Dai Ze: Realist painter reveals China with his brushes

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03:18

An exhibition of 96-year-old Chinese painter Dai Ze is being held in Beijing. As a student of acclaimed Chinese painter Xu Beihong, Dai Ze has been painting historical events and Chinese sceneries in the style of realism for decades.

Dai Ze’s self-portrait. /Photo provided by National Museum of China

The simple white placards typically used to introduce each piece of artwork has been replaced by diaries, manuscripts, letters and photos.

The National Museum of China is using a first-person narrative to tell stories about Dai Ze's career in art, which spans 80 years.

“The cat in my hometown” by Dai Ze / Photo provided by National Museum of China

Dai was one of Xu's best students. But it isn't until now, at his advanced age, that he's finally getting his own exhibition which provides a complete review of his artistic and academic achievements. Some 190 pieces have been selected from thousands of works.

Capturing the real China at different times was an important part of Dai's art career. He visited many places across the country to observe real scenes and learn about the history of places by himself. The "Coachman," painted in 1948, and "Sign for Peace," painted in 1950, were selected for exhibition in Europe.

“On Jialing River” by Dai Ze. /Photo provided by National Museum of China

"Dai Ze's artworks mainly focus on two areas. One is the natural beauty he discovered in life, the other is the depiction of historical events,” said Xie Xiaoquan, vice president of National Museum of China.

“He learned from Xu Beihong and also inherited Xu's style of realism in his works. Some of his paintings were exhibited in Europe in the 1950s, which was important in promoting Chinese art to the west at that time."

The two works reflect Chinese society around the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Dai also lived in Europe that year and developed an appreciation for Western paintings and culture, which influenced his own style later on.

“Man’s Body” by Dai Ze. /Photo provided by National Museum of China

The artist kept painting and creating art until 2016 when he reached the age of 94. The exhibition of his work will run through May 20.