The Scent of Peony. Painted by Chao Shao-an. Not dated. Dish, enamels on porcelain, Hong Kong Heritage Museum collection. Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum

HONG KONG - Friendship is the close relation between two persons as determined by time and place. The close friendship of Chao Shao-an and Yang Shanshen, two masters of the Lingnan School of painting, brought about not only the meeting of minds but also led to the creation of interesting works of art.

Both Chao and Yang settled in Hong Kong in the 1940s, and they often met together in the Lingnan Art Studio, and they have spent their leisure and created joint paintings. When they made friends with the owner of the Yuet Tung China Works, Tso Wing-shui, they tried their hands at painting on porcelain using their own artistic style. This exhibition features their joint works on paper and on porcelain, selected from private collections which remain lesser known. Visitors will see how the two masters carried out their artistic dialogue in these works, and how they brought their own signature style from works on paper into works on porcelain.

 Prawn. Painted by Yang Shanshen, 1963. Dish, enamels on porcelain, Private Collection. Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Coconut and Vine. Painted by Chao Shao-an and Yang Shanshen, 1954. Ink and colour on paper. Private Collection. Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Pomegranate. Painted by Chao Shao-an, 1970. Dish, enamels on porcelain, Hong Kong Heritage Museum collection. Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Insect in moonlight. Painted Chao Shao-an and Yang Shanshen. Not dated. Dish, enamels on porcelain, Hong Kong Heritage Museum collection. Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Willow and Two Pigeons. Painted by Chao Shao-an and Yang Shanshen, 1954. Ink and colour on paper, Private Collection Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum

Cat and Butterfly. Painted by Chao Shao-an and Yang Shanshen, 1954. Ink and colour on paper, Private Collection. Photo: Courtesy Hong Kong Heritage Museum