Thirty-three Chinese oil painters from several generations are showcasing more than 100 pieces of their art at the National Oil Painting Masters Academic Invitational Exhibition, which kicks off tomorrow and runs to January 18.

The exhibition is an artistic embodiment of the academic heights reached by contemporary Chinese oil painting. With rich colors and smooth strokes, the painters explore modern China’s art evolution.

“It displays the variety in styles and genres today’s Chinese oil painters are striving for, from realistic to romantic, narrative to lyrical, figurative to abstract, landscapes to still life,” said art critic Mao Shi’an.

“They draw a picture of the country’s development, the nature we are in and the passion in our hearts.”

Master painter Fang Shicong, 79, showcases five portraits he completed in the 1990s and the early years of 2000.

As a leading artist of portrait painting, the veteran loves to capture the emotions of different people, and especially that of women.

Han Peisheng draws the China East Sea dusk, the deep forest golden autumn and the peaceful countryside in rich colors and strong strokes, while Yang Canjun depicts the corner of a food market, where pink pork is hung high in sharp contrast to the dark, messy background.

Painter Tian Xuesen has been painting nothing but Huashan (Mount Hua), for the last 10 years, which is about 120 kilometers east of Xi’an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province.

Tian rents a small farmhouse at the foot of the mountain which he’s turned into a studio of sorts. He works by day when the light is good and sleeps in a van or tent at night. The artist is displaying three mountain paintings in the different lights of the passing seasons.

Exhibition info

Date: January 1-18, 10am-4:30pm

Venue: Level L, Baiyulan Plaza

Address: 555 Dongdaming Rd

Admission: Free, but you need to book in advance on the official WeChat account “中视文旅.”