WITH 16 copperplate engravings in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Yan Shanchun has become the first local artist in Shenzhen to have his works collected by the world-famous museum, the Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

The 16 copperplate engravings are being displayed in an exhibition titled, “Endless Streams and Mountains: Traditional Chinese Landscape Paintings,” in the museum until Aug. 4.

Yan is a highly respected painter and a scholar who conducts in-depth research on traditional and contemporary Chinese art. According to Yan, the copperplate engravings, which depict the scenery of Baoshi Mountain in Hangzhou City, are based on his memories of West Lake when he was studying art and incorporates the history of Chinese painting.

Each engraving is named after a famous classical painter, such as Dong Qichang and Gong Xian, and showcases the unique style of the master, according to Yan.

Yan’s works are small in size and light in color. Compared with works that attract the viewer visually, his have the temperament of calmness and alienation.

Yan explained that the reason his works have been collected by the New York museum is that he uses copperplate engraving, a Western painting style and technique, to express the artistic conception of traditional Chinese paintings, and the works embody his own distinct style and characteristics.

Born in Hangzhou in 1957, Yan studied at the China Academy of Art and worked at Hubei Province Academy of Fine Arts after graduating in 1982. In 1993, Yan joined Shenzhen Fine Art Institute and later served as the institute’s vice president.

(Zhang Yu)