Exhibition "China in Impression" opens

The exhibition, "China in Impression" has opened in Shanghai as part of the on-going China Shanghai International Arts Festival. Held by China National Academy of Painting, the exhibition has drawn together some of the top works from all across China.

Entitled "China in Impression" or "Xieyi China," the exhibition showcases 160 freehand paintings and 80 woodprints, created by some of the most famous Chinese contemporary artists.

Yang Xiaoyang, president of the Chinese National Academy of Painting says the style holds some pretty soaring ambitions.

Yang Xiaoyang said, "Xieyi calls for refining the core spirit of the object. It is much more profound than the impressionism of the western world, because instead of recording a certain moment on the canvas, Xieyi' is all about conveying the painter's deep understanding of nature and life."

In Yang's work "Circle of Life," characters are painted in a style that resembles calligraphy, or even bronze ware. Despite the work's size, though, he says it took him only a couple hours to paint, though that doesn't necessarily reflect the thought and preparation that went into it.

Daniele Bloch, teacher of the Louvre School, said, "I'm a teacher in France, for story of art. I like it very much. The technique is wonderful. It's a discovery for me."

The style also seems to have had quite an influence on its practitioners.

Nyima Cering is the artist behind the works "Home for Heart" and "Non-polar World." A Tibetan painter, he is steeped in that region's art schools, but found himself gradually attracted to the Xieyi style.

Nyima Cering, painter, said, "I painted an old woman walking a thousand times around the Gangdise Mountain, the God Mountain for believers. You can see the smile on her face, despite the challenges. I used the 'Xieyi' style for this work. I think it's a quite profound technique, and by learning it, our own art styles can be enriched."

Now in its third year, "China in Impression" is pressing forward an artistic movement that's ever growing in stature, a desire to cast-off old Soviet and Western influences with an eye to reviving China's traditional styles.

The exhibition runs to next Thursday.