Contemporary Chinese and Spanish oil paintings on show in Beijing

An exhibition featuring oil paintings by contemporary Chinese and Spanish painters is currently taking place at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

A total of 109 oil paintings by 103 artists, including prominent contemporary Chinese and Spanish painters such as Zhong Han, Quan Shanshi, Jin Shangyi, Zhan Jianjun, Antonio Lopez Garcia, Eduardo Naranjo, and others, are on display. The exhibition reveals the fruitful achievements of artists from both countries in the field of fine art realism over the past half a century.

The exhibition focuses on the subject of realism, allowing viewers to observe the distinctive features of artists from both countries in their creative endeavors. At the same time, the exhibition reflects the contemplation and exploration of Chinese and Spanish artists in the creation of fine art realism, bridging the civilizations of the two countries to find common ground in the 21st century.

Among the exhibited works, viewers can appreciate Jin Shangyi's classic piece portraying the image of the Chinese contemporary painting master Huang Binhong in a robe, sitting on a wicker chair, set against the backdrop of Huang Binhong's ink landscape works, conveying the artistic realm of vigor and freedom in the master’s later years.

Zhong Han's poetic masterpiece in Chinese landscape oil painting, and Quan Shanshi's work depicting an adorned Tajik girl are also on display.

According to the introduction of the exhibition, Spain is one of the important countries in the development of oil painting. From the 17th to the 19th century, Spanish oil paintings laid the foundation for the birth and development of Western realism by using light and shadow to depict realistic scenes in paint. Subsequently, realism was quickly adopted by Chinese artists and experienced rapid growth as an art form, giving rise to a considerable number of remarkable works.

The exhibition runs until January 12, 2024.