On the afternoon of June 27, a unique cultural dialogue unfolded at the Italian Innovation Center, located in the East Bund Fisherman's Wharf International Center. The Ciao Sino-Italian Bilingual Club, under the theme "Into Morandi," invited Ms. Lei Lei, curator of the Morandi exhibition at the Museum of Art Pudong, as the guest speaker, offering the audience an immersive experience in Italian art and color aesthetics.

Beyond "Morandi Colors" — The Curator Restores the Real Morandi

"Morandi colors" have long become a widely recognized term for a color palette. But for one of the most influential Italian artists of the 20th century, this label seems far too simplistic.

In her sharing, Ms. Lei Lei pointed out that Morandi did not only paint "bottles and jars" — his lifetime body of work spanned oil painting, etching, watercolor, and drawing. Among these, his etchings established a highly precise aesthetic order between black and white through meticulous hatching and tonal gradation. Morandi himself also taught printmaking techniques at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna for many years.

Drawing on Morandi's classic works Still Life (1956) and Landscape (1928), Ms. Lei Lei used Italian to analyze in depth how Morandi opened up nearly infinite possibilities for variation within a limited subject matter — bottles and the landscape outside his window.

It is worth noting that, from the guest speaker's presentation to the audience discussion, this event was conducted almost entirely in Italian. For participants on site, it was both an art lecture and a rare opportunity for language practice.

Since its founding, the Ciao Sino-Italian Bilingual Club has been committed to creating authentic and relaxed exchange scenarios for Italian language enthusiasts. As the club advocates, the best path to language learning is always repeated use in real contexts. Through food, conversation, and cultural sharing as vehicles, it helps learners improve their Italian proficiency in a natural atmosphere.

One participant commented: "I had only heard of Morandi colors before. Today, not only did I understand the curator's interpretation of the works, but I also tried to ask questions and communicate in Italian. This experience is completely different from simply visiting an exhibition."

More Than a Single Event: Sustained Commitment to Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange

As a cultural exchange brand developed by the Shanghai Italian Innovation Center, the Ciao Sino-Italian Bilingual Club is far more than a one-off event. In the future, the club will continue to offer diverse activities such as themed salons, film screenings, and scenario-based workshops. It will also collaborate with university resources in Yangpu District and Italian cultural and educational institutions, extending language learning into cultural understanding, talent exchange, and even Sino-Italian industrial cooperation.

From Morandi's artistic world to the daily practice of Italian, where low-saturation gray tones intertwine with the passionate sounds of the Italian language — the Ciao Sino-Italian Bilingual Club is opening a brand new door for Italian culture enthusiasts in Shanghai.