Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    FIFTY-SIX traditional Chinese ink and wash paintings and Western oil paintings by six contemporary Chinese artists are on exhibition at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum through July 7.

    The paintings, covering a wide scope of topics such as still life, landscapes, human figures and virtual images, present a new perspective by comparing different artistic languages. It can be clearly seen that there has been an effort to integrate Chinese and Western art styles and the genres often borrow techniques.

    The exhibition is also a microcosm of the latest developments in Chinese art. For example, oil paintings tend to assume a poetic imagery that is commonly used in traditional Chinese ink paintings while painters of traditional Chinese ink painting apply abstract expression to enhance the poetic beauty of their works.

    In one ink painting, the artist presents a picture of a school of swimming fish by using rough lines to sketch the contours of the fish. The picture just looks like tangled lines close up, but it gives viewers a sense of strength and power when observed from a distance.