空的艺术作品深深吸引，不知不觉间在皇家美术学院度过了一个非常愉快的下午。展厅布置的样子是这样的：

 

 

Speaking of which, visiting the Summer Exhibition is definitely one of the proud traditions in the UK. This exhibition was founded in 1769, that is 70 years earlier than the British and Qing Opium Wars. Even during the two world wars, the exhibition continued business as usual, which shows the deep obsession of the British people.

Entering the modern society, the content carried by the exhibition is becoming more and more flourishing, and the medium of expression more and more diverse. In the meantime, because of the stable traffic and sales, the participating artists are promised of good income.

 

 

说起来，夏季展览绝对算是英国的骄傲传统之一。这个展览创立于1769年，比英清鸦片战争的时间还早70年。后来发生了两次世界大战，展览都能照常进行，可见英国人对此的执念之深。

进入到现代社会，展览所承载的内容越来越丰富，表达方式越来越多元，同时也因为稳定的流量和销量，给予了艺术家们一定的收入支持。

 

 

Contemporary art, from a certain perspective, can be regarded as a symbol reflecting the progress of a society’s civilisation. This is because contemporary art is usually about free expression. For example, there may be admiring the nature and beauty, and there may be despising the idols and ugliness. Of course, it can also be the other way around.

All in all, Britain’s inclusive, relaxed and free social environment provides the excellent soil for the development and presentation of contemporary art, which in return advances Britain’s civilisation to the forefront of the world.

And the RA Summer Exhibition, being very successful for more than 250 years, is the perfect stage to show the advantage.

 

 

其实从某种角度来看，当代艺术应该可以算是反映一个社会的文明是否进步的标尺，这是因为当代艺术通常是自由的表达，即可能有对自然和美的讴歌，也可能有对偶像和丑的嘲弄，当然也可能反着来。

总之英国兼容并蓄宽松自由的社会环境，为当代艺术的发展和呈现提供了绝佳的土壤，相辅相成的也让英国的文明走在了世界的前列。

而夏季展览，成功进行了250多年，正是展示这种先进的最佳舞台。

 

 

The following are some pictures of the visit to share with you. If possible, it is recommended that you should go there in person. The experience is completely different from looking at the pictures.

下面是一些参观的图片和大家分享，如果可能还是建议大家亲自前往，体验和看图片完全不一样。