Shanghai opens Xin Dongwang painting exhibition

The ongoing exhibition at the China Art Museum, Shanghai presents the art and educational career of Xin Dongwang, an important artist of Chinese realistic oil painting.

Going on through Feb 12, Xin Dongwang Painting Teaching Research Exhibition is the largest retrospective of the artist, who passed away at the age of 51 in 2014.

"Dongwang created more than 300 oil paintings throughout his life, and on exhibition are more than 200, which are all I have managed to borrow from collectors," his widow Zhang Hongfang said.

A key representative figure of realistic oil painting in the contemporary Chinese art scene, Xin created honest portraits of ordinary workers and migrant laborers, and injected deep compassion for people and society into contemporary art, according to Feng Yuan, honorary president of China Artists Association.

"From the exhibits, we can see his unique style, distinctive personality and great love for humanity," said Wang Yichuan, executive director of China Art Museum, Shanghai. "Mr Xin's works are the most striking because of his keenness capturing the soul of his subject and his sharp insight to the social phenomena of our times.

"Looking at his paintings I've always felt he had in his hand a beam of light, which illuminates the canvas and every life on it. It is as if he was right here beside us, showing us vividly everything he had imagined. His art inspires such strong resonance, and makes me feel the brilliance of his spirit," she said.

This exhibition is not only a retrospective and tribute to the career of Xin, but also a systematic research into his educational approach and ideas. A small photograph is showcased beside each painting. By comparing the photo with the painting, visitors will understand how the artist re-imagined and transformed what he saw into original artwork.

"Mr Xin cultivated generations of artists, and made great impact on China's art education," she said. "We hope every visitor to the exhibition can feel the rich emotions in his art, think about art, and have a spiritual conversation with Xin."

Xin (1963-2014) was born in a village in Kangbao county in Hebei province. After graduation from senior middle school, he went to Dexian County in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and learned to paint at the local cultural center. In 1981 he returned to his hometown, and became a self-taught artist, traveling in the rural area to do wall decoration around the heated brick beds in villagers' homes.

Then he studied in the art department of Jinzhong Teachers' College in Shaanxi province and went on to become an art teacher. Since the 1990s his paintings won a series of national awards, and then taught in a number of institutions, such as the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. He died of lymph cancer in 2014.

While his paintings feature contemporary portraits and real-life scenes, Xin managed to integrate the aesthetics and expressions of traditional Chinese art and culture into his creation and developed his unique style and technical features.